A rivalry as old as time itself, and the dawn of a new day for a hamburger empire — Stay
tuned to discover the truth about Heinz ketchup at McDonald’s.
Okay, so picture this: you head to your local McDonald's on your lunch break.
You order a cheeseburger, some fries, and a Coke — classic #1 combo.
But before you dig into those delicious, piping hot fries, you tear open a little packet of
ketchup and squeeze the tangy tomato condiment… and you notice the packets are labeled "Fancy
Ketchup."
“Super fancy, fancy vegetables.
Fancy sauces.”
“I said: Sounds fancy!”
Fancy Ketchup?
you wonder to yourself, Does McDonald's have its own private ketchup brand, or something?
Now, the idea of Ronald McDonald raising a tomato farm to make his own signature ketchup
may be entertaining, but it’s also not too far from the truth.
According to a self-identified former McDonald's manager on Quora, McDonald's actually does
make its own ketchup.
The "fancy" label is nothing more than a term for when ketchup meets USDA Grade A standards
for tomato ketchup.
But why go through all that trouble?
Couldn't McDonald's just partner up with Heinz and have a limitless amount of Heinz's famous
ketchup?
Truth be told, Heinz and McDonald's were business partners up until 2013, when McDonald's dropped
the condiment mogul to focus on preparing its own brand of ketchup.
Why, exactly, would such a prosperous partnership come to an end?
The answer involves the then-CEO of Heinz, and his connection to one of Ronald's biggest
rivals.
In 2013, McDonald's announced the end of its 40-year-long partnership with Heinz Foods,
the reason relating to the company's new CEO at the time.
The CEO, Bernardo Hees, wasn't a controversial figure or a reckless businessman —- but
in the eyes of Ronald McDonald, he was no less an enemy.
Before taking on the mantle of Heinz CEO, Hees worked as the worldwide CEO of Burger
King.
He was credited with revamping Burger King's menu, and getting rid of the infamous "King"
mascot.
Although one might expect a track record like Hees' to excite fast food industry leaders,
McDonald's had a different perspective.
Why would the company want to partner with someone who worked to make its rival company
better?
In a statement explaining the split, McDonald's said the primary reason for ending the partnership
was:
"[...] recent management changes in Heinz."
Heinz refused to discuss the breakup any further, citing its company policy of keeping customer-to-business
relationships confidential.
There, there, Heinz.
You’ll get ‘em next time.
However, McDonald's went on to assure its customers that the decision would not affect
their business, the customers, or the, quote, "great-tasting food at McDonald's.
Then again, the tasty food at McDonald’s has already undergone some major changes.
If you're an older fan of McDonald's and have a particularly refined palate, you may have
noticed that the chain's famous golden fries taste just a bit different these days.
According to SFGate, McDonald's fries were originally fried in beef tallow, a type of
animal fat that becomes semi-solid at room temperature.
The tallow was originally used when McDonald's opened in the 1940s, because it was the cheapest
option its oil supplier could give them.
Fortunately for the McDonald brothers —- and fry-lovers all over —- the tallow had the
added effect of giving the fries their signature rich flavor and golden-brown coloring that
would propel them to legendary status.
But if the tallow-frying method was so popular, why stop?
In 1965, businessman Phil Sokolof had a heart attack.
His subsequent health crisis inspired him to go on a health-focused crusade, and he
created ads targeting fast-food chains such as McDonald's for their unhealthy business
practices.
McDonald's reportedly denied that Sokolof's ads were the cause of its fry recipe change,
but the fast-food industry still felt his influence.
In the 1990s, McDonald's stopped using beef tallow to cook its spuds, instead switching
to vegetable oil.
It may not be the same as beef tallow — and McDonald's fries definitely taste different
now — but, hey, at least they're somewhat better for you.
So, the ketchup changed, and the fries changed.
But McDonald’s is still the same McDonald’s we know and love.
Right?
Well, go out and take a stroll into your local McDonald's.
Look around you — you can smell the fries and the grease, can't you?
You can see the people in line waiting to pick up food, checking their watch, staring
at their phone like so many before them.
But something is off.
Where are Ronald McDonald and his pals?
Where are the character themed cafeteria chairs?
Where are those old Nintendo game pavilions where you and your buds would play Mario Kart?
Everything now feels so sleek, so modern.
It’s far more like a trendy restaurant than the beloved nirvana of Happy Meals and cartoon
characters, like Grimace and the Hamburglar.
In 2018, McDonald's launched a $6 billion overhaul for more than 8,700 U.S. restaurants
as part of a "modernization" campaign, per Food Business News.
This involved updating dining rooms, as well as adding self-ordering kiosks and curbside
pick-up.
Ronald McDonald simply wouldn't fit in the ultra-modern vibe McDonald's was trying to
put on.
People no longer wanted the cheesy circus of McDonaldland.
If they were going to eat at McDonald's, they expected comfort and class.
Still, nostalgic fans can hold out hope that one day, perhaps in a “90’s revivalist”
era of McDonald’s design, they'll dip their beef tallow fries into Heinz ketchup, and
join hands with Ronald once again.
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