McDonald’s is launching its first fine dining tasting menu..

A free, one-day tasting experience called “Inside the Golden Arches” will show fans exactly how the Quarter Pounder, McNuggets, Egg McMuffin and fries come together, and a nationwide $8 meal deal follows soon after.

McDonald’s has spent decades being the place people grab a quick bite. Now the world’s best-known burger chain wants diners to sit down, slow down and watch their food being made.

The company is hosting its first chef’s table event in New York City on October 29. It is a free, reservation-only experience called “Inside the Golden Arches.” Instead of white tablecloths and foraged garnishes, the tasting menu is built around the items millions of people already know by heart. What is new is the chance to see how they are made and ask the people who make them.

A Former Crew Member Returns as the Head Chef

The event is led by Tristen Epps-Long, who won Season 22 of “Top Chef.” His connection to McDonald’s goes back further than the TV win. Before he worked in professional kitchens, Epps-Long was a McDonald’s crew member.

He has said that his time at the chain shaped how he thinks about food and hospitality, and that it gave him his start in the industry. His story fits a larger point McDonald’s likes to make: the company says roughly one in eight Americans has worked at one of its restaurants at some point.

That background gives the event an angle most celebrity-chef collaborations lack. Epps-Long is not a famous name lending star power to a fast-food brand. He is someone who once worked the same counter he will now be cooking at.

The Quarter Pounder With Cheese Takes Center Stage

The headline dish is the Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Guests will watch the burger being assembled up close, step by step, while chefs and experts explain the process.

McDonald’s is using the moment to highlight its preparation standards for the burger:

The patties are made with 100% beef that is never frozen.
Fresh beef is delivered to restaurants two to three times a week.
Patties are cooked only after a customer places an order, not ahead of time.

For a chain often judged on speed alone, the demonstration is clearly meant to change how people think about what goes into its signature burger.

The Rest of the Tasting Menu

Beyond the Quarter Pounder, the menu runs through three more McDonald’s staples:

Egg McMuffin
Chicken McNuggets
World Famous Fries

Each item comes with an expert on hand to answer the questions fans have been asking for years. How does the egg in an Egg McMuffin come out perfectly round every time? What actually goes into the fries? Attendees can get those answers from the people who know.

That Q&A element may be the real draw. Fast-food chains rarely open their kitchens to public questions, and McDonald’s has long been a magnet for rumors and myths about its ingredients. A live, face-to-face format lets the company address those directly.