McDonalds testing THREE new Quarter Pounders in lieu of disappointing sales

• The new burgers in development include a Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder, a Deluxe Quarter Pounder and a Bacon and Cheese Quarter Pounder
  
• McDonald's reported its first monthly sales drop in nine years earlier this month
• The company is replacing its U.S. president next month
  

By Damian Ghigliotty

PUBLISHED: 01:45 EST, 25 November 2012 | UPDATED: 02:44 EST, 25 November 2012

Don’t expect McDonald’s to rest on its burgers.

Disappointing sales have led the fast food giant to begin testing new menu items, including three new varieties of its prized Quarter Pounders.

The new burgers in development include a Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder, with white cheddar, hickory-smoked bacon and a new habanero-ranch sauce; a Deluxe Quarter Pounder, with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, mayonnaise and mustard; and a Bacon and Cheese Quarter Pounder, with American cheese, bacon, red onion, pickle, mustard and ketchup.

New additions: McDonald's is changing up its menu with three new Quarter Pounders in the works

The company is also getting ready to launch a new McMuffin made with egg whites.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain is testing its new fast food products during a time of major transition for consumer goods companies in the United States, as Nation’s Restaurant News reports.

McDonald’s posted its first monthly sales drop in nine years earlier this month, amid a loss of customers to rival chains such as Burger King. McDonald's global same-store sales fell 2.2 per cent in October.

Soon after that sales drop made headlines, McDonald’s announced plans to replace its U.S. president, Jan Fields, who has been with the company for more than 35 years and who drove the expansion of its popular McCafe drink menu.

On her way out: McDonald's U.S. president, Jan Fields, is stepping down from her role after 35 years with the company

Regime change: Jeff Stratton, McDonald's global chief restaurant officer, is set to become the company's new U.S. president on December 1

Fields will be replaced by Jeff Stratton, McDonald’s global chief restaurant officer effective December 1, the company said.

‘We feel that now was the right time to make a change in leadership for the U.S. business,’ company spokeswoman Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem said on November 15.

McDonald’s chief executive, Don Thompson, recently told investors that slow growth and increased competition in the United States would be a ‘new normal’ for the brand, requiring a greater emphasis on less expensive menu items.

Several factors are impacting McDonald's declining sales, including the undercooked U.S. economy and high unemployment among younger consumers who tend to favor fast food.

Other fast food chains, including Wendy’s and Yum! Brands, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut, have been suffering similar fates.

McDonald’s operates or franchises more than 34,000 restaurants worldwide, including more than 14,000 in the United States.

Menu icon: The long-standing Quarter Pounder with cheese