McDonald’s burger believed to be the world’s oldest Quarter Pounder turns 30: ‘It’s no longer food’

Where’s nan beef? The amended mobility whitethorn beryllium what’s successful the beef.

What’s believed to beryllium nan world’s oldest McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is astir to observe a milestone birthday.

Casey Dean and Eduards Nits purchased nan Quarter Pounder — since dubbed the “Senior Burger” by its keepers — from a Golden Arches location successful Australia backmost successful 1995, and this November, nan aged burger turns 30.

Dean and Nits person kept nan Senior Burger cautiously wrapped successful its original, McD’s-stamped beige insubstantial packaging each this clip — though it looks for illustration it hasn’t aged a day.

Despite having ne'er been refrigerated and spending nan past 30 years being stuffed successful cupboards, garbage bags and sheds, it’s still “eerily intact” and hasn’t developed immoderate mold aliases bad odor, Dean, a canine trainer and musician, told SFGate.

“The only point that’s happened is it’s shrunk successful size,” Nits told nan outlet.

“It nary longer looks for illustration a hamburger,” he continued. “It’s nary longer food. It conscionable looks for illustration artwork.”

Nits, a bricklayer successful Adelaide, shared that he would emotion for nan frozen-in-time Quarter Pounder to beryllium successful a assemblage aliases depository someday.

It’s unclear precisely why nan burger hasn’t seemed to age. McD’s cook Mike Haracz, who regularly spills industry secrets on TikTok, said it was a immense myth that nan burgers ne'er spell bad and break down.

“When anyone talks astir McDonald’s burgers ne'er going bad — that is false,” nan contented creator, who was a head of culinary invention for McDonald’s US paper for 4 years, said past year.

McDonald’s, for their part, responded to nan story successful 2020, saying that nan hamburger’s longevity is apt owed to a barren situation that inhibits nan maturation of mold and bacteria.

“Food prepared astatine location that is near to dehydrate could spot akin results,” they declared. “Look closely, nan burgers you are seeing are apt dried retired and dehydrated, and by nary intends ‘the aforesaid arsenic nan time they were purchased.’”

Nits and Dean admitted that they ne'er intended to support nan burger for this long.

Back successful 1995, Dean, who was 14 astatine nan time, won his section conflict of nan bands contest, which sewage him a signaling convention arsenic a prize. After being astatine nan workplace each day, Dean, Nits and their friend went to a McDonald’s drive-thru connected their measurement to a location party.

Nits explained that nan friend couldn’t decorativeness eating their burger and asked them to clasp onto it until nan adjacent clip they came to visit. The friend ne'er came back, but Nits kept his promise.

After weeks had passed, Nits’ mom begged him to propulsion retired nan old nutrient that was sitting connected his desk, but Nits was a stubborn teen and refused to get free of it.

“I put it successful a container and shoved it successful nan cupboard truthful she wouldn’t find it,” he shared. 

It yet became a moving joke and later became a prized possession for nan family. Nits’ mom, a teacher, took nan relic to show her students astatine school.

The burger has moreover traveled nan world. Nits moved to Europe and his sister inherited nan Senior Burger, which had go rock-solid astatine that point. But because her hubby was successful nan equipped forces, they relocated each 3 years, “so nan burger conscionable followed them astir Australia,” he said.

Dean and Nits person moreover sewage nan communicative of nan Senior Burger on Russian TV and section news outlets — and they moreover sewage Joe Rogan to return announcement of it.

It’s now been successful their possession for 30 years — but it doesn’t look apt that it will ever person nan general position arsenic nan world’s oldest Quarter Pounder.

Dean is affirmative that nan beige cardboard ringing dates backmost to Adelaide successful nan 1990s — and a hunt connected Google and Reddit should show that it is so similar, and it besides is akin to nan styrofoam packaging archived astatine nan Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

“That’s amended than immoderate receipt, arsenic acold arsenic we’re concerned,” he said.

However, successful bid to beryllium included successful nan Guinness World Records, location needs to beryllium “evidence to beryllium a record-breaking feat has been accomplished” — and nan duo said they were disqualified because they didn’t person nan original receipt, which apt would person faded a fewer weeks later.

Nits told SFGate that he tried to get respective universities to c day nan Quarter Pounder, but it wasn’t yet aged capable — it needed to beryllium astatine slightest 5,000 years old.

Regardless, Dean is wished to make nan Senior Burger time off a legacy, creating social media accounts for it and intending to walk it down for generations to come.

He explained that he’s coaching Nits’ children to go nan adjacent bearers of nan burger.