Big Arch kicks off new big-ticket burger war among fast-food chains

Where's the beef? There's plenty in an escalating battle to be the place you go for burgers.

Fast-food chains have tried to coax consumers not only with value meals, but also with beefier burgers. McDonald's just expanded the menu with its biggest-ever burger, the Big Arch, while Burger King revamped its already-big Whopper for the first time in a decade.

"Chains are pursuing two strategies at once: value and premium," said Taylor Tomita, a research and outreach specialist at data and content agency NeoMam Studios. "Companies like McDonald’s have leaned heavily into value menus over the past year to attract budget-conscious customers. But they’re also launching bigger burgers like the new Big Arch to appeal to people who want something closer to a restaurant-style experience."

Other bigger burger examples, he said, include In-N-Out's Double-Double, Shake Shack's Shackburger, and Whataburger's signature burger, which NetCredit recently deemed the best value for a single-patty burger, weighing in at 3.56 ounces for $5.92.

McDonald's Big Arch price range for a 'bigger, more indulgent burger'

McDonald's may be experimenting with the pricing of the Big Arch. The price of the burger ranges from about $8 to more than $10 in most places, with an average price of about $8.88, according to NeoMam Studios' research.

But the highest price ($12.99) in Lewiston, Maine, is 74% higher than the $7.46 it costs in Columbia, South Carolina, he said. "That gap suggests chains are testing how far customers will go for a bigger, more indulgent burger," Tomita said.

The arrival of the Big Arch and the subsequent conversation "has started taste tests and comparisons that have brought both chains' attention, putting both burgers in the spotlight," he said.

Burger execs battle it out on social media

The burger battle has led to some online jabs between combatants. After McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a video of his Big Arch taste test, he got heckled online for what some commenters called a less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of the big burger.

Burger King piled on, posting a video of "excited" company President Tom Curtis chowing on a Whopper. Wendy’s President Pete Suerken joined in on Wednesday, March 4, posting a video of him biting into a Baconator. "This is exactly the way a great hamburger should be," he says in the video.

Jack in the Box on Thursday, March 5, posted a video of its Jack mascot saying, "Small bites? We don't do that here."

Even as the online battle rages, the biggest burger players hope their savings-and-size sales plan continues to find success. McDonald's comparable U.S. sales rose 6.8% in the three-month period ending Dec. 31, 2025, marking the biggest jump in about two years, Reuters reported, thanks to its McValue menu and meal deals at $5, $6 and $7 price points. That sales increase compares to the chain's 1.4% decline in the previous year, when an E. coli outbreak impacted demand. Burger King, which had its own $4.99 meal deal, also saw sales spike 2.6% in U.S. restaurants during the three-month period.

This "barbell strategy," weighted with value meals on one side and plentiful portions on the other, has worked for Taco Bell and restaurants such as Olive Garden, said Sara Senatore, an analyst with Bank of America Securities.

"You have what we consider price-point value, but you also have abundant or quality value, where people are really looking for a lot of bang for their buck," she told USA TODAY.

Having addressed value-seeking consumers, burger chains are now pitching "these premium and large sandwiches," Senatore said.

We tried the Big Arch, the new Whopper. Here's what we thought

McDonald's is raising the burger bar with its Big Arch – it weighs nearly a pound and comes in at 1,020 calories – made with two quarter-pound patties, three slices of cheese and dressings, including a new Big Arch sauce.

"You want to be hungry when you order one of these," I said in my video taste test. I found the burger satisfying, but the liberal dollops of Big Arch sauce, which has hints of mustard, made the Big Arch burger challenging to eat without getting messy, so have some napkins handy – and I don't recommend eating it while driving.

I also did a taste test of the new Whopper and found the sandwich tasty. Also, it "looks great," thanks to Burger King's new wrapper and box for serving the burger. "If you had been getting smushed burgers, I would try this now."

Contributing: Amaris Encinas and Kate Perez/ USA TODAY

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected].