McDonald's Welcomes Angus to the Table

By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Dec 8, 2006 10:20PM

Chicagoist hates to admit it, but we’ve always been one of those irrational people who orders a Diet Coke with whatever else we order at McDonald’s. It just makes us feel slightly better about eating food that we are positive will one day kill us. Trans fats, greasy meat, fries with beef powder — we know about it all, and yet, every once in a while (when we are on an interstate or in an airport) we take the plunge.

Which is why we were surprised to learn that Oakbrook, IL-based Mickey D’s has been serving real Angus beef burgers in the L.A. area. The new burgers, “Angus Third Pounders” which are only in the test phase right now, come in three flavors: Angus with cheese, Angus Deluxe with lettuce and tomato, and Angus Mushroom and Swiss. They retail for between $3.39 and $3.99.

Angus beef is better than the standard stuff, or at least that is what McDonald’s is hoping you think. In contrast to competitors Burger King and Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s has focused more energy in recent years on promoting chicken options, like their chicken selects and snack wraps, while Burger King et al have created souped-up burgers like the Angus Steakburger. Our friends in L.A. proposed that McDonald’s “sponsor AC/DC's next tour, as Angus Young, their iconic leader, is one of the most revered guitarists in rock history and their catalogue of hits has sold over 100 million units. Put a code in each Angus burger value meal that would allow for a free download of a new AC/DC song and everyone would win.”