McDonald's to launch bigger, $4 Angus burgers

NEW YORK -- McDonald's will begin selling a line of bigger burgers priced about $4 each on Thursday to bring in customers looking for a beefy alternative to pricier burgers at sit-down restaurants.

The Angus burgers are made with one-third pound of Angus beef and come in three varieties — a deluxe burger with pickles and tomatoes, a mushroom swiss burger, and a bacon and cheese burger.

The company's latest nutrition data shows the Angus Burger has 590 calories and the Angus Burger with bacon and cheddar has 740. That compares with 530 calories for McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese.

The burgers will be sold in all U.S. locations for the next few months. The fast-food chain declined to specify when or if the burgers would become a part of the company's core menu, which includes favorites like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the Big Mac.

McDonald's has been testing the burger for several years in more than 1,000 restaurants in Columbus, Ohio; New York; Los Angeles; and Albuquerque, but it held back from introducing it to all U.S. consumers to focus on its core menu and lower-priced offerings.

The company said in April that it would finally launch the Angus burger in all of its U.S. locations this year.

Despite the continuing recession, spokeswoman Danya Proud said the time is right to launch the "bigger, premium" burger nationwide.

"Customers are looking for great tasting burgers at a value that only McDonald's can offer," she said. "These premium burgers are a tremendous value compared to similar fast-casual and midscale offers."

Burgers at fast-casual competitors like Five Guys or at sit-down chains like Chili's Grill & Bar can cost $8 or more.