Would you like PIES with that? McDonald's to start selling beef, chicken and vegetable filled pastries at Australian restaurants

ANEETA BHOLE
1 July 2016
DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
McDonald’s have partnered with Garlo’s Pies from Sydney’s inner west
The pies will trial at 23 stores across the Australian Capital Territory today
Lean Beef and Curry Beef will be the first to be introduced to the menus
Chicken vegetable, vegetable mornay and steak have also been approved
Pies will cost between $4.50 and $4.90
McDonald’s is set to launch a trial selling meat pies on their Australian menu starting with the 23 stores across the Australian Capital Territory.
The trial will include pies from ‘Garlo’s Pies’ from Sydney’s inner west – the pastry business of former rugby league player Sean Garlick – and could become a permanent fixture if the experiment goes well.
Two flavours including the lean beef and beef curry will join menus across Canberra city,Sutton Forest and Cooma to name a few.
McDonald’s have introduced the lean beef pie (pictured) and the curry beef pie on a trial basis across 23 stores in the Australian Capital Territory
Other flavours approved by the fast food giant also include, chicken vegetable, vegetable mornay (pictured) and chunky steak and hope to become a permanent fixture to McDonald’s in the future
Mr Garlick told the Daily Mail Australia that ‘Aussies love a great pie’ and believed the addition will be a welcomed change to the menu.
The official launch of the pie trial will hit stores on Friday July 1 ranging between $4.50 and $4.90.
Although only two flavours will feature throughout the pie Mr Garlick has said three other varieties will also make an appearance if all goes to plan.
He said: ‘The beef and beef curry are our two biggest sellers although we have about 50 flavours and there could be an opportunity to try new ones.
The trial will include pies from Garlo’s Pies in Sydney’s inner west – the pastry business of former rugby league player Sean Garlick (pictured)
The lean beef will cost $4.50 (left) and the curry beef will cost $4.90 (right) across stored in Canberra and surrounding suburbs
‘We have about five pies approved by McDonald’s including the chunky steak, vegetable mornay and chicken and vegetable in addition to the two beef.
Pies have always been found where hot food is being sold explained Mr Garlick who believes that the item will be popular among Australian consumers.
He said: ‘I think pies are renown for being fast food and everyone knows the difference between a great quality pie and a bad one.’
The idea to partner with McDonald’s came from the success of the ‘Georgie Pie’ (pictured) on New Zealand menus which was bought out by the fast food giant in 1998 and reintroduced to menus in 2013
Georgie Pie’s returned after a trial period when sales exceeded expectations by about 50 per cent with flavours such as chicken and vegetable and bacon and egg (pictured) joining the original beef and cheese
The idea to partner with McDonald’s came from the success of the ‘Georgie Pie’ on New Zealand menus which was bought out by the fast food giant in 1998 and reintroduced to menus in 2013.
Georgie Pie’s returned after a trial period when sales exceeded expectations by about 50 per cent.
The pie is now available in about 107 stores of its 161 across New Zealand and priced at $4.50.
But this isn’t the first time pies have been introduced to the fast food menu.