Talk:Quarter Pounder/Archive 1

This is an archive of past discussions about Quarter Pounder. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Archive 1

Quarter Pounder as generic term (UK)

In Britain at least, one can get a quarter-pounder (or its bigger sibling, the half-pounder) burger from any chip shop or kebab stand you come across, and was rather surprised to find that the article referred specifically to the McDonald's item. Could we have more of an international viewpoint in the article? 220.244.54.115 (talk) 11:39, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

This is not a case of a single, American viewpoint about a generic term or a general article on all sandwiches called quarter pounders; it is about the specific product from McDonald's. Other, similarly named products from other vendors should be in their own article, if they meet notability standards, or mentioned in the main article on the vendor. --Jeremy (blah blah • I did it!) 16:18, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Spain

Just added that "cuarto de libra con queso" is also used in Spain as well as in Latin America. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.34.118.120 (talk) 19:21, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

General

This article should not be merged into the List of McDonald's menu items article - Wimpy, for example, also sells Quarter Pounders, so it isn't just a McD's thing.

Merge it into the hamburger article, if at all... 220.157.82.96 05:04, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

As there has been no discussion, I will remove the merge tag. This article still needs a lot of work. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 14:27, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I'd like to see this article "with the works". Nyuk, nyuk...Myles325a (talk) 03:52, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

No No No

the Quarter Pounder™ is exclusive to maccy d's and i work there it is a trad mark, many places(or everywhere) has burger with quarter pound of meat but cannot (but do) call it the Quarter PounderOwwmykneecap 21:19, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Which is why I fixed the article several days ago to reflect this. You can ignore the other user's comments above. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 22:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Pounder Burger

It is little known you can buy what is known as a 'Pounder'. This is a Quarter Pounder, with three extra meat patties. Of course you can order more or less patties to suit your appetite. Each extra patty costs around Australian $3 for each one. The Pounder is not a menu item, but a modification of a menu item. Onenemesis 11:47 , 23 August 2006 (EST)

Yeah, that should be added. Not to mention the Double Pounder. 122.107.221.248 (talk) 08:20, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

In Sweden we actually have an official burger called "Double QP Cheese" which consists of two patties. It's only available during the night where we have a special, stripped down menu. SwiftingSpeed (talk) 17:40, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Royale

Is the "Royale" term also used in Québec? - knoodelhed 06:12, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

"Burger"?!

This is hardly a burger! The term "Quarter-pound pile of lard and fat" would be more suited to the article. There should be a large section about how bad these are for health. Ilikefood 22:56, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

If you can find any reputable sources demonstrating that lard and fat are, indeed, the sole ingredients in a Quarter Pounder, by all means add them to the article. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 16:04, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, OK, Ilikefood is utilizing a perfectly respectable form of hyperbole. The question is “How much fat IS in a QP, or any other MacDonalds burger for that matter?” MacDonald’s claim that the burgers are 100% beef, but what grade of beef is it? It is hard to tell in good old Australia, because the farm lobby here have prevented proper grading of meat, so that no one really knows how old or good a steak is until they get it home and cook it. It is one of the only countries that allow this. Of course, this backward system is only for domestic use, our EXPORTED meat being of very high quality, and rigorously graded.

A preponderance of fat in the QP patties would explain why they seem nowhere near a quarter pound in weight, as that is the stipulated weight BEFORE frying. Although, suspicious old curmudgeon that I am, I have been wondering if even the raw patty is a quarter pound these days. Myles325a (talk) 04:26, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Picture

That picture makes the burger look a lot more disgusting than it really is.--Smart Mark Greene 05:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Newsflash, McD's is disgusting. No sense hiding that from the readers. Tomstdenis 04:59, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Now, now comrades, remember: De gustibus non est disputandum. Myles325a (talk) 03:55, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Trademark?

Although they are most commonly associated with McDonald's, many other hamburger outlets sell or have sold quarter-pound hamburgers. As "Quarter Pounder" is a trademark, they have generally used similar names, such as the British Wimpy chain's "Quarterpounder." [1]

This sounds a little bit dubious. (Example: if I wanted to bring out a new soft drink, could I call it "Cocacola"?) I can only assume there is some sort of gentlemen's agreement between the two firms, as while McDonald's was the first to use the name "Quarter Pounder", Wimpy has been established in the UK for far longer and until the 1980s was hugely more popular.

