While the Big Mac has the word "big" in it, McDonald's hasn't really staked a major claim as the fast-food chain for people looking for the meatiest sandwiches.

Arguably, at least in the U.S., Burger King and Wendy's (WEN) - Get Free Report have stronger claims to that dubious title. 

Wendy's, for example, has the Dave's Triple and the Big Bacon Classic Triple on its menu while it also lets customers order a burger with a total of four hamburger patties if they so choose.

The menu at Restaurant Brands International's  (QSR) - Get Free Report Burger King features a Triple Whopper, which actually contains fewer calories (1,170) than the two-patty Bacon King. Burger King will also sell you a four-patty burger, but you have to make that order in person, not through the chain's app or website.

Wendy's does not appear to limit how many patties you can add to your sandwich, at least when you order through Uber Eats. In theory, if you want 25, or maybe 50, burger patties on your Baconator, the chain will allow it — although at some point wrapping the burger will become a problem.

For its part, McDonald's features a triple cheeseburger on its regular menu, but that's made from three regular-size (1.6-ounce or 45-gram) patties. The biggest item by meat weight is the Double Quarter Pounder, which offers a full half-pound of beef. 

Like its rivals, MCD (probably) will sell you more burger patties if you ask at its counter. It allows extra patty sales through its app on some sandwiches, but not others. The chain also maxes out at three patties (although customers could likely order more in-person as there does not appear to be a policy preventing that). 

All these burgers, however, pale in comparison to a massive sandwich the chain has been selling in China.

McDonald's builds a bigger Mac

McDonald's locations around the world — especially in Japan and China — seem to equate the American brand with massive burgers. A new burger from the chain's locations in China sets a new standard when it comes to massive sandwiches, although the burger patties do get some help/

"McDonald's China's Bu Su Zhi Ba Double Layer Beef Burger is a mouthful of meat that puts U.S. patties to shame. True to its name, which translates to German Sausage Double Beef Burger, this item packs two burger patties and two sausages between its buns. This gives customers a protein-heavy dish, with little more than a layer of mustard to round it out — it doesn't contain any of the more traditional McDonald's toppings like lettuce, tomato, or pickles," Mashed shared.

The fast-food giant has never offered sausages in its U.S. restaurants and it has only sold hot dogs on a very limited basis in the U.S. McDonald's founder was famously against the chain selling hot dogs because people would not know what was inside them.

China shows McDonald's the way

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski actually visited some of his chain's locations in China this year. He talked about what he learned during the company's second-quarter earnings call.

"Visiting China truly brought to life the power of a highly digitized economy and our potential for global growth moving forward. With about 90% of our business currently coming through digital channels in that market, it was remarkable to see how the market has forged digital relationships with customers," he said.

Kempczinski was also impressed with other aspects of the company's operations in China.

"China is also making tremendous progress in running the restaurants more efficiently, all with the use of data and technology. This will provide great learnings for the rest of our system," he added.

The chain is also innovating in the delivery space in the market.

"Another recent example of innovation I was able to see firsthand during my visit to China is the use of food lockers at busy locations with high in-store traffic. Upon arrival, delivery couriers can quickly unlock the designated locker and grab the customer's order without even entering the restaurant, removing friction for both the kitchen and the courier," Kempczinski said.

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Coca-Cola sells some of the most popular beverages in the world and it generally has the muscle to make any new products it sells successful. 

Of course, there have been some pretty big Coca-Cola (KO) - Get Free Report failures in recent years where the company has tried to capitalize on a trend. Few people remember Vault, an effort to compete with rival PepsiCo's (PEP) - Get Free Report Mountain Dew. And 2009's Green Tea Coke never got enough attention to be remembered or forgotten.

Related: Coca-Cola adds new Coke and Sprite flavors that could be big hits

The company's biggest recent failure, however, might be Coca-Cola Energy, an attempt to take on Monster and Red Bull. That drink lasted less than a year before the company pulled the plug.

It was a surprising move because the idea of Coca-Cola Energy made sense. It was an attempt by the No. 1 beverage company to leverage its namesake brand to get into the exploding energy-drink market.

Consumers, however, were never that interested. They may have sampled it, but the product was never popular enough to win enough market share for Coke to commit to the product long term.

That same script has repeated in another explosively growing market. Coca-Cola launched its Aha sparkling-water brand to compete with market leaders LaCroix and Pepsi's Bubly. It was a massive launch — Coca-Cola's first brand debut since 2006 — that simply never captured the public's attention.

Coca-Cola is largely winding down Aha        

Sparkling water has been a growing category led by the massive success of LaCroix. It makes sense that Coca-Cola wanted to get in on the trend, but Aha has not made a significant market impact. The company thus has decided to wind down, but not fully eliminate, the brand. 

"In 2024, the beverages will only be available in 'focused channels' and in Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, and will continue to be sold in Canada," the beverage giant told Food Dive.

Coca-Cola isn't giving up on sparkling water. The company intends to focus its attention on growing its premium Topo Chico brand in the same space. 

Sales have fallen for Aha, which replaced Coca-Cola's previous effort in the sparkling-water space, Dasani Sparkling. The brand has less than a 2% share of the total market.

Coca-Cola executives have said that they believe Topo Chico can become the company's next billion-dollar brand. The company recently launched a hard-seltzer, an alcoholic version of the popular brand. 

Coca-Cola sees some headwinds

Coca-Cola sales were flat by volume in the second quarter. Chief Executive James Quincey explained why in the company's Q2-earnings call.

"We have seen some willingness to switch to private-label brands in certain categories," he said. "Across the sector, consumers are increasingly cost-conscious. They're looking for value and stocking up on items on sale." 

Quincey believes that Coca-Cola is well-positioned to handle the current market.

"Our pricing is largely in place and is expected to moderate as we cycle pricing initiatives from the prior year. It's more important than ever to be consumer-centric and to partner with customers to provide affordable and premium propositions, which deliver value through basket and incidence growth," he added.

And, while the company has been focused on growing sales outside soda, its namesake beverage continues to be a major driver.

"During the quarter, we gained volume and value share by linking Coca-Cola to consumption occasions and engaging consumers through local experiences. A great example is our Recipe for Magic, which was activated in more than 50 markets and celebrates consuming Coca-Cola with meals," he said.

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