McDonald’s Brings Back the Double Cheeseburger, and Where We’ve Gone Since

For your consideration, the following is a commercial for McDonald’s double cheeseburger. An ad for a rather unremarkable item, right? Watch, then read on:

Did you notice anything?

Notice that they said they brought the double cheeseburger back, meaning that they had actually removed it from their menu. And even then, it’s only for “a limited time.”

Can you even remember a time when a double cheeseburger wasn’t a regular item on the menu, be it at McDonald’s or anywhere else you go? A new “Burger Bar” opened up the street from me this past week, and while it’s a Kosher establishment (so no cheese), even they have a double burger.

Of course, these days, the ante has been upped considerably. Not only do we see double cheeseburgers, but double Quarter Pounders (aka Half Pounders), Double Big Macs (practically a quadruple cheeseburger, there), Double and Triple Whoppers, Quad-Stackers (a quadruple cheeseburger, topped with bacon), Triple Baconators, and more. And that’s not even touching on Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr.

While I like a large burger now and them myself, even I have to admit that it’s kind of crazy. And one has to wonder where these establishments will go next.

It’s easy enough to blame the restaurants when it comes to these menu items– “America might not be so fat if these menu options weren’t trotted out before them,” and such. And while that may be true to some degree, it’s not as though we don’t do it to ourselves– McGangbang, anyone?

I’m not here to point fingers or condemn anyone, though. It’s just interesting to look back at where we’ve been, where we’re going, and ponder the reasons why.

I do plan to someday experience the melding of a Junior Chicken with a McDouble, and I’ve had the opportunity. But at the same time, I wonder if I’d be more inclined to do so if it were an actual item on the menu. In any case, I only plan to do it as a one-off thing.

On that note, ever wonder why stacking burgers is so commonplace, yet you don’t see double chicken sandwiches, be they breaded or grilled? How about fish?

(And no, the KFC Double Down doesn’t count, since it lost one piece of chicken once they got a bun involved on the Doublicious, making it more of a “real” sandwich.)

Perhaps the real issue is the price. Such commodities tend to be cheap and affordable in the U.S.; in Canada, an item which costs a dollar on the U.S. menu can range from $1.39 to $2.00, while other items, of course, tend to cost a bit more than their U.S. counterparts. But Lose Weight Exercise issues seem to be cried about a bit less here.

Perhaps if the food were priced so that doubling, tripling, and so on up wasn’t so easily affordable, maybe people would look at it more as an odd, rare treat than just today’s lunch.

Those are just some of my thoughts, admittedly random, on the subject. Feel free to share yours below.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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