To what extent is it possible to trademark names based on pre-existing weight measurements, anyway? AdorableRuffian 09:55, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

As no-one has provided any sources for the above, I've removed any references to "QuarterP(p)ounder" being a trademark, etc. I suspect this is rather a sensitive issue, along the lines of "Budweiser" (Czech) vs. "Budweiser" (US) and so forth. AdorableRuffian 03:18, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

And why wouldn't it be a trademark? Ever notice the registered-trademark symbol next to the words "Quarter Pounder"? Look here, for example: [2]. That's why no-one else sells a "Quarter Pounder" and McDonald's doesn't sell a "quarter-pounder." I'm sure the fact that "Quarter Pounder" borders on being a generic term is how Wimpy could get away with "Quarterpounder," although that's just a guess; but a trademark it is. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 14:39, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's not quite as simple as that, as I've only just realised thanks to your link! Compare the UK and US McDonald's websites - the words "Quarter Pounder" have the trademark symbol on the American site, but not the British one (unlike "Big Mac", which is trademarked on both). Although I'm not a trademark lawyer - no, really! :-) - I would hazard a guess that were Wimpy to market their "Quarterpounder" product in the United States, they would run into severe difficulties... AdorableRuffian 00:35, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

Most likely explanation is that someone registered the trademark in the UK before McDonald's. Not unheard of, Look at Hungry Jack's and Burger King (Mattoon, Illinois).

- Jeremy (Jerem43 14:14, 25 October 2007 (UTC))

Quarter Pounder, Hamburger Royale, McRoyale

To what extent is the Royale product similar to a (U.S.) Quarter Pounder in the markets in which it is sold? I noticed that in Saudi Arabia ([3]) for example, McDonald's sells both a Quarter Pounder and something called a "McRoyale", the latter looking like some sort of equivalent to BK's Whopper.

Also:

"In metric Canada, Australia, and Sweden the sandwich retains the Quarter Pounder name; Quarteirão com Queijo is used in metric Brazil."

It should be noted here that Canada and Australia, although now "officially" metric, maintain familiarity with English Imperial measurements due to their British heritage - as does the United States of course. (I don't know about Brazil or Sweden!) 217.155.20.163 00:15, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

The US & UK need to use the Quarter Pounder name in the future, but all other English-speaking countries (aside from the US & UK) should use McRoyale if it does happen in the future. The 'Quarter Pounder' name is American and British... not for other English-speaking countries no offense. Remember- we Americans and our British cousins are highly opposed to metrication. America and Britain have a system: pints, gallons, miles, pounds, yards, feet, ounces. Kilometers, liters, grams, and meters are therefore suppelementary and completely voluntary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Harvey994 (talk) 17:40, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

Forget beef - try Euro Meat!

In early 2007 the meat in the United Kingdom will be changed to "Euro Meat", a new style patty which has a smaller diamater but larger height. The new patty is more like a "home-made" burger than the current ones.

Does anyone have a source for this? The term "Euro Meat" sounds threateningly vague and unappetising - it conjures up images of cow brains boiling away in a vat somewhere in Slovenia or Ukraine (compare this with Burger King UK, who are emphasizing 100% officially certified Aberdeen Angus beef in the Angus burger).

Also, I would be somewhat concerned if McDonald's were messing about with the core menu items in this way - I don't want to have to cross the Atlantic just to be able to enjoy the Quarter Pounder I know and love :-) 217.155.20.163 22:20, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Oh yeah, Britain, the land that just killed a squillion cows over foot and mouth, and has an ongoing catastrophe and national scandal over mad cow disease (and the terrible version it has given to humans - Creutzfeld-Jacob disease) can really look down its nose at Slovenian meat. Funny, I don't recall seeing BSE as being a huge problem there. Myles325a (talk) 04:32, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Slovenian beef. There's been nothing wrong with British beef either for at least the last 11 years (far from being an ongoing catastrophe, the Mad Cow scandal is well in the past, and it's never been conclusively proven that eating beef from an infected animal causes CJD in humans). I was referring to the complete non-specificity of the "Euro Meat" name (meat of unknown origin, from an unknown species?!) and contrasting it with Burger King's use of beef from a certified source.

And yes, I'm afraid Britain does generally look down its nose at food from former communist states in Eastern Europe, just as France looks down its nose at our efforts. Not saying it's right, just how it is. 217.155.20.163 (talk) 12:45, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Pulp Fiction

Can anyone say whether the Quarter Pounder is called a "Royale with Cheese" (exact wording) in any country at all, or if this was invented purely for the movie Pulp Fiction?

All I can determine about the "Royale" thing is that the name Royale or McRoyale is used for a Whopper-like product in Middle Eastern countries (and possibly other countries) - the Quarter Pounder with Cheese being an entirely separate product, and sold alongside the (Mc)Royale. 217.155.20.163 22:48, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Why Royale?

