Is this the end of the Big Mac?

McDonald's fans were outraged at false claims the fast food chain was scrapping its famous Big Mac burger. Source: News Limited

THOUSANDS of McDonald's customers have their knickers in a knot over rumours about changes to the fast food chain's menu.

But don't freak out. The Big Mac is here to stay.

Following the announcement that McDonalds plans to "streamline" its menu in the US, a hoax tweet and a fake news story reporting that Big Macs, Apple Pies and large size options would be scrapped, sent some burger lovers into a frenzy. They even started a hashtag, #savethebigmac,

The tweet that started the whole thing was from a fake McDonald's Twitter account.

The fake tweet from McDonald's. Source: Twitter

Adding fuel to the fire was this article from Daily Buzz Live, which claimed that McDonald's was removing Big Macs, Apple Pies and large sized portions from the menu.

McDonald's was forced to clarify the issue for thousands of devastated Big Mac fans.

Changes to the menu only apply to American McDonald's restaurants. There will "one Quarter Pounder with Cheese burger versus four; one Premium Chicken sandwich versus three; one Snack Wrap versus three," spokeswoman Lisa McComb told The Huffington Post.

The changes come after reports this week that McDonald's global sales fell 2.2 per cent in November, and US sales tumbled 4.6 per cent.

McDonald's chief executive officer Don Thompson said after speaking to investors recently, the company was going back to basics.

"We are streamlining our merchandising menu board and product offerings and in addition to making it easier for customer to order their favourite products, this will reduce complexity in our restaurants which in turn should enhance accuracy and speed of service," he said.

But a spokesman for McDonald's Australia told news.com.au the menu will stay the same in Australia.

"We've never gone to that level of detail [with our menu] that the States have. We don't have four variations of the Quarter Pounder, for instance," spokesman Chris Grant said. "I want to reaffirm here that there won't be any changes to our menu."