- McDonald’s menu has undergone several changes since the chain was founded in 1955.
- Some of the products have survived until now, but many ended up being ephemeral tests.
- The fast food chain is removing them for a number of reasons: poor sales, to make room for a new item, or limited editions.
- Discover more stories atBusiness Insider Spain.
The menu of McDonald’s has undergone several changes since the chain was founded in 1955.
While some of his new offerings have survived to this day, many others were short-lived products. The company is recalling its dishes for several reasons, either due to poor sales, to make room for a new item, or because it is a limited edition product.
Some of these menu experiments actually end up costing millions, such as McDonald’s Arch Deluxe, a “gourmet” burger that was intended to attract a more adult clientele —but which failed miserably.
It spent approximately between 150 million and 200 million dollars to announce its launch, and it positioned itself as the most expensive promotional campaign in historyfrom fast foodaccording toThe New York Times.
Read more: 6 things from McDonald’s that its employees never eat
Other items are available for a limited time only, such as the McDonald’s Superhero Burger, which was released in conjunction with a new 1990s Batman movie. But there are also times when the flavors of the products just don’t click with customers, such as the McGratin Croquette, which was made with macaroni, shrimp, and mashed potatoes.
These are some of the McDonald’s products that were recalled:
McSalad Shakers only lasted three years on the McDonald’s menu and were also sold in Spain
Source: Insider
There were three different types: Gardener, Chef and Chicken Caesar
Source: Insider
The Arch Deluxe, which was launched in 1996, was one of McDonald’s most expensive failures.
Source: Business Insider
The advertising budget was more than $150 million, according to The New York Times, and it didn’t even last a year on the menu.
Source: The New York Times
Onion nuggets were part of the McDonald’s menu in the 1970s, but they didn’t last long on the menu. They were removed shortly after being launched to the public, but to this day the reason is still unknown.
Source: Insider
McDonald’s Pizza was intended to attract customers who frequented food chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut
Source: Insider
Although they stopped serving it in the late 1980s, three American locations continued to sell it until 2017. Now, only one of them (in Orlando, Florida) still has it on its menu.
Source: Business Insider
Chiken Selects were promoted as a ‘premium’ version of regular chicken nuggets.
Source: Insider
They were available from 2002 to 2013
Source: Insider
McDonald’s launched mozzarella sticks in the US in late 2015, but they received several complaints because most of them did not have cheese inside.
Source: Business Insider
Mozzarella sticks were sold in packs of three for $1, but sales were discontinued shortly after their launch.
Source: Business Insider
The Hula Burger, launched in the 1960s, was intended to be a meatless option for Catholic customers who could not eat meat on Fridays during Lent.
Source: Business Insider
In the end, it did not succeed and was removed from the card.
Source: Business Insider
Fish McBites were also added to the menu as another fish option, but did nothing to boost McDonald’s sales.
Source: Business Insider
These pieces of fish were removed in 2013
Source: Business Insider
The McAfrika was a reputational disaster for McDonald’s. The product was launched in Norway, one of the richest countries in the world, when millions of people in South Africa were starving. As a result, it was quickly removed from the menu in 2002.
Source: Business Insider
McStuffins were made on a baguette stuffed with ingredients like pepperoni or teriyaki chicken.
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s attempt at Hot Pockets lasted less than a year and was removed from the menu in 1993.
Source: Business Insider
The McDLT (short for McDonald’s Lettuce, Tomato), separated the lettuce and tomato from the burger, placing them in separate Styrofoam containers for “maximum freshness.”
Source: Business Insider
It was withdrawn in 1991 after receiving criticism from environmental activists.
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s Mighty Wings failed for several reasons, but the main reason is that they were too expensive and spicy for customers’ tastes.
Source: Business Insider
They were on the menu from 1990 to 2013
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s tried to sell Mexican food, including chicken fajitas…
Source: Business Insider
…and burritos. But both were taken off the menu in the 1990s, probably because they couldn’t compete with Taco Bell.
Source: Business Insider
McSpaghetti was introduced in the 1970s. It is still available in the Philippines.
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc said in his autobiography that the chain would never sell hot dogs due to quality issues, but he still launched the McHotdog in 1995.
Source: Business Insider
He was not well received and ended up withdrawing shortly after.
Source: Business Insider
The McLean Deluxe claimed to have 91% less fat than a Big Mac, as it had seaweed extract instead of fat content.
Source: Business Insider
It was withdrawn in 1996
McDonald’s fruit and nut salad was introduced as a healthy option in 2005 and was removed in 2013 because it was not very popular.
Source: Cosmopolitan
The Big ‘N Tasty was intended to be a competitor to the Whopper, but was retired in 2011.
Source: Cosmopolitan
Although in the US it is released again from time to time for special occasions
Source: Cosmopolitan
McDonald’s triple-double burger was made of three patties and two slices of cheese rolled in sesame seed bread
Source: Cosmopolitan
Also known as the Superhero Burger, this burger was released in 1995 as part of a “Batman Forever” promotion and was retired shortly after.
Source: Eat This, Not That
McDonald’s introduced and retired the quarter pounder twice: first in 1988…
Source: Complex
…and again in 2004
Source: Complex
In the 1970s, McDonald’s briefly offered a sandwich made with chopped steak, onions, and gravy and advertised as a “long burger.”
Source: Complex
But it was removed from the menu shortly after its launch.
Source: Complex
The McJordan Special, also known as the Big 33 in honor of Michael Jordan, is the first sandwich from a fast food chain to be named after a person, according to Complex. It was only offered for a limited time.
Source: Complex
McDonald’s has dropped Orange Hi-C to make room for TropicBerry Sprite, but fans miss it
Source: Complex
McSoup didn’t take off, perhaps because many dismissed it as being almost like Campbell’s soup poured into a McDonald’s-branded cup.
Source: Complex
McDonald’s launched a kind of lobster dog in 1993
Source: Complex
While it’s not on the menu permanently, it does launch a lobster sandwich at its New England locations for a few weeks each summer.
The McGratin croquette was made exclusively in Japan, with fried macaroni, shrimp and mashed potatoes. Many attribute its failure to the taste
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s began offering larger menu options in 1993, but the ‘super’ option was removed in 2004, after the documentary ‘Super Size Me’
Source: Business Insider
McDonald’s fried apple pie was removed from the menu in 1992…
Source: Eat This, Not That
…but there is a baked apple pie on the menu in some countries
Source: Eat This, Not That
In Spain there is even a petition on Change.org to bring back the original Apple Pie
Source: Change.org
The Cheeseburger was removed from the Happy Meal menu in February 2018 “to encourage more positive choices,” McDonald’s global nutrition chief told Business Insider. However, you can still order it separately.
Source: Business Insider
Customers in the UK and Canada were left in dismay when the Smarties McFlurry was removed from the menu in 2015…
Fountain: Daily Record
…to make room for the Oreo McFlurry
Fountain: Daily Record
Learn how we work at .
Tags: Food, Curiosities, Lists, Upday