They'd do better just raising the price, depending on how much they would raise it anyway. If they made it cheese-less, either people would stop ordering it or they'd order it with cheese and raise holy heck with the poor cashiers about being charged extra for cheese. The cashiers get enough grief, they don't need to give the customers another reason to complain.

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This is not a dilemna at all. The easy answer is that if you want to eat a burger with or without cheese, eat a good one. That means not going to McDonalds. There are so many good local burger places that there is no reason to scarfing down a tasteless McD product.

The Washington DC area, like many cities and suburbs, have many places where you can get a good burger quick.

If you can only spend a dollar for lunch, you're better off hitting the Asian markets and getting a package of noodle soup. At a Korean market I go to, there's a version called Neo Gori that's spicy and has lots of good stuff in it and costs less than a buck. Add boiling water, wait a few minutes and you're done.

Bad burgers aren't worth it at any price.

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Raising prices worked fine for Wendy's. It was originally the "¢99 Value Menu" and now it is simply "Super Value Menu" with many still at ¢99 but some as high as $1.19. I still want my cheap side salad, chili, and Frosty without any changes to the product. The only place I wish this would change is sit-down restaurants. Make the already over-sized portions smaller and keep the price affordable. thought TGIF's did a decent job with this.

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Wendy's dollar menu is better by far anyhow! For a dollar, I can have bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on it also.

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I think McDonald's should do whatever it takes to make them go bankrupt. I'm completely with Dean in saying that I don't understand why anyone would buy such a crap burger, with or without cheese. I'd be more than happy to see them disappear entirely.

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Dean,

What places did you have in mind in the DC Region for good burgers (and please don't say 5 guys)?

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Good advice, Dean. Although I did just burn through a tank of gas and a lot of shoe leather looking for the "Asian market" here in Tallahassee.

It's meat. It's bread. It's cheese. I'll take that over a cup of &$#ing noodles. "Bad" burgers ARE worth it at a price. And that price is 99 cents.

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Myself, I'd love this. I actually prefer a double hamburger to a double cheeseburger, but actually ordering such an item usually results in (a) entirely too much drama in ordering, and sometime (b) getting charged more to have it without the cheese.

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I think anyone who needs to resort to eating at McDonald's at all..given all the options we have today...has more things to worry about than simply having or not having cheese in their food.

Disgusting.

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McBoys can do whatever it wants, won't affect me in the least bit.

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Plus...this is more of a moral issue BUT if people in general actually visited the places where cattle and other animals are slaughtered and "processed," I doubt they will every eat meat again.

I had the incredible disheartening experience of going to a place like this once. You will not see life the same again. What we do to these poor creatures is abominable. Now I very very very very rarely eat meat products...if at all.

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The McD double cheeseburger has been 1.59 - 1.89 here on Long Island for a couple years now :-(

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You can't find an Asian market in Tallahassee? That's crazy. I live in Roanoke, Va. and we've got at least 4 of them.
But since that's not the topic of discussion at all, I'll just say that I am tired of these deceitful restaurants and food producers shrinking the size of the product or reducing the quality in order to keep the price the same. Do they really think consumers don't notice that?

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In DC, I'd recommend Elevation Burger. Hands down my fav, the closest to In-N-Out, and organic to boot. A little more expensive than your $.99 McDouble, but worth the treat once in a while.

But in McD's defense, it is what it is. Regardless of what you think, I find the economies of scale amazing.

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I'll add this idea to the list of Misguided Moments in Golden Arches History with the McLean Deluxe, the Filet-O-Fish with lettuce, the McRib Sandwich, the regional Lobster Roll and Crabcake sandwiches, and the Philly Cheesesteak. A double cheeseburger sans cheese? Shudder.

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They could just raise the price, and or offer the cheese at a premium.

Cheese is one of the 21 food groups for pete's sake!

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Suggesting ramen noodles over a hamburger? Way to move down the value chain in terms of bland nastiness.

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The thing is way overcheesed.

I always order it with only one slice.

Keep the price as is, cut back to one slice of cheese, and charge extra if you want "extra" cheese.

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Yeah, I'm with MikeB. Rename the Dollar Menu, offer the double cheeseburger for $1.29, and you're fine.

I remember when Taco Bell's value menu was ".59, .79, .99". Fifty-nine cents for a bean burrito. Ah, college days.

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For all of you who just had to chime in that fast food is bad in the above comments:

No way, really?

We all know fast food is bad but so are 9 billion other things in life and people do them anyway. Fast food won't kill you if you eat it once in awhile, in moderation and for some folks it might be the only place they can escape from work for a few minutes to, well, escape work. Not everyone remembers to pack a lunch everyday.

I am getting really tired of people getting on thier high horse about fast food. We. Get. It.

Anyway, I totally think Mickey D's should totally follow Wendy's move to the "super value menu" idea, where some things are a buck and some are $1.19. It makes complete sense.

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