McDonald’s Ends “Create Your Taste” Customized Burger Program

Image courtesy of Mike Mozart

For the better part of two years, McDonald’s has tested the “Create Your Taste” menu that allowed diners to customize their burger by choosing from more than 30 premium ingredients without ever talking to an employee. While the fast food giant says those tests went well, the Golden Arches now plans to end the experiment in favor of a more simplified version. 

Business Insider reports that McDonald’s restaurants across the country that took part in the customizable-burger-by-kiosk tests have quietly been switching to the new “Signature Crafted Recipes” version.

The official change to the “Signature Crafted Recipes” program comes a year after a handful of McDonald’s restaurants tested a so-called “Chef Created” option that would see customized sandwiches, wraps, and salads reach customers at the drive-thru. 

A spokesperson for McDonald’s confirmed the change, noting that the company is “always testing and looking at new ideas and concepts to provide our customers with a great restaurant experience.”

“Signature Crafted Recipes” functions much like the previous “Create Your Taste” system — which was being tested in more than 2,000 stores in several states — in that guests can customize their order via a kiosk. The biggest differences, BI reports, is that the new system has fewer options and will likely cost less for customers.

The new program is meant to not only simplify the order process for guests, but also for kitchen staff.

By only offering diners the option of “bundled” toppings — like maple bacon dijon, buffalo bacon, or pico guacamole — for their burger or chicken sandwiches, the company believes the kitchen will be able to better handle orders.

Still, Business Insider reports that ditching the “Create Your Taste” program could come at a cost for some franchisees. Locations that participated in the test reportedly spent about $125,000 to install kiosks for the service. While those same kiosks are being used for the “Signature Crafted Recipes” test, there’s no guarantee that will stick around either.

McDonald’s just pulled the plug on its biggest menu change in years [Business Insider]

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