
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold by McDonald's. It was introduced in 1971 by a franchisee in Fremont, California, and added to the national American menu in 1973. The burger is so-called because it contains a beef patty weighing a quarter of a pound (approximately 113.4 g or 4 oz, but increased to 4.25 oz or 120.5 g in 2015). The burger is topped with slivered onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese, and served on a sesame seed bun. In some countries, the Quarter Pounder is sold under different names, such as the Royal Cheese, the Hamburger Royal, or the McRoyal.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | 100% fresh beef patty, ketchup, mustard, pickle slices, chopped onions, and a slice of American cheese on a sesame seed bun |
| Weight | 4.25 oz (120.5 g) before cooking, 3 oz (85 g) after cooking |
| Calories | 520 |
| Add-ons | Lettuce, mayonnaise, bacon, and Big Mac sauce |
| Availability | Worldwide, with different names in some countries |
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What You'll Learn

The Quarter Pounder's ingredients
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold by McDonald's. It was introduced in 1971 by a Fremont, California franchisee and added to the national American menu in 1973. The name refers to the weight of the beef patty, which is approximately one quarter of a pound.
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains a quarter-pound beef patty, ketchup, mustard, pickle slices, chopped onions, and a slice of American cheese on a sesame seed bun. The beef patty is made with 100% real beef with no fillers, additives or preservatives. It is seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked on a hot grill. The burger contains 520 calories.
In some countries, the Quarter Pounder is sold under different names. In France, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus, it is called the Royal Cheese. In German-speaking countries, it is known as the Hamburger Royal, and in Russia and Ukraine, it was known as the Royal Cheeseburger. Since 2016, it has been called the Grand Cheeseburger in Russia. In Poland, it is called the McRoyal, and in South Africa, the McRoyal includes lettuce and mayonnaise.
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese has been the subject of some controversy. In 2008, McDonald's Japan converted two Tokyo restaurants into "Quarter Pounder"-branded restaurants that only sold Quarter Pounder meals. An E. coli outbreak in 2024 was linked to contaminated onions used in Quarter Pounders in 14 states, with 104 reported cases and one death. Additionally, there have been questions about why the burger is called the "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" in the US when there is no "Quarter Pounder" without cheese on the menu.
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How it's cooked
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold by McDonald's. The burger is so named because it contains a beef patty weighing a quarter of a pound, or 4.25 oz (120.5 g) before cooking, and 3 oz (85 g) after cooking. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is cooked to order. The beef patty is seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper and cooked on a flat iron grill. The cooked patty is then topped with slivered onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese, and placed on a sesame seed bun.
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese was created by Al Bernardin, a franchise owner and former McDonald's Vice President of product development, in Fremont, California, in 1971. It was added to the national American menu in 1973. Since 2018, McDonald's has used fresh beef with no preservatives added for their Quarter Pounders in the continental US. The burger has also been expanded to represent a whole line of hamburgers, including variations such as the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Bacon and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe.
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The Quarter Pounder with Cheese's history
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold at McDonald's. The Quarter Pounder was created by Al Bernardin, a franchise owner and former McDonald's Vice President of product development, in Fremont, California, in 1971. It was introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1971 and extended nationwide in 1973. Its name refers to the beef patty having a precooked weight of approximately one quarter of a pound, originally portioned as four ounces (113.4 g) but increased to 4.25 oz (120.5 g) in 2015.
In the United States, Portugal and South Africa, there are three variations: the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese & Bacon, and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese features 100% fresh beef, American cheese, onion, and pickles. It has 520 calories.
In several countries that do not customarily use the pound as a unit of weight, the Quarter Pounder is sold under different names. In France, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus, it is called the Royal Cheese and includes cheese. In German-speaking Europe, it is known as a Hamburger Royal; in Germany, it includes lettuce and tomato and is branded Hamburger Royal TS (TS standing for Tomate und Salat, tomato and lettuce). In Russia and Ukraine, it was known as the Royal Cheeseburger, and since 2016 in Russia, it is called the Grand Cheeseburger. In Poland, it is called McRoyal.
