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McDonald's Hamburglar Comes Out of Hiding to Promote Big Burger Changes The fast food chain brings back its iconic, 'red-handed fugitive' to market updates to the Big Mac, McDouble, and Classic Hamburger and Cheeseburger.

By Jonathan Small

Photo by: McDonald's

The Hamburglar is back to his thieving ways.

After years on the lamb, the iconic mascot has been resurrected by McDonald's to promote some big changes the fast food giant is making to its Big Mac, McDouble, and Classic Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, and Hamburger.

Soon, McDonald's will offer softer toasted buns, melted cheese, caramelized white onions, and more Big Mac sauce.

The company has already experimented with the changes in Australia, Canada, and Belgium.

"We found that small changes, like tweaking our process to get hotter, meltier cheese and adjusting our grill settings for a better sear, added up to a big difference in making our burgers more flavorful than ever," said Chef Chad Schafer, Senior Director of Culinary Innovation, McDonald's USA, who's division cooked up the menu modifications.

Related: Chipotle Is Crying Fowl at Sweetgreen for Stealing Its Name

Hamburglar ad campaign

McDonald's decided to bring the Hamburglar out of hiding to promote its new ad campaign. Two new commercials will feature the masked bandit wearing his trademark cape and prison pinstripes.

In the spots, the Hamburglar is shown staking out a local McDonald's, where he spots refreshed versions of the burgers. He then drops down into the restaurant and steals a tray of burgers.

"What better way to show just how good they are than to turn the most notorious burger thief loose in our marketing campaign as he tries to get his hands on our best burgers ever," said Tariq Hassan, McDonald's USA chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in a statement.

McDonald's menu move comes amidst a restructuring in the company. Earlier this year, McDonald's laid off hundreds of employees in its corporate offices, cutting pay and benefits for others, and closed field offices.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Founder, Strike Fire Productions

Jonathan Small is a bestselling author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

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