McDonald’s Menu Capitals: Where Canadians are Lovin’ it Most!

TORONTO, ON (August 10, 2016) - McDonald’s® iconic golden arches have been in Canada for almost 50 years. Its classic menu items have become Canadian favourites across the country. Some Canadian communities love McDonald’s so much that they’re the capital for two menu items! The following are the leading cities* for 12 classic menu items.
 
Big Mac® Capital of Canada and World Famous FriesTM (Medium): Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec

• Fun fact: The Big Mac has its own jingle from the 80s
• It’s no coincidence that the Big Mac and Fry capital are the same place
• Traversed by the breathtaking Yamaska River, Saint Hyacinthe is a small city known for its beautiful gardens, trails, parks for those who crave outdoor recreation

Filet-o-Fish® Capital of Canada: Burnaby, British Columbia

• Fun facts: the Filet-o-Fish is Marine Stewardship Council certified and made with wild-caught Alaskan Pollock. The sandwich was created by a local franchisee in a predominantly Catholic community
• Burnaby is third largest city in British Columbia and is known as a natural paradise, filled with parks, shorelines, forest, trails and breath-taking mountain views

Egg McMuffin® Capital of Canada: Milton, Ontario

• Fun Fact: Egg McMuffins were invented by Santa Barbara franchisee Herb Peterson and have featured Canadian bacon since day one
• Milton is one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities and offers the best of both world’s with proximity to Toronto and stunning natural landmarks like the Niagara Escarpment

McFlurry® Capital of Canada: Waterloo, Ontario

• Fun fact: The McFlurry® was invented in Bathurst, New Brunswick by franchisee Ron McLellan in 1995
• Waterloo is a growing city with two universities, big-Canadian business and a population of active start-ups 

McDonald’s Poutine Capital of Canada: Sept-Iles, Quebec

• Fun fact: It’s not just Sept-IIes residents who love McDonald’s poutine, the top five cities are all located in Quebec
• Found between the Sainte-Marguerite and Moisie Rivers, on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the seven islands include: La Grosse Boule; La Petite Boule; La Grande Basque; La Petite Basque;  Île Manowin;  Île du Corossol; and Îlets Dequen

 Quarter Pounder with Cheese® and McDouble® Capital of Canada: North Battleford, Saskatchewan

• Fun fact: All of the 100% pure Canadian beef sourced by McDonald’s Canada comes from Canadian ranchers
• North Battleford is found between the banks of the scenic North Saskatchewan and Battle Rivers and is connected to its sister-city Battleford by a 4km-long Island named ‘Finlyason Island, together these cities are called the ‘Battlefords’

Chicken McNuggets® Capital of Canada: Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

• Fun fact: You can see a nostalgic Nugget Buddies video story here
• City located on the west coast of Newfoundland and found at the mouth of the Bay Islands and traversed by the Long Range Mountains, beautiful landscapes fill the city with scenery of both ocean and mountains

 Sausage McMuffin® with Egg Capital of Canada: Fort St. John, British Columbia

• Fun fact: McDonald’s has started to purchase cage-free Canadian eggs and will purchase 100% cage free by 2025
• A scenic city traversed by the Peace River, the lush land of the Peace River Valley and close to Charlie Lake

 Triple Thick Milkshake®Capital of Canada: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

• Fun fact: The founder of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc, used to sell multi-mixers and he wanted to know why the McDonald brothers were buying so many, and that’s how McDonald’s got its start
• Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians and the city’s motto is “Surprisingly Unexpected”, kind of like such a winter city being interested in icy cold milkshakes.

 Vanilla Cone Capital of Canada: Steinbach, Manitoba

• Fun fact: With normal winter temperatures well below zero degrees Celsius, even we can’t explain why it’s the Vanilla Cone capital!
• At 50km outside of Winnipeg, Steinbach is Manitoba’s third largest city and fastest growing community in the province and is primarily an agricultural community

*METHODOLOGY:
McDonald’s Strategy and Insights team pulled the average sales units from a recent 52 week period on a per city basis and divided by the number of restaurants to determine which city, town or village would earn the coveted McDonald’s Canada “Capitals” title for each classic menu item.