I realize '113 gramwich' might not be all that brilliant a name, but what's royale mean in relation to the burger? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.21.221 (talk) 00:44, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Prob coz QP is an Imperial Measure (British and thus Royal) as opposed to Metric, which was established by French Revolutionaries and Republicans. Myles325a (talk) 04:03, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Yes it should be '113 gramwich' in all English speaking countries except for America and Britain, where us, the American people, and our friendly British cousins, call this burger... a Quarter Pounder. It's what keeps us American and British in every way. Who wants 4 ounces or a quarter pounder America and Britain- at a BIG VALUE- 4 ounces for a tiny price!!! And Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, that's 113 grams to you!!! Hands off of the American and British term Quarter Pounder. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.100.3.169 (talk) 02:16, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

If it is true that the patty is always 113 g even in a metric country, the name quarter-pounder can not be used in those countries where the pound is legally or historically has been defined as 500 g. In this case the 113 g patty would be undersized by 12 g, as a quarter pound would be equal to 125 g. In countries where metric scales only exist and commercial scales are designed to weigh only to the nearest 5 g, it would be impossible to weight out 113 g. 110 g, yes, 115 g, yes, but not 113 g. If the patty were 125 g, when cooked it would end up being about 100 g, which would make the 100 grammer name more true to what one really gets. Who cares what it is when raw, you eat what is cooked and when cooked you get less than what is raw. Thus it is false advertizement to call it a quarter-pounder if it really isn't.

As to the comment that using non-metric measures is what makes Americans and British what they are, in the near future you will have something else....high unemployment or only employment in jobs with long hours, no benefits, low pay and low intelligence required. Your anti-metric attitude is forcing jobs and industries to continue to relocate in metric countries. Every time you buy an imported product, just think it was designed, engineered and manufactured in the metric system and if Americans and British weren't so anti-metric, they would be made in the US & UK instead of Europe and Asia. Your attitude is helping turn the world into first world countries while yours decays to third world status. Your loss is someone Else's gain. 68.105.199.216 (talk) 13:09, 12 May 2012 (UTC)

Merge proposal

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.

There have been no comments in opposition to the move of this article in the five days it has been posted, therefore I am moving forward with the Merge.

-Jeremy (Jerem43 01:40, 30 October 2007 (UTC))

Merge It is just a variant on the QP, localized for Australia. It is otherwise non-notable. - Jeremy (Jerem43 08:23, 22 October 2007 (UTC))

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

McOz?

It seems that McOz redirects here, but the page does not actually mention the McOz as a variation of the Quarter Pounder. It seems pointless to have a redirect to an irrelevant page. Surely someone with some knowledge about the McOz could add something... Dazcha (talk) 05:04, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Quarter Pounders in Hong Kong

True as of this writing--http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk/chinese/about/mcdblog/images/article/m20090521.jpg --Kelvin_HO^{Wiknerd(talk)} 04:29, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

New Zealand

McFeast is no longer on the menu at McDonald's in NZ (barring future reintroduction) circa August 2009. "The Boss" type of combo now has tomatoes, lettuce, onion, mayonnaise, pickles, tomato sauce (ketchup) resembling the old McFeast or MegaFeast but larger in size, and thereby closest to its competitor Burger King's Whopper products. I believe it is now the signature lines of burgers available at McDonald's in NZ alongside Big Mac. --JNZ (talk) 06:39, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

In case if anyone wants to dispute this, The Boss in NZ is more similar to McFeast or Big N' Tasty rather than a Double Quarter Pounder. This is a photo straight from www.mcdonalds.co.nz circa 18 August 2009: The Boss. It is certainly no double version of Quarter Pounder.

Interestingly, Double Quarter Pounder is available as a separate choice at certain McDonald's outlets after 5 pm, presumably for a limited time. --JNZ (talk) 08:08, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Picture

The current picture at the top of this article is of a Big Mac sandwich and not a Quarter pounder. This is misleading and in my opinion should be replaced or removed since the article is concerned with quarter pounders specifically and not McDonald's sandwiches in general. --82.38.65.187 (talk) 05:56, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Error in variants section

In the variants section, the following is written: Beef Platter - A ¼ lb (227 g) Beef patty served with lettuce and tomato on the HotCakes tray, a low-carb option. The problem is, that 1/4 pounds is not 227g, it is 113.398093 grams. My doubt is which of the weights is correct. After checking that, the article should be corrected. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.179.89.102 (talk) 18:20, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

In metric countries where pound scales do not exist, how do you weigh out 113.396093 g, accurate to the microgram? Especially if commercial scales in metric countries are designed to display to the nearest 5 g? Also in metric countries old unit names have been recycled and a pound is usually equal to 500 g and not 454 g as in the US. Thus if the quarter pound name is retained, the amount would be 125 g and not 113 g and when cooked down, the remaining patty mass is 100 g. 68.105.199.216 (talk) 12:55, 12 May 2012 (UTC)