Fact Check: Reddit Post Alleges McDonald's Sells a McToast in Ukraine with Cheese Between Two Upside-Down Buns. Here Are the Facts
Claim:
McDonald's sells a McToast sandwich in Ukraine and other countries that consists of sliced cheese between two upside-down buns.
Rating:
On Feb. 3, 2024, Reddit user u/Riflemen45 posted what was purported to be a picture of a McDonald's menu in Ukraine. The picture showed an odd-looking offering that might remind some readers of a grilled cheese sandwich. The sandwich consisted of slices of cheese between two buns, except the buns were upside down and facing the opposite direction when compared to the restaurant's cheeseburgers. "Toast with cheese," the translated menu read.
Source: u/Riflemen45 via Reddit.com
Snopes also found posts on TikTok and X from users who resided in several countries who mentioned the sandwich and even offered tutorials of how to make it at home. One video claimed that it was part of McDonald's "secret menu," presumably talking about an offering in the U.S.
It's true that the sandwich – which is called the McToast – has been offered before at McDonald's locations in Ukraine, including both before and after several of the company's restaurants closed and then reopened in the months following Russia's invasion in February 2022.
The standard McToast with cheese at McDonald's in Ukraine.
According to the official McDonald's website for its Ukrainian restaurant locations, the basic version of the sandwich is described as a "hot bun with two slices of cheddar cheese."
In Malta, the same sandwich is available as the standard McToast, the McToast with ham and cheese and the McToast with bacon and cheese. Snopes also found similar offerings at McDonald's restaurants in Italy and France.
The McToast with bacon and cheese at McDonald's in Malta.
The McDonald's website for the Czech Republic displayed a unique offering: a McToast with fried mushrooms and cheese.
The McToast with mushrooms and cheese at McDonald's in the Czech Republic.
Snopes reached out to McDonald's Corporation to ask for a full list of countries where the McToast is offered. This story will be updated if any further information comes our way.
Sources:
“McToast with Cheese.” McDonald’s Ukraine, https://www.mcdonalds.com/ua/uk-ua/product/200010.html.
“---.” McDonald’s Malta, https://mcdonalds.com.mt/product/mctoast-with-cheese/.
Simonetti, Isabella. “McDonald’s Begins to Reopen Restaurants in Ukraine This Week.” The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/business/mcdonalds-reopen-ukraine.html.
u/Riflemen45. “Ukrainian McDonald’s.” r/mildyinteresting via Reddit.com, 3 Feb. 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/mildyinteresting/comments/1aifv8u/ukrainian_mcdonalds/.