# McDLT comeback? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002 "2011-09-02T21:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/21 "2011-09-03T14:12:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Hey! What’s wrong with ketchup? Ooooh! You should start a Thread asking that!!! ---
**Author:** ![mambocrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mambocrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mambocrow)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/22 "2011-09-03T14:23:27Z")
I remember it as the first hamburger McDonald’s sold that included lettuce and tomatoes. The “keeping the cold side cold and the hot side hot” thing struck me as silly at the time, (and the packaging was enormous). I always suspected that the McDonald’s management couldn’t bring themselves to commit such a hamburger heresy (to them) as adding lettuce and tomato on a burger, so they left it to you to finish assembling the burger yourself. The Big and Tasty is pretty much the same burger (maybe a little smaller) without the silly packaging. The Big and Tasty has disappeared from menus where I live. The cost of supplying their restaurants with lettuce and tomatoes is apparently more than they’re willing to pay. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/23 "2011-09-03T14:34:45Z")
I remember it, and I liked it, but one thing they did wrong was, they put the cheese on the cold side. Cheese on a hamburger should be melted, not cold and wet. If they had put the cheese on the burger, it would melt somewhat. All the heat is from the burger, and it would have been better to use that heat immediately to warm the cheese. Instead, much of the heat escapes before the two sides of the burger are assembled, and the burger is too cool at that point to do much to warm the cheese, let alone melt it some. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/24 "2011-09-03T14:36:48Z")
McDLT? I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention. The leaf lettuce was nice, but the heart of a burger is the ground-up cow formed into a disc and treated with heat. Any number of burgers are better. Excluding Fatburger, In-N-Out, and other very regional places, just about any Carl’s Jr. burger is better. The Whopper is better (not as good as Carl’s Jr.). Wendy’s burgers are much better than the McDLT ever was. The All-American Jack is (was?) better than the McDLT. Heck, since we’re talking about McDonalds I liked the Big Mac better than the McDLT. You know those burgers you can get at convenience stores and heat in a microwave oven? The McDLT is better than those by a long shot. The McDLT is OK. A better burger than some, but not as good as many. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/25 "2011-09-03T14:55:00Z")
Merged duplicate threads, since Cafe Society – which is where all food threads, not just those on _haute cuisine_, go – doesn’t really need more than one McDLT thread at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/26 "2011-09-03T15:07:58Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Hey! What’s wrong with ketchup? What, you mean tomato flavored corn syrup? There’s nothing you can put ketchup on that wouldn’t be improved upon if you used salsa instead. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/27 "2011-09-03T16:04:06Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > What, you mean tomato flavored corn syrup? There’s nothing you can put ketchup on that wouldn’t be improved upon if you used salsa instead. French fries. (Although I prefer malt vinegar on those.) I dunno. I don’t like salsa on my burger. I just like the classic dab of mustard, dab of ketchup, pickle slice and onions. ETA: And [here you go you young whippersnappers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTSdUOC8Kac) who don’t know what a McDLT is, a commercial starring Jason Alexander in his pre-George Costanza days. The 80s were weird. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/28 "2011-09-03T16:28:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > As inspired by [this thread…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622820) > > I’m too young to know of the McDLT through anything other than pop-culture osmosis - Wikipedia says it was around until I was 8 years old, but at that age in my life I wasn’t aware of any aspect of the McDonald’s menu other than the Happy Meal. It seems to have acquired a sort of nostalgic mystique as seen in the above thread, but from reading about it, I don’t really see what the big deal was. > > It’s a hamburger with veggies. Was this REALLY that revolutionary in the '80s? Aside from the unique packaging, it doesn’t sound any different from a Whopper, or a Jumbo Jack, or a Wendy’s classic single, or a regular hamburger from In-n-Out. Compared to McDonald’s basic burgers I can see how it would be an improvement in quality, but a McDonald’s burger with veggies on it is still a McDonald’s burger - nothing you’d write home about. Was it really such a quantum leap forward in the science of burgerology? Did the packaging really make such a massive difference in how the burger tasted? Or is it just waxing poetic over something that was taken away from us, the masses, and which we can’t have anymore no matter how much we scream? > > I eagerly await elucidation on the part of my elders. The unique packaging was precisely why it was revolutionary. In fact, that was the entire selling point. The veggies were not with the meat, so they stayed cold, while the burger stayed hot. Colder veggies is closer to how most homemade burgers are made. Furthermore, if it is the same thing as the Big 'N Tasty, then the meat is spiced differently and slightly thicker, and the veggies are thicker than usual. At least, that’s how it was when I used to eat them. I haven’t had a Big 'N Tasty since they first pulled them from the menu, and I didn’t learn they were back until the superior Angus burger was available. And, yes, a lot of the staying power is the nostalgia. With the intense advertising campaign, more people seem to remember it than many other removed items. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/29 "2011-09-03T16:29:57Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > What, you mean tomato flavored corn syrup? There’s nothing you can put ketchup on that wouldn’t be improved upon if you used salsa instead. True, if you can find salsa of the appropriate consistency. Most of the salsa on the market is either too watery or too chunky to scoop with a french fry. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/30 "2011-09-03T16:34:28Z")
