Latest news with #McDonald'sJapan
SoraNews24
22-05-2025
- General
- SoraNews24
McDonald's Japan adds new 'Grand' size to its menu…but are the portions really supersize?
We find out if the new drinks and fries deliver as much as promised. McDonald's Japan recently surprised everyone by announcing it would be introducing a new 'Grand' size to its menu. Available for fries and popular drinks, the new supersize is said to serve up 70 percent more fries than a medium and twice as much drink as a medium, but we were curious to find out if McDonald's would really deliver on this promise so we bought a bunch of the new sizes as soon as they were released on 21 May. ▼ The new Grand fries cost 480 yen (US$3.35) each. Starting with the fries, when we stood the Grand next to the Medium, the difference was plain to see. The larger pack towered over the smaller one, but curiously, where the Medium was filled to overflowing, the Grand had plenty of room left up top. ▼ The extra space up top was uniform across all four of the Grand fries purchased. ▼ Could the chain be overstating its promise of '1.7 times' more fries? Fearing this might be some sort of conspiracy, we decided to get to the bottom of the matter by emptying the contents from one of the larger packs out onto a plate… ▼ …and weighing the pack itself. With the pack weighing 10 grams (0.35 ounces) exactly, we would now be able to weigh each of the four packs to determine their weight in fries. ▼ Deducting 10 grams for the cardboard packaging, the first pack contained 225.5 grams of fries while the second contained 245 grams. ▼ The third pack contained 247.5 grams… ▼…while the fourth and final pack contained 214.5 grams. According to the official McDonald's website, the standard weight for a serving of medium-sized fries is 135 grams, so if we multiply that amount by 1.7, each Grand should contain 229.5 grams as the standard. Going over the numbers again, the fries we tested weighed in at 225.5, 245, 247.5 and 214.5 grams. With half of them containing more than 229.5 grams and half containing less, it's a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to getting your money's worth from the new size, but all in all, it wasn't too far off the mark. Incidentally, the standard weight for the Large size is 170 grams, so at least all the fries delivered more compared to what you could previously get in one size at Japan's golden arches. After eating a pack of Grand fries, it certainly filled us to the brim in a way we hadn't experienced before, and we were in need of washing it down with a Grand Sokenbicha (a popular brand of Japanese blended tea by Coca-Cola), priced at 420 yen. Other drinks that can be upsized to a Grand are Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta Grape, Fanta Melon, and Grand Qoo White Grape. ▼ Is the Grand really twice as big as the Medium? ▼ The Medium weighed in at 437 grams, so by that reckoning, the Grand should weigh 874 grams. ▼ However, upon weighing the Grand, it fell slightly short, at 862 grams. After conducting our experiment, we were a little disappointed to find that three of the five Grand-sized items delivered slightly less than expected. Sure, it may not have been much of a discrepancy, but in a country where big chains like Lawson can deliver way more than the 40-percent extra promised, and at no extra cost, it's a shame that McDonald's wasn't able to over-deliver in the same way. Still, after the great McDonald's fry shortages of 2014, 2021 and 2022, when we couldn't purchase medium or large fries at all, we're happy to now have four sizes to choose from, and with McDonald's not giving an end-date to the offer, we hope they'll be staying on the menu permanently. Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
Tokyo Weekender
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
McDonald's Chiikawa Collab Causes Chaos and Controversy
McDonald's Japan released its highly anticipated Happy Set (Happy Meal) collaboration with popular character series Chiikawa on May 16. It sold out— in just two days. The collaboration features exclusive Happy Meal toys with various Chiikawa characters donning McDonald's staff uniforms. The first wave of toy releases — including a McDonald's cup-shaped pen holder with the titular character Chiikawa, a plastic calendar with the character Hachiware, a small container shaped like Usagi flipping a pancake and a rolling car featuring all of the characters — was scheduled to run from May 16 to May 22. However, McDonald's released a statement on May 18, notifying fans and customers that sales have ended prematurely due to most restaurants selling out of Happy Meals