{"id":1829332,"date":"2026-10-21T14:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/news\/mcdonalds-inside-golden-arches-chefs-table-tristen-epps\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T14:23:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:23:46","slug":"mcdonalds-inside-golden-arches-chefs-table-tristen-epps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/news\/mcdonalds-inside-golden-arches-chefs-table-tristen-epps\/","title":{"rendered":"McDonald&#8217;s Hosts Its First-Ever Chef&#8217;s Table Experience in New York with Top Chef Winner Tristen Epps-Long"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>McDonald&#8217;s is launching &#8220;Inside the Golden Arches,&#8221; its first-ever reservation-only chef&#8217;s table experience, on October 29 in New York City. The one-day event is hosted by Tristen Epps-Long, the Top Chef Season 22 winner who once worked as a McDonald&#8217;s crew member, and ties to a national $8 Quarter Pounder meal promotion beginning November 2 at participating U.S. restaurants.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>McDonald&#8217;s<\/strong> currently operates approximately <strong>13,500<\/strong> U.S. restaurants. <strong>95%<\/strong> of those locations are owned and operated by independent <a href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/articles\/franchise-franchisee-franchisor-roles-responsibilities\/\">franchisees<\/a>, making the chain one of the largest <a href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/our-franchises\/\">franchise networks<\/a> in the country by unit count. The &#8220;Inside the Golden Arches&#8221; event was announced on October 20, 2026, with reservations opening October 22 at <strong>1 p.m. ET<\/strong> via a dedicated booking page. Seats are limited, capped at two per reservation, and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The experience is complimentary.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-slider-wrapper\" data-slider-id=\"lf-gut-franchise-slider-6ad8e39ed30ac\">\n            <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-slider swiper\">\n                <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide lf-gut-franchise-card\">\n                            <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-image-wrapper\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hands-binoculars-480x188.png\" class=\"lf-gut-franchise-image\" alt=\"McDonald\u2019s\">\n                                                                    <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-logo-center\">\n                                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mcdonalds-logo-red-square-golden-arches.png\" alt=\"Logo\">\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-content\">\n                                <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-title-content\">\n                                    <div>\n                                        <a class=\"lf-gut-franchise-header-link\" href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/franchise\/mcdonalds\/\">\n                                            <p class=\"lf-gut-franchise-title\">McDonald\u2019s<\/p>\n                                        <\/a>\n                                        <p class=\"lf-gut-franchise-tag-line\">I\u2019m Lovin\u2019 It<\/p>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                    <ul class=\"lf-gut-franchise-info-list\">\n                                        <li data-field=\"category\">\n                                            <span class=\"lf-gut-icon\"><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M12.5852 21.9314H4.92807C3.01378 21.9314 2.05664 20.9355 2.05664 18.9438V10.9771C2.05664 8.98542 3.01378 7.98957 4.92807 7.98957M12.5852 21.9314C10.6709 21.9314 9.71378 20.9355 9.71378 18.9438M12.5852 21.9314H18.3281C20.2424 21.9314 21.1995 20.9355 21.1995 18.9438V5.00205C21.1995 3.01037 20.2424 2.01453 18.3281 2.01453H12.5852C10.6709 2.01453 9.71378 3.01037 9.71378 5.00205M4.92807 7.98957H9.71378M4.92807 7.98957V5.99789C4.92807 4.90247 5.7895 4.00621 6.84235 4.00621H9.81905C9.74248 4.30496 9.71378 4.63359 9.71378 5.00205M9.71378 7.98957V18.9438M9.71378 7.98957V5.00205M9.71378 18.9438V5.00205M13.5424 7.98957V12.9688M17.3709 7.98957V12.9688M5.88521 12.9688V16.9521M16.4138 16.9521H14.4995C13.9731 16.9521 13.5424 17.4003 13.5424 17.948V21.9314H17.3709V17.948C17.3709 17.4003 16.9402 16.9521 16.4138 16.9521Z\" stroke=\"#E53B12\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path><\/svg> <\/span>Restaurant                                        <\/li>\n                                                                                <li data-field=\"contribution\">\n                                            <span