McDonald’s is giving fans a seat at its counter to show how it makes the Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
On October 29, McDonald’s and "Top Chef" Season 22 winner Tristen Epps-Long open "Inside the Golden Arches."
In New York City, it'll be a one-day chef’s table that fans can attend for free with a reservation.
Guests hear from chefs and experts about the ingredients and small touches behind some of the menu’s best-known items.
Epps-Long is a former McDonald’s Crew member, and he will guide guests through the session as one of the 1 in 8 Americans who have worked behind a McDonald’s counter.
"McDonald’s was where I got my start, and the experience helped shape the way I think about food and hospitality," Epps-Long said.
"Inside the Golden Arches gives fans a rare opportunity to see the people, processes and care behind that experience."
McDonald's VP of U.S. Marketing and Menu Strategy Gina Hardy echoed these sentiments.
She believes the new concept is about "creating a new level of access and transparency for our fans."
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese uses 100% beef that is never frozen, reaches restaurants two to three times a week, and is grilled once an order comes in.
The format is experiential marketing on a small scale, with guests judging those claims by watching the grill and tasting the food.
From the Counter to an $8 Meal
Through the experience, guests will get to watch how the Quarter Pounder with Cheese is prepared, from the fresh beef cooked to order to the simple ingredients that go on the bun.
They will also taste the Egg McMuffin, Chicken McNuggets, and World Famous Fries.
Notably, the invitation also promises answers to questions like why the egg on an Egg McMuffin comes out perfectly round.
Seats are limited, so the wider push reaches everyone else on November 2, when participating U.S. restaurants start selling a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, medium fries, and a drink for $8.
This date follows the Monopoly relaunch earlier this month, when McDonald's cut the game down to one peel and four ways to win, with every prize path running via the McDonald’s App.
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is one of the eligible items in that game, and a bonus Chance Card play stays open through November 1.
Within a few weeks, the same burger moves from game piece to chef’s table to meal deal.
It all just shows how much of McDonald’s marketing depends on giving customers a new way to engage with products they already know and love.
Showing the Work Behind the Menu
McDonald’s joins the food brands that answer ingredient questions by inviting customers in.
Shoppers are paying attention.
An Acosta Group survey of 1,083 shoppers, reported by FoodNavigator in March 2026, found that 58% read labels all or most of the time.
Brands selling everyday products can take three lessons from the event:
- Put a credible insider in front of your claims: Epps-Long’s years on the Crew give statements about fresh beef and consistency a messenger customers can relate to.
- Let customers inspect the process: Claims like never-frozen beef and grilling to order carry more weight when guests watch the grill.
- Schedule the access event right before the offer: The $8 meal starts four days after the chef’s table, so the interest the event creates has somewhere to go.
When shoppers read labels and question what is in their food, the brands that open their kitchens give them a reason to believe the claims.
Our Take: Can a Few Counter Seats Sell a Burger Everyone Knows?
A burger this familiar has no mystery left, so McDonald’s is selling not just the process behind it, but the people who make it.
We think the smart part is who tells the story afterward.
Guests will almost certainly film the grill, and those clips will reach even more people than the room holds.
A chef who once worked the line makes for a more sincere and honest ad than anything shot in a studio.
We would watch the clips from that room more closely than the guest list.
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