Two new versions of the Big Mac will debut in Florida

McDonald’s is going to bring out two new versions of its Big Mac next year, and Florida is among those getting a chance for an early bite.

One is called Grand Mac, because it’s larger than the Big Mac with two sixth-pound patties. The Big Mac has two tenth-pound (or 1.6-ounce) patties.

The new smaller version, Mac Jr., has one sixth-pound (2.67 ounces) pattie but doesn’t have the signature Big Mac middle bun.

McDonald’s tested the new burgers in Dallas and Ohio earlier this year, because those are both “beef-centric” areas, according to McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz.

“We listened to our customers, who told us they wanted different ways to enjoy the one-of-a-kind Big Mac taste,” Haracz said.

The two sandwiches will make their national debut early next year, but they’ll be introduced in Florida and parts of Georgia, as well as Pittsburgh, on Nov. 14. The company said they’ll be available for a limited time.

McDonald’s has not announced prices for the two new sandwiches, but when they were tested, the Mac Jr. cost between $2.39 and $2.59, while the Grand Mac was $4.89, according to industry news sources.

The Big Mac will remain the same as it has been since it was introduced in 1967: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun. The Big Mac was copied from the Big Boy hamburger, introduced in California in 1937 and made famous by the West Virginia-based Shoney’s and Ohio-based Frisch’s restaurant chains in the 1950s and ’60s.

After several years of falling sales, McDonald’s began bouncing back last year when it started serving its breakfast items all day.

Roger Bull: (904) 359-4296