If you find yourself passing a McDonald’s on Monday, you might want to drop in since it happens to be McDonald’s Day.
Monday marks the 69th anniversary of when Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., just outside of Chicago. If you’ve ever watched “The Founder,” you know that two brothers from Southern California actually created the McDonald’s concept. If you haven’t watched the movie, check it out, and you’ll learn how Kroc took over control of what’s now the world’s largest fast-food chain.
BetCarolina.com, your source for all North Carolina sports betting news, wanted to find out what Tar Heel State denizens like to eat when they visit Mickey D’s. To do that, we analyzed the most popular McDonald’s menu items of North Carolina residents by looking at the search results “McDonald’s” over the last 12 months (April 2023 to April 2024).
Favorite McDonald’s Menu Items in North Carolina
Facts About McDonald’s
The Big Mac is as synonymous with McDonald’s as Ronald McDonald and the signature Golden Arches. Even if you’ve never had one, you likely know its contents from the commercial jingle: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onion on a sesame seed bun. It was introduced in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s in 1967 and became available across the U.S. a year later.
Initially, the Big Mac cost just 45 cents, which would equal $4.21 in today’s dollars.
That’s comparable to what the burger costs today in North Carolina. According to WorldPopulationReview.com’s Big Mac Index, the average cost of a Big Mac in North Carolina is $4.11.
While the Big Mac is No. 1 with North Carolina McDonald’s fans, it’s actually the French fries that are the chain’s most popular product. According to Zippia.com, the restaurant giant sells more than 9 million pounds of fries each day, or nearly 3.3 billion pounds over a year.
But not everyone loves McDonald’s for their burgers and fries. In North Carolina, diners also like the Chicken McNuggets, a staple that has been around for more than 40 years, and the Premium Roast Coffee, which was introduced in 2006 as the chain sought to compete with the likes of Starbucks. Another popular menu item is the McChicken, which has been on and off of McDonald’s menus since the early 1980s.
McDonald’s has a large presence in North Carolina. ScrapeHero reports there are 469 locations in North Carolina. That represents 3.5% of the more than 13,500 McDonald’s in the U.S. Only eight states have more locations.
Although you can't bet on McDonald's food items, you can bet on sports in NC! Check out our best North Carolina sportsbook promos before you place a bet.
Author
As a writer and analyst for BetCarolina.com, Steve not only covers gaming news and developments in North Carolina but also provides insights into what they mean for bettors, licensed operators and the state. A veteran journalist with 25 years of experience covering sports, politics and business, Steve has reported on the gambling industry intently over the past five years.
