McDonald's has launched a new upscale "Signature" menu lineup in Switzerland that boasts a $12 burger called The Prime along with a range of Caesar salads.
This is in line with the trend of QSRs making menus unabashedly fancier in style and preparation. BurgerBusiness.com reported on that trend earlier this month with the "Posh Making a Comeback on Menus" post. That post referenced the revival of the "M Selections" line at McDonald's in Australia; Red Robin's white-glove-and-pearls presentation of its high-price Finest burger line; the "Casual attire. Formal flavor" line used to promote McDonald's Bacon Clubhouse burger in the U.S. and more. Add Switzerland to the list.
McDonald's says The Prime burger and the other items in the Swiss Signature line were developed in conjunction with local TV cooking show host René Schudel, who is featured in advertising. A beyond-the-scenes video about Schudel and the making of the Prime can be seen here. According to complaints lodged on McDonald's Swiss Facebook page, the burger has a suggested price of 10.90 CHF or about $12.31. Several consumers say there that the burger is good but too expensive.
The burger itself is a 180-gram (6.3-ounce) Swiss beef patty topped with "rustic mountain cheese" plus bacon, coleslaw, arugula and a special sauce. TV advertising boasts it has everything a burger should: "character, taste and size."
But The Prime is only the anchor for the new Signature menu line (above). It also includes oddly shaped fries (flat and round like chubby potato chips), and four salads: The Ebly Salad (with wheatberries, melon, tomatoes and "a fine dressing"), potato salad (with dried tomatoes), coleslaw (with carrots and cabbage) and Caesar Salad (plain or with grilled or crispy chicken).