1. I remember, and kind of liked the McDLT. This was also around the time, IIRC, that McDonald’s was introducing Salads in a big way (and after their rather cool “[Mac ToNight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Tonight)” ad campaign - McDonalds was cutting edge in the late '80s! :eek: ) - Late night Mid-Town McDonalds second floor overlooking Times Square NYC eating Garden Salad and a McDLT - yeah, I was “Proto-Hipster Boi” back then…😛 (or maybe a college student without that much cash…) 2. Yeah, the two-tray packaging was a bit over the top (although it did what McDonald’s needed it to do), especially if you were going to eat in the McDonalds and not take it home. At the time, I remember it being somewhat controversial and often mocked in the media. 3. So controversial, that it became a poster child of sorts for wasteful (non-biodegrable) styrofoam packaging, and I firmly believe Neil Young calls it out (albiet indirectly) in the song “Rockin’ in the Free World” _“Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer”_ 4. I agree, the cheese should have gone on the Hot side for the nice melted cheese effect…but it’s about 2 decades too late to worry about that now… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/31 "2011-09-03T16:35:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, yes, a lot of the staying power is the nostalgia. With the intense advertising campaign, more people seem to remember it than many other removed items. I miss the McCheddar Melt or whatever the hell it was called. (Research indicated it was just called [the cheddar melt.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBF4tMb8xrM). Circa late 80s. A soft, rye bun, a patty, a smear of Velveeta-like cheese spread, and lightly caramelized onions. I don’t know why, but damn did I love that sandwich when I was a kid. I make my own version of it using Merkt’s cheddar spread and much more deeply caramelized onions, but I enjoyed McDonald’s vesion. Of course, a proper patty melt is objectively more awesome, but sometimes I just want that McDonald’s-style melt. ---
**Author:** ![EenaSheeshton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@EenaSheeshton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EenaSheeshton)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/32 "2011-09-03T18:11:07Z")
> [@MrTuffPaws](#): > > The main issue with bringing it back would be the hot side hot and the cool side cool aspect of the packaging. Styrofoam would be out, being that is what killed the product in the first place. Cardboard wouldn’t be an effective insulator, so it would lose its main draw. > > There are eco friendly and biodegradable foam options out there that could possibly work, but Mc Donalds would have to get it FDA approved as well as having to incur the design costs. It is very doubtful that it would be a profitable option for them to do so. So to confirm, there is no way to make styrofoam eco friendly currently. Or at least one that is on the market. It would have to be developed. It reminds me of some company, maybe it was Blockbuster, wanting to make DVDs disposable. Instead of returning them to the store, they just wouldn’t work after the rental was up and the idea was killed as being wasteful and would clog landills ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/33 "2011-09-03T18:18:49Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > What, you mean tomato flavored corn syrup? There’s nothing you can put ketchup on that wouldn’t be improved upon if you used salsa instead. Salsa? No frikking way! Fries demand ketchup, BBQ sauce or mayo. Salsa has no place anywhere near fries. Of the top of my meatloaf. Or on my burger. Now my eggs…that’s a different story. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002/34 "2011-09-03T18:28:02Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Cooking at McDonalds was different in those days, they grilled it almost to order. That is, on non-peak, they cooked it to order, and during peak times, tried to keep a couple of each common sandwich “just made” for delivery when ordered. Technically they discarded food that wasn’t ordered quick enough, and responsible stores complied. But you’d get some very sorry burgers sometimes. Now everything is microwaved to order. In those days the only items cooked to order were specials (no onion, extra pickles, etc.) Otherwise during non-peak times they kept just a few of each item in the warming bin, during peak times they had a lot of each item in the warming bin. If you had a good bin person they were able to keep enough food in the bin that no one had to wait but not so much that it got too old (10 minutes holding time) and had to be thrown out. There were guides for how much of what to have in the bin for how busy you were. > [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > And yeah, the QP had more meat. The QP, Cheddar Melt and the McDLT all used the same meat patty so none had more meat nthan the other. > [@pulykamell](#): > > …and lightly caramelized onions. If you want to make your home made version a little closer the onions were fried with a little teriyaki sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdlt-comeback/595002.md?page=1)