Why is it chosen despite being expensive? The reason why the Big Mac continues to be McDonald's earning power

The Big Mac is not just a popular product. The original article envisioned it not merely as a single hamburger, but as a symbol that visualizes the strength of the massive McDonald's brand. In fact, reading McDonald's public documents reveals that the company has recently stated that "core menu items are at the heart of the business," highlighting the important role that staple products like the Big Mac play in building value propositions and digital strategies.

What makes the Big Mac special is its long history and high reproducibility. According to McDonald's official history, the Big Mac was created in 1967 by Pittsburgh owner-operator Jim Delligatti and added to the national menu in 1968. Since then, McDonald's has expanded to over 100 countries and more than 38,000 stores, making the Big Mac a flagship product that offers "almost the same experience" worldwide. Indeed, the official product page still maintains the core composition of two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and special sauce.

This strength of being recognizable as a Big Mac wherever you eat it is not just about taste. The Big Mac Index, published by The Economist since 1986, uses this product's standardization as a basis for comparing the purchasing power of currencies across countries. It is rare for a regular fast-food item to become a common economic language. The Big Mac transcends being just a menu item, becoming a symbol of price perception and international comparison. It's not the brand supporting the product, but the product itself supporting the brand and market perception.

So why does it remain a "best-selling product" even now? The answer lies in McDonald's growth strategy, where the Big Mac functions more as a starting point for attracting customers, comparisons, and upselling rather than earning on its own. In McDonald's 2024 investor materials, total sales were $25.9 billion, and system-wide sales were $130.7 billion. Furthermore, for the full year 2025, system-wide sales exceeded $139 billion, loyalty member sales were about $37 billion, and 90-day active users reached approximately 210 million. In this vast sales network, well-known staple products are compatible with apps, coupons, sets, and delivery. The Big Mac is a product that easily creates pathways like "opening the app to buy this" or "adding fries and a drink on the side."

Moreover, McDonald's is not just preserving old flagship products. In the 2024 annual report, the company positioned core menu items at the center of its business, expanding burger quality improvement initiatives like "Best Burger" to over 80 markets and introducing value-oriented strategies like McSmart in Germany and France, and the $5 meal deal in the U.S. In other words, staple products are not only symbols of nostalgia but also central to decision-making on "what to choose at the current price." The Big Mac is neither too premium nor too cheap, allowing it to be positioned right in the middle of price appeal and brand appeal. This is strong in the sales design of the entire chain.

What's even more important is that the Big Mac functions as a "source of buzz." McDonald's has recently emphasized culturally relevant marketing, and the 2024 annual report highlights the strength of buzz and engagement. In the Chicken Big Mac announced for the U.S. in 2024, the company prominently featured "fan enthusiasm for the staple since 1968." In short, the name Big Mac itself is an expandable asset. Because the original is strong, derivative products also become newsworthy, and attention returns to the original. This is a much larger brand circulation effect than single-item sales.

So, do consumers really love the Big Mac? Looking at social media, the answer is not simple. On Reddit, posts like "I order a Big Mac every time I go to McDonald's" and "Even after eating elsewhere, I sometimes stop by just to buy a Big Mac" stand out, treating it as a "classic among classics." Many also favor the special sauce, thin patties, and unique layering, with a clear sense of preference that "nothing else satisfies." Additionally, there are comments about the improved Big Mac, noting softer buns and a hotter, tastier experience. Support on social media is more akin to an attachment of "I want it to be the Big Mac I know" rather than mere praise for its taste.

On the other hand, dissatisfaction is also quite strong. Recent Reddit posts highlight feelings that the price increase of the Big Mac exceeds inflation, with reactions like "too expensive" and "the quality doesn't match the price." Another post considered the Big Mac overrated, preferring the meatier Quarter Pounder. Other criticisms frequently appear, such as too much middle bun, too much lettuce, and a lack of satisfaction for the price. Thus, the Big Mac on social media is not all praise. Rather, it exists as an accumulation of contradictory emotions like "I like it but it's expensive," "it's less appreciated than before," and "yet I still order it."

