McDonald's is testing fresh beef

McDonald's Corp. is testing fresh beef in 14 Dallas restaurants.

It's too early to tell whether this test could be expanded — at this point it's just a limited, localized test at this point. But it would be a huge change at the Oak Brook, Ill.-based giant.

McDonald's would have to change much of what it does now while also steering its massive supply chain to shift from frozen burger patties to fresh burger patties. 

Numerous chains have made fresh beef work. It works at Wendy's, which has cleverly added chili to its menu to deal with the leftovers. 

Still, fresh beef could add to McDonald's complexity, especially in light of its addition of all-day breakfast. That could run the company afoul of franchisees already concerned about McDonald's large menu and the difficulty of offering that menu with speed.

And there's no guarantee that fresh beef will improve McDonald's quality. Fresh beef can get old quickly and thus requires more frequent deliveries of the product. 

But if McDonald's can get this right, it might be a major step in the chain's efforts to burnish its quality perception among consumers when it comes to its primary product, burgers.

McDonald's is selling a lot of breakfast right now. But sales of lunch items have been suffering. Fix lunch, and the chain could get the sustained same-store sales growth it needs.