Big Mac ATM dispenses free burgers to hungry crowds in Kenmore Square

As Scott Norris sunk his teeth into a burger fresh out of the McDonald’s Big Mac ATM, there was only one way to describe the experience.

“God bless America,” he said.

Norris, of Malden, was second in line for the Big Mac ATM that debuted Tuesday in Kenmore Square.

As the name suggests, it is a freestanding machine that dispenses Big Macs, devoid of any human interaction.

The ATM, which was tucked behind red velvet ropes, drew a long line that snaked down the sidewalk as dozens of hungry customers waited for their chance to be a part of the burger innovation.

The burgers were free but it was a one-day event only. The ATM was open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. No word yet on a future rollout.

There were three varieties of Big Macs to choose from: the junior, original and the all-new Grand Mac. While customers ordered via the screen, McDonald’s workers kept supplies stocked on the back end.

Stephen Hui, a 19-year-old Boston University student from Tyngsborough went for the Grand Mac. Why? Because it’s bigger.

This beefed up, if you will, version of the classic Big Mac — two all-beef patties, the famed special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun — boasts more beef, bigger buns and more cheese.

Hui said he was impressed with the size of the burger, but said he couldn’t compare it to the original.

“As a matter of fact, I haven’t had a Big Mac,” he said. A Big Mac novice no more.

And Hui wasn’t alone. Only 20 percent of millennials have tried the signature burger, according to an internal McDonald’s memo leaked last year.

But in Boston at least, the Big Mac ATM seemed to bring in younger audiences, as college and high school students followed the smell of free food.

“It was lunch time and I was, like I’m broke, they’re giving out free Big Macs. Hell yeah,” Simon Mariano, 16, of Boston said.

The only drawback of the Big Mac ATM experience? You can’t have fries with that.

-Derek Kouyoumjian contributed to this report.