Unbranded burgers: McDonalds adds cheese but holds the brand

Tokyo – Adding an element of mystery to an über-famous brand, McDonald’s is turning to unbranded marketing, stripping its goods of their name and providing a product bare of logos. Two new McDonald’s restaurants in the Shibuya and Omotesando districts of Tokyo have gone commando: they’ve dropped the golden arches and are branded only with the logo of the store name, Quarter Pounder.

The Quarter Pounder shops offer just two choices on the menu – a quarter pounder with cheese or, for the more ravenous, a double quarter pounder with cheese. The restaurant concept, based on a devotion to one of the most popular burgers in the world, demonstrates that a well-known item can stand alone, apart from the trappings of its mother brand.

For further insight into food branding, see our report on Food Futures.