ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605030044
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHICAGO
In a new shot at its competitors and a bid to widen appeal to adults, McDonald's Corp. plans next week to unveil a bacon, lettuce and tomato hamburger called the Arch Deluxe.
The quarter-pound hamburger will come off the grill nationwide with a cross-country media blitz beginning May 9. The seasoned-beef patty will come in a potato-flour bun, with lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion and a sauce of Dijon and stone-ground mustards and mayonnaise. Bacon will be optional, according to a source familiar with the product McDonald's declined to confirm details pending the formal announcement.
The fast-food chain based in Oak Brook, Ill., is seeking to pull more adults into its stores amid stiff domestic competition and sluggish U.S. food sales. McDonald's posted one of its smallest quarterly profit increases in years last month. Sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, an industry standard for measuring performance, fell for the first time.
Company officials hope the burger will bring in $500 million by year's end, with a goal of $1 billion in the future, the source said.
The Arch Deluxe will mark the first major product introduction since McDonald's launched the failed McLean Deluxe lower-fat hamburger in 1991. The new burger is aimed squarely at competitors such as Burger King and Wendy's, which have had bacon hamburgers as a menu staple for years.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 35 linesby CNB