Op-Ed: McDonald's Embraces Gluttony With Its Big Arch

McDonald's latest headline-maker is less a tweak than a dare. In the Washington Post, food critic Tim Carman sizes up the new Big Arch, a limited-time burger that dwarfs the Big Mac in nearly every way: two quarter-pound patties, three layers of white cheddar, pickles, shredded lettuce, a seeded bun rugged enough to hold it all, and a new Big Arch sauce that leans sweet-savory with a tomato punch. It delivers about 1,020 calories and 65 grams of fat, easily outpacing the Big Mac's 580 calories and 34 grams of fat. "The Big Arch groans under the weight of its ground beef, which more than doubles the protein packed into a Big Mac," writes Carman, yet manages to remain "a carb-o-phobe's nightmare."

Carman reports that the burger can impress—his first one was juicy, generously dressed, and almost "smokehouse burger" in character—but consistency is the catch. A second Big Arch, ordered at a different DC-area McDonald's, arrived with rubbery meat and barely-there toppings, making the familiar Big Mac look like the safer bet. The larger question he raises: Why is McDonald's rolling out a burger that seems designed to overshadow its own icon, "all in the name of progress and profitability"? Carman concludes, "Now that's a big move." For the full taste-test and analysis, read Carman's review at the Washington Post.