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Quarter Pounder

A Quarter Pounder with cheese
Nutritional value per 1 burger (220 g)
Energy	530 kcal (2,200 kJ)
Carbohydrates	39 g (13%)
Sugars	10 g
Dietary fiber	2 g (10%)
Fat	28 g (43%)
Saturated	13 g (66%)
Trans	1.5 g
Protein	31 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A	1090 IU
Vitamin C	2% 2 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	19% 190 mg
Iron	35% 4.5 mg
Sodium	73% 1100 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Energy w/o cheese	420 kcal (1,800 kJ)
Energy from fat	250 kcal (1,000 kJ)
Cholesterol	100 mg (34%)
May vary outside U.S. market
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: McDonalds

The Quarter Pounder is a hamburger sold by international fast food chain McDonald's, so named for containing a patty with a precooked weight of a quarter of a pound (113.4 g). It was first introduced in 1971. In 2013, the Quarter Pounder was expanded to represent a whole line of hamburgers that replaced the company's discontinued Angus hamburger. In 2015, McDonald's increased the precooked weight to 4.25 oz (120.5 g).^[1]

History

The Quarter Pounder was created by Al Bernardin, a franchise owner and former McDonald's Vice President of product development, in Fremont, California, in 1971.^[2] Bernardin had moved to Fremont in 1970 after purchasing two company-owned McDonald's restaurants.^[2]

Bernardin began experimenting with new menu items for his McDonald's franchises. According to a 1991 interview, Bernardin noted that he "felt there was a void in our menu vis-à-vis the adult who wanted a higher ratio of meat to bun."^[2] In 1971, Bernardin introduced the first Quarter Pounders at his McDonald's in Fremont using the slogan, "Today Fremont, tomorrow the world."^[2] The Quarter Pounder became a success and was added to the national American menu in 1973.^[3] Since May 2018, McDonald's is using fresh beef with no preservatives added for their Quarter Pounders at their continental U.S. locations.^[4] On October 1, 2018, McDonalds announced that it would remove all artificial preservatives, flavors, and coloring from the Quarter Pounders.^[5]

Japan

In November 2008, McDonald's Japan (which until then had never offered the Quarter Pounder as a regular item) converted two Tokyo restaurants into "Quarter Pounder" branded restaurants which only sold Quarter Pounder meals. These promotional branches closed on November 27, 2008 coinciding with the re-introduction of the Quarter Pounder at regular McDonald's branches throughout the Kantō (Tokyo) region from November 28.^[6] The Quarter Pounder was launched at one McDonald's restaurant in the Kansai (Osaka) region on December 23, 2008.^[7] It was later reported that 15,000 customers had visited the restaurant on the first day, generating a record 10.02 million yen in sales for a single restaurant in one day. However, it was also revealed that McDonald's had hired 1,000 "extras" to queue up on the first day. McDonald's Japan explained that the hirees were used for "product monitoring purposes".^[8][9]

The Quarter Pounder was discontinued in Japan as of April 4, 2017. McDonald's Holdings Co. has to date given no official reason for the removal. It was replaced by a line of three "Gran" (グラン) burgers around the same date.^[10]

Product description

In most markets that do not use imperial measurements, the Quarter Pounder is known as the Hamburger Royale, Royal, McRoyal, or variants thereof. In France, Belgium, Portugal and Cyprus the Quarter Pounder includes cheese as standard and is named Royal Cheese. In Italy, formerly known as McRoyal DeLuxe, it goes by Deluxe, Cheese and Bacon variants.

In English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand that have adopted metrication or have partially adopted metric units such as the UK, the product retains the Quarter Pounder name (although, in French-speaking Canada, it is known as Quart de livre). The term Quarterão com Queijo is used in metric Brazil, Cuarto de Libra con Queso in Spain and in Latin America, and Quarter Pounder Cheese is used in Sweden and Finland. In the United States and South Africa there are two variations: the Quarter Pounder with cheese, and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe. In some Middle-Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, McDonald's provides both a Quarter Pounder and a McRoyale burger on its menu, the McRoyale having slightly different ingredients. In Hong Kong, the Quarter Pounder is known as a "full three taels" (Chinese: 足三両) in Chinese because three taels is approximately equal in weight to a quarter pound, while the English name Quarter Pounder is retained. In Taiwan it is known as "four-ounces beef hamburger" (Chinese: 四盎司牛肉堡). The Quarter Pounder is unavailable in mainland China. In Russia and Ukraine, it was known as Royal Cheeseburger, and since 2016 in Russia it is called Grand Cheeseburger. In Japan, the name was a katakana representation of "Quarter Pounder" (Japanese: クォーターパウンダー Kwōtā Paundā).

The burger comprises a beef patty weighing 4.25 oz. (120.5 g) before cooking^[11] and 3 oz. prepared, pickles, raw onion, ketchup, and mustard. In all or much of the New York City area, it is served without mustard, as are burgers made with the smaller 1.6-ounce (45 g) patties.^[12]

The nutritional content of the Quarter Pounder varies between countries and locations. For example, in Australia, which uses local beef for its McDonald's products, the average Quarter Pounder has 33.7 g of protein per serving, a higher value than that stated for the same burger in the United States.^[13]

Other quarter-pound hamburgers

"Quarter Pounder" is a trademark in the United States, but restaurants in other countries have been able to use similar names for their own products, such as the British Wimpy chain's "Quarterpounder."^[14]

See also

• Whopper


• List of sandwiches

References

Further reading

• A McDonald's timeline