The reason the Big Mac remains strong is that this mix of praise and criticism is rather converted into commercial strength. Even if it's not a product universally recognized as the best burger, the same name is understood worldwide, it's easy to incorporate into app strategies, serves as a benchmark for price comparison, and generates conversations including nostalgia and complaints. The Big Mac connects to all four contexts that McDonald's has emphasized in its recent growth strategy: "core menu," "value," "digital," and "loyalty." Therefore, the Big Mac continues to be a "benchmark product" supporting the overall rotation of McDonald's, beyond just the volume of individual sales. It doesn't sell because it's old. It continues to sell because, despite being old, it remains at the center of conversation.

Source URL

・The basis of the issue "Why the Big Mac remains McDonald's revenue machine"
https://www.ad-hoc-news.de/boerse/news/ueberblick/big-mac-warum-der-klassiker-mcdonald-s-umsatzmaschine-bleibt/69075935

・McDonald's official history page (confirmation of the Big Mac's addition to the national menu in 1968)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-company/who-we-are/our-history.html

・McDonald's official product page (confirmation of the current basic composition, ingredients, and product description of the Big Mac)
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac.html

・McDonald's official Big Mac Sauce page (confirmation that the special sauce has been treated as a brand asset for many years)
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac-sauce.html

・McDonald's official regional expansion page (confirmation of global expansion to over 100 countries and more than 38,000 stores)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-company/where-we-operate.html

・McDonald's 2024 Annual Report (confirmation of core menu focus, value strategies, Best Burger, and 2024 performance-related data)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/sites/corp/nfl/pdf/McD%20-%202024%20Annual%20Report%20to%20Shareholders.pdf

・McDonald's 2024 Investor Overview (confirmation of 2024 total sales of $25.9 billion and system-wide sales of $130.7 billion)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/sites/corp/nfl/pdf/Investor%20Overview%20Deck%20v2025.6.2.pdf

・McDonald's 2025 Full-Year Financial Release (confirmation of 2025 system-wide sales, loyalty sales, and active user numbers)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/sites/corp/nfl/pdf/MCD%20Q4-25%20-%20Exhibit%2099.1%20-%20vF.pdf

・McDonald's official 2025 Full-Year Financial Summary (confirmation of key points of 2025 performance)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/Q4-full-year-2025-results.html

・McDonald's official Chicken Big Mac announcement article (confirmation of the Big Mac brand's expansion into derivative products)
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/chicken-big-mac.html

・The Economist's Big Mac Index (confirmation that the Big Mac is used as a benchmark for price comparison and purchasing power comparison)
https://www.economist.com/interactive/big-mac-index

・Britannica's Big Mac Index explanation (supplementary explanation of the origin of the Big Mac Index and PPP)
https://www.britannica.com/money/Big-Mac-index

・Reddit Post 1 (reaction from those who order a Big Mac every time, choosing it as a classic)
https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1myp5lx/im_that_person_who_orders_a_big_mac_every_single/

・Reddit Post 2 (reaction from those who favor the sauce and composition, considering the Big Mac a favorite)
https://www.reddit.com/r/burgers/comments/1kf0zlh/the_big_mac_is_my_favorite_mcdonalds_burger/

・Reddit Post 3 (reaction evaluating the improved Big Mac as better than before)
https://www.reddit.com/r/fastfood/comments/18hu5dp/we_compared_the_new_improved_big_mac_against/

・Reddit Post 4 (reaction expressing dissatisfaction with price increases, feeling it has risen more than inflation)
https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1s16jyy/prices_from_1995_to_2026_yikes/

・Reddit Post 5 (reaction discussing dissatisfaction with high prices and quality)
https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1ph1dfv/when_people_say_mcdonalds_is_expensive_now_i_say/

・Reddit Post 6 (reaction considering the Big Mac overrated, preferring the Quarter Pounder)
https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1myp5lx/im_that_person_who_orders_a_big_mac_every_single/