TOKYO - In a nation touted for its longevity and healthful eating habits, McDonald€™s in Japan offers burgers with quite the caloric punch, the Wall Street Journal reports. While in the United States the fast-food chain has stocked its menu with healthier options, McDonald€™s Japan debuted four new burgers loaded with toppings and calories.
Under the Big America 2 campaign umbrella, the burgers are named after U.S. states. The Idaho Burger with a quarter-pound of beef, fried hash brown, bacon strips and melted cheese clocks in at 713 calories, while the Texas 2 Burger with three buns, cheese, bacon and chili, packs 645 calories.
The Japanese seem to love McDonald€™s. "I love hamburgers. I eat every new hamburger that comes out in Japan, but I especially love McDonald's burgers," said Yasutsuru Mori as he ate a Texas 2 Burger. "McDonald€™s keeps to the fundamental American hamburger profile: ketchup, mustard and beef."
McDonald€™s Japan€™s strategy seems directly opposite to McDonald€™s U.S. strategy with its focus on having more healthful menu items, such as meal salads and oatmeal. Japan locations only offer one small side salad.
In the United States, McDonald€™s Corp. has no plans to add larger burgers to its menu beyond the successful Angus Third Pounder. The Japanese Big America 2 promotion is "just one creative example of how McDonald's markets strive to cater to local customer tastes," said a spokeswoman.