Ever since McDonald’s invented the Extra Value Mealâ„¢, I was a spirited supporter of the “two cheeseburger meal,” a.k.a. the “Number two.” Suffice to say, I was distraught when it mysteriously disappeared off their menu a little over a year ago. I think they probably lost a small percentage of their market, but those little cheeseburgers couldn’t be profitable anyway. I started eating Big Macs.
Last night I was determined to relive my childhood and eat the “Classic #2,” ((The new school number two is a Quarter Pounder with Cheeseâ„¢, hardly a replacement for a classic.)) so I order two cheeseburgers, medium fries, medium coke. The manager who was hovering about swooped in and asked, “Would you like the value meal?” Of course I answered yes, of course I want to save money. I scanned my value options, no two cheeseburgers with a number. I asked the manager what number it was. “Oh, there’s no number, just a button. They deleted the meal but kept the button.”
So all this time I’ve been settling for a Big Mac, my server has been staring at a button that says TWO CHEESEBURGER VALUE MEAL? What other kinds of discontinued products do they buttons for? Can I get a McDLT just by asking for it? How about some New Coke with that?
We’ve all heard of In-N-Out’s “secret menu,” which offers crazy items like “burger wrapped in lettuce,” or a suicide milk shake. But I never pegged McDonald’s as an easter egg kind of company. Or maybe they’re just trying to minimize their losses from us disenfranchised number 2 people. I’m ready for some answers.
overstated 
Actually, from looking at how the exterior displays go, I think there’s a button for the fries-and-drink portion of the EVM’s, and that they just input the sandwich order and then hit the magic button for the rest.
I think it’s high time they take that McGriddle shit off the menu and reinstate the McRIBS!! Or did that only make it in Philly?
Hmm, when exactly did the “Number 2” go underground? Was it pulled right around the time the Atkins, South Beach Diet, no carb craze hit critical mass?
The buns on those 2 cheesburgers has to be worth 80g of complex carbohydrates. Eating the Number 2 is like eating a half a loaf of Wonder Bread.
Listen, if these diets could cause the pizza industry to come out with the low carb pizza and the donut industry to come out with the low carb donut then surely they have enough consumer clout to take down our beloved Number 2.
Any chance we could do some quick and dirty correlation analysis. Dependent variable of on/off menu, independent variable of South Beach Diet book sales ranking on Amazon perhaps…
Anyway, it really doesn’t matter because I’m over it and on to the Big Mac.
damn I’m glad I read this. I’ve been settling for too long as well!
Hmmm, the McD’s in Detroit still have that option at number two.
Ran across your blog from Livejournal, along with all of the weblog madness over there.
Of course the franchisees have some independence from corporate policy. There’s no reason they can’t sell you an extra cheeseburger in a meal, since they actually have them, but of course they can’t get an Arch Deluxe ever again.
The company was really seeing flat sales with too many items, slow service, long lines, and so on, so they aggressively simplified the menu beginning about two years ago — one of the best moves they’ve made in years.
We “okies” here in Oklahoma still have the #2. Don’t know if it ever went off the menu to begin with. I don’t know that I would eat at McDonalds without my beloved #2 with mayonaise only and 7-8 french fries layed across the cheese. That creation should have a button of its own!
it could just be because the midwest is behind the rest of the country on most things but all the mcdonalds here in grand rapids, michigan (about 2 or so hours west and slightly north of detroit) still have the 2 cheeseburger meal as #2, i ordered it a few days ago 🙂
the quarter pounder is #3.
The #2 value meal is still the 2 cheeseburgers here in St. Louis. We’ve never wandered away from them (yet) and I hope we don’t. I like the Big Mac meal when I’m sitting in the place, but if I’m driving it’s the #2 all the way…
i also enjoyed the number two. it was fulling, and yet you seemed like you were getting more food, because you were opening two ‘burger’ items, rather than one. it was like unwrapping a present. sometimes i would order 2 number 2s, and make one quadruple cheeseburger. with the left over bread i would usually toss to the monkeys or throw them on the roof. that roof had lots of kawwing crows. kaww kaww they said
Good service
I work at Macdonald’s and the #2 evm is still here its the shit man!
burger
What’s McDonalds?
i work at a mcdonalds just south of Grand Rapids, michigan we still have the 2 cheeseburger meal
iF U EVER GO 2 jamba get a mango a-go-go but,instead of the reg. get light on mangoes 2 scoops of bananas and extra blueberries! post comments (like or no?)
try the snackwrap at mickey d’s crunchy with ranch dressing its da shit, but es cheap, and insert fries into the chiken burrito,how cheap $1 + tax and fries aren’t included,sucks u say screw u biotch! Es da shit and es the only thing u can eat anyway because uur a dirty sluty hobo eat it bitch!
most of the time it is because the fat content or something in the burger (calories, sodium,etc.) exceeds the limit for a burger place to have in one item
low carb diets should be the bulk of our meals to avoid getting obese;,:
low carb diets are the best for the human body, it is much healther and doesn not promote diabetes;`,
.) Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.
I actually happen to work at mcdonalds, and I can tell you that in Ohio, it is now the number 4 meal that contains two cheeseburgers, fries, and a drink. As for how we ring it up, you press the medium button (or large for large sized meal) and then select the number you want. There is no way to ring it up any differently. All mcdonald’s are supposed to use “New POS” at this point, which limits the number of ways to “cheat the system”. I only know of three items that can be rung up for cheaper than advertised.