In some Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, McDonald's offers both a Quarter Pounder and a McRoyale burger, the McRoyale having slightly different ingredients. In Australia, the Quarter Pounder was initially marketed under a different name. In 1972, McDonald's introduced the "Cheese Burger Deluxe", which was essentially the same as the Quarter Pounder but with a name more in line with the metric system. It wasn't until 1974 that the Quarter Pounder itself was rebranded as the "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" in Australia, keeping the original concept but adjusted to local preferences and measurements.
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Its variations
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese has seen several variations around the world, with different names and ingredients. In countries that do not use the pound as a unit of weight, the Quarter Pounder is often rebranded. In France, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus, it is called the "Royal Cheese", and in German-speaking countries, it is known as the "Hamburger Royal" or "Hamburger Royal TS" (with the TS standing for "Tomate und Salat", meaning it includes tomato and lettuce). In Russia, it was known as the "Royal Cheeseburger" and has been called the "Grand Cheeseburger" since 2016. Similarly, in Poland, it is called the "McRoyal", and in the Middle East, McDonald's offers the "McRoyale" burger, which has slightly different ingredients.
In Australia, the Quarter Pounder was initially introduced as the Cheese Burger Deluxe in 1972 to make it more accessible and align with the metric system. It was later rebranded as the "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" in 1974, keeping the original concept but adjusted to local preferences and measurements. The Australian version has beef patties with a higher protein content than their American counterparts, and they also omit mustard.
South Africa's McRoyal includes lettuce and mayonnaise, while cheese is not an option in Israel due to its unavailability. In New York, mustard is not added to Quarter Pounders, and in the UK, McDonald's uses the "McRoyal" moniker to avoid confusion with a similarly named burger from a rival fast-food chain.
In addition to these international variations, there are also regional variations within the United States. For example, the "Double Quarter Pounder Deluxe with Cheese and Bacon" and the "Quarter Pounder with Big Mac Sauce" have been mentioned by customers.
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Nutritional content
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold by McDonald's. It was first introduced in 1971 by a franchisee in Fremont, California, and added to the national American menu in 1973. The burger is so-called because it contains a beef patty weighing a quarter of a pound (4 oz or 113.4 g before cooking and 2.8-3 oz or 85 g after).
In terms of nutritional content, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 520 calories. The beef patty is made from 100% fresh beef with no fillers, additives or preservatives. The patty is seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked on a hot, flat iron grill to lock in flavour. The cooked patty is then topped with slivered onions, two slices of American cheese, tangy pickles, ketchup, and mustard, and served on a sesame seed bun.
In some countries, the Quarter Pounder is sold under different names. In France, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus, it is called the Royal Cheese. In German-speaking countries, it is known as the Hamburger Royal (or Hamburger Royal TS in Germany, where it also includes lettuce and tomato). In Russia, it is called the Grand Cheeseburger, and in Poland, it is called the McRoyal. In Australia, the Quarter Pounder was initially marketed as the Cheese Burger Deluxe in 1972, before being rebranded as the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in 1974.
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Frequently asked questions
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a hamburger sold at McDonald's. Its name refers to the beef patty weighing approximately one quarter of a pound. It is topped with slivered onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese, and served on a sesame seed bun.
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese looks like a typical McDonald's burger. It is served in a cardboard box and wrapped in McDonald's signature red-and-yellow paper wrapping. The burger consists of a beef patty, toppings, and a sesame seed bun.
Yes, there are several variations of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese offered in different countries. In the United States, Portugal, and South Africa, there are three variations: the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon, and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe. In Australia, the Quarter Pounder was initially marketed as the "Cheese Burger Deluxe" in 1972 before being rebranded as the "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" in 1974. In some countries where the pound is not used as a unit of weight, the Quarter Pounder is sold under different names, such as "Royal Cheese" in France, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus, and "Hamburger Royal" in German-speaking countries.

























