McDonald's to add new burgers beginning Feb. 9 that borrow a lot from Wendy's

McDonald's will copy its rival Wendy’s signature square look for two new hamburgers to be offered in Japan from February 9 to the middle of March.

Dubbed the Itta Ki Ni Naru NY Burgers, which means I Feel Like I Went to NY Burgers, the products are designed to give McDonald's Japan visitors a taste of New York.

They come in paper-style packaging inspired by American comic books and are promoted to Japanese viewers through a campaign set to the Ghostbusters theme music.

The new offerings include the Thick Beef Burger Pepper & Cheese, which is a beef burger with bacon, lettuce, and smoked cheddar; and Grilled Chicken Burger Salt & Lemon, which is a chicken burger with bacon, salad, onions, and a lemon-garlic sauce.

While both new burgers have the square meat and bun shape that is so different from the round one associated with its cheeseburger, McDonald’s is not duplicating Wendy’s fresh, never frozen beef.

Wendy’s has made its hamburgers square to set them apart from its rivals and show that it used fresh, never frozen ground beef sourced locally to its square burger patties.

The company has kept its burgers iconic shape even after growing to thousands of restaurants.

McDonald's has been tailoring its menus to local tastes and its offerings can vary vastly in different countries. Those in have has a wide selection of vegetarian options like the Paneer Wrap and the McAloo Tikki Burger, while McDonald's Philippines offers McSpaghetti with tomato sauce and a side of fried chicken.