much earlier than anticipated. And while fan frenzy during new merchandise release days is typically nothing to cause a double-take, this particular occasion sparked quite the controversy, as viral social media posts showed alleged scalpers bulk-ordering Happy Meals solely to acquire the limited-edition toys and resell them at a markup. List of Contents: Chiikawa Fever Sparks Chaos Preparing for Upcoming Round Two Chiikawa's Kawaii Empire Related Posts Chiikawa Fever Sparks Chaos The promotion instantly became a chaotic event. An X post from release day got nearly 11 million views, after anonymously depicting a supposed scalper carrying a giant overflowing bag of Chiikawa toy boxes. The text translates, 'From a certain C-country…' — taking a Sinophobic turn for what was supposed to be a fun prize drop for children and fans to enjoy. Below the post, comments flooded with similar discriminatory sentiments. The post's top comment, with 169,000 views and 2,600 likes, suggested implementing the Kyokujitsu-ki imperialist rising sun flag or statements like 'long live Japan' into product packaging to dissuade resale in China. Another user angrily remarked how these individuals are 'anti-Japan, but want Japanese products.' マクドナルドの「ちいかわ＆マイクラ」ハッピーセットが中国人転売ヤーの爆買いにより即日完売。マックの中身は床に落ち、食べ物を何だと思っているのか？転売対策も虚しくフリマサイトに高額出品が相次ぎ、購入者から怒りの声。 ちいかわ公式サイトは販売終了を発表。 #中国帰れ #Chikawa — のうまにあ 願榮光 (@FreeAll_protest) May 18, 2025 Tension and frustration grew throughout the weekend. Another post went viral on X with over 16 million views. The video shows a McDonald's restaurant overrun with Happy Meal bags covering every counter surface in sight. The text claims that scalpers placed bulk mobile orders, snatched the coveted toys out of the takeout bags — and then abandoned the orders. The toys can't be purchased by themselves, so customers must buy the meal to receive a Chiikawa toy. With food continuing to pile up and some even spilling on the floor, it appears that McDonald's employees were forced to dispose of some of the innumerable uneaten meals. Many users reposted the video of food trays being chucked into the garbage bins, one X post with 24 million views perpetuating the narrative of Chinese resellers 'tarnishing childhood traditions.' While unverified allegations and Sinophobia continued to run rampant amid the mayhem, other users added disclaimers through X's user-submitted 'added context' feature to bring awareness to the fact that there is currently no evidence that the scalpers were of Chinese origin, or that all of the Happy Meals in the viral video were bulk-ordered solely for the toys. While McDonald's policy limited each guest to buy four Happy Meals, it seems like that rule was quickly overlooked. Toys immediately started to pop up on resale websites such as Mercari, for about six or seven times their original retail price. Some listings raised their markups to jaw-dropping levels such as ¥100,000 for a complete set of the four toys. Happy Meals start at ¥510. Preparing for Upcoming Round Two To the dismay of fans who were looking forward to getting their own Chiikawa and friends toys, McDonald's announced that the first wave of the collection has been prematurely suspended. The official statement thanks customers for sales far exceeding initial expectations, but does not mention any of the weekend controversy pertaining to food waste and scalper loopholes. The second installment of the collection release is still scheduled for May 23. The second wave features new exclusive toys, including a Chiikawa memo set, a Hachiware photo frame, an Usagi sticker dispenser and a Momonga pencil cap. Round two is intended to run through May 29, though based on the previous release it does not seem likely that that'll be the case. Chiikawa's Kawaii Empire Chiikawa originated as an online manga series written and illustrated by the mangaka known as Nagano. The series is named after the main character, Chiikawa (which translates to 'small and cute'), and follows adventures from daily life with friends like Hachiware, Usagi, Kurimanju and Furuhonya. The printed version of the series now has seven volumes, and has sold a total of over 2.7 million copies. In 2022, an anime television adaptation produced by animation studio Doga Kobo premiered on Fuji TV. Currently 260 episodes have been released. Fans of the series often cite their love of Chiikawa's relatability — the series explores themes of friendship, growing up and the everyday struggles that come along with it. Chiikawa's failures and continued persistence resonate with viewers who are experiencing similar hurdles. 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