class=\"lf-gut-icon\"><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"25\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 25\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M2.05664 9.19308H21.1995M5.88521 17.1598H7.7995M10.1924 17.1598H14.0209M6.30635 4.21387H16.9402C20.3476 4.21387 21.1995 5.09021 21.1995 8.58561V16.7615C21.1995 20.2569 20.3476 21.1332 16.9498 21.1332H6.30635C2.9085 21.1432 2.05664 20.2668 2.05664 16.7714V8.58561C2.05664 5.09021 2.9085 4.21387 6.30635 4.21387Z\" stroke=\"#E53B12\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path><\/svg> <\/span>Liquid capital: $750000                                        <\/li>\n                                                                            <\/ul>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                                <a class=\"lf-gut-franchise-button\" rel=\"follow\" href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/franchise\/mcdonalds\/?demandedocumentation=1&#038;utm_source=media&#038;utm_campaign=cta-slider&#038;utm_medium=https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/news\/mcdonalds-inside-golden-arches-chefs-table-tristen-epps\/\">I want more info<\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                                                        <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"lf-gut-franchise-slider-nav\">\n                <div class=\"swiper-button-prev\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"swiper-button-next\"><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1\">A Guided Tasting Built Around Iconic Menu Items<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The format places guests at a McDonald&#8217;s counter for a structured tasting led by Epps-Long alongside chefs and brand experts. Four items anchor the experience: the <strong>Quarter Pounder with Cheese<\/strong>, the <strong>Egg McMuffin<\/strong>, <strong>Chicken McNuggets<\/strong>, and <strong>World Famous Fries<\/strong>. The Quarter Pounder serves as the event&#8217;s centerpiece. McDonald&#8217;s states that the patties are made from <strong>100% real beef<\/strong>, delivered to individual restaurants two to three times per week, and grilled only once an order is placed. Attendees can also expect answers to questions about ingredient sourcing and preparation details, such as why the Egg McMuffin egg is perfectly round. The event runs for one day only.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote\" style=\"--color: #e74c3c; \"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__content\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__quote-wrapper\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg-wrapper\"><svg class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg\" width=\"56\" height=\"40\" viewBox=\"0 0 56 40\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M40.6 16.52H46.06C51.38 17.64 55.3 21.14 55.3 27.58C55.3 34.72 49.84 39.2 42.98 39.2C34.72 39.2 29.54 32.62 29.54 23.24C29.54 9.52 38.64 0.699999 55.58 0V5.04C46.62 6.3 41.3 9.52 40.6 16.52ZM10.92 16.52H16.52C21.84 17.64 25.76 21.14 25.76 27.58C25.76 34.72 20.3 39.2 13.44 39.2C5.18 39.2 0 32.62 0 23.24C0 9.52 9.1 0.699999 26.04 0V5.04C17.08 6.3 11.76 9.52 10.92 16.52Z\" fill=\"#e74c3c\"\/><\/svg><\/div><blockquote class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__text\">Inside the Golden Arches is about creating a new level of access and transparency for our fans.<\/blockquote><\/div><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-details\"><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-pre-text\">A QUOTE FROM<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-name\">Gina Hardy<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-title\">Vice President, U.S. Marketing and Menu Strategy, McDonald&#039;s<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2\">From Crew Member to Top Chef Winner: The Story Behind the Host<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tristen Epps-Long<\/strong> won Season 22 of <strong>Top Chef<\/strong>, which was filmed in Canada. Before his culinary career advanced, he worked as a crew member at McDonald&#8217;s, an experience he describes as foundational to how he approaches food and hospitality. He is currently executive chef at <strong>Ocean Social<\/strong> at the Eden Roc Miami Beach and was a <strong>2024 James Beard Award<\/strong> semifinalist in the Best Chef: South category. His dual identity, as both a fine-dining chef and a former quick-service operator, is central to how McDonald&#8217;s has framed the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the brand, roughly <strong>1 in 8 Americans<\/strong> has worked behind a McDonald&#8217;s counter at some point, and Epps-Long&#8217;s trajectory is positioned as an illustration of that pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote\" style=\"--color: #e74c3c; \"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__content\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__quote-wrapper\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg-wrapper\"><svg class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg\" width=\"56\" height=\"40\" viewBox=\"0 0 56 40\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M40.6 16.52H46.06C51.38 17.64 55.3 21.14 55.3 27.58C55.3 34.72 49.84 39.2 42.98 39.2C34.72 39.2 29.54 32.62 29.54 23.24C29.54 9.52 38.64 0.699999 55.58 0V5.04C46.62 6.3 41.3 9.52 40.6 16.52ZM10.92 16.52H16.52C21.84 17.64 25.76 21.14 25.76 27.58C25.76 34.72 20.3 39.2 13.44 39.2C5.18 39.2 0 32.62 0 23.24C0 9.52 9.1 0.699999 26.04 0V5.04C17.08 6.3 11.76 9.52 10.92 16.52Z\" fill=\"#e74c3c\"\/><\/svg><\/div><blockquote class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__text\">McDonald&#8217;s was where I got my start, and the experience helped shape the way I think about food and hospitality.<\/blockquote><\/div><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-details\"><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-pre-text\">A QUOTE FROM<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-name\">Tristen Epps-Long<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-title\">Top Chef Season 22 Winner and Host, Inside the Golden Arches<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3\">A National Promotional Offer for Franchisee Operators Starting November 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The experiential event connects directly to a commercial offer available across the franchise network. Beginning <strong>November 2<\/strong>, participating U.S. McDonald&#8217;s restaurants will offer a <strong>Quarter Pounder with Cheese<\/strong> meal, including medium fries and a drink, for <strong>$8<\/strong>, for a limited time. The promotion excludes delivery orders, and pricing and participation may vary by location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because <strong>95%<\/strong> of McDonald&#8217;s U.S. restaurants are independently franchised, national limited-time offers of this type function as a system-wide promotional tool: McDonald&#8217;s sets the campaign and pricing structure, while individual operators participate within the terms of their <a href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/articles\/what-is-a-franchise-agreement\/\">franchise agreement<\/a>. The pairing of a culturally driven event with a time-limited value offer reflects a format McDonald&#8217;s has used before, including the 2023 Grimace Birthday Meal, which generated significant consumer attention and measurable sales activity for operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by state and individual circumstances and may change over time. Readers should consult a qualified attorney, tax professional, or other licensed professional regarding their specific situation. Nothing herein creates an attorney-client relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>McDonald&#8217;s is launching &#8220;Inside the Golden Arches,&#8221; its first-ever reservation-only chef&#8217;s table experience, on October 29 in New York City. The one-day event is hosted by Tristen Epps-Long, the Top Chef Season 22 winner who once worked as a McDonald&#8217;s crew member, and ties to a national $8 Quarter Pounder meal promotion beginning November 2 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":788,"featured_media":1829344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"McDonald's First Chef's Table: Top Chef Winner Tristen Epps","_seopress_titles_desc":"McDonald\u2019s hosts a one-day New York chef\u2019s table on October 29, followed by an $8 meal deal from November 2.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"content-type":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"1824036,1823092,1552004,1803809,1829210,1545800","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3594],"tags":[],"type-de-post":[2066],"class_list":["post-1829332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-franchise-networks","type-de-post-articles-actualite"],"acf":[],"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/788"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1829332"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1829346,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829332\/revisions\/1829346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1829344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1829332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1829332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1829332"},{"taxonomy":"type-de-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-de-post?post=1829332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}