Much like my selection in TV shows, every food I ever fall in love with eventually becomes discontinued. I am a victim of being stood up on a dinner date time and time again, and not by the usual male type, but rather… Mickey D’s.
Imagine my disappointment to roll through the closest drive through only to find out the order I’ve placed for the past five years is suddenly gone. *Sigh.* A true tragedy. We’re paying tribute to these 10 McDonald’s fails, because #nostalgia.
1. Chicken Selects
Ugh. Here we go, the ditcher of dates. The one who got away. This was my standup at the drive-through, circa 2015. #1 on this list, and still #1 in my heart, are the almighty Chicken Selects. These babies were a part of my childhood, along with the five sauces I would individually order and proceed to spill all over the floor of the car (sorry, Mom).
2. McPizza
Brought to life in the late ’80s, McDonald’s attempted to compete with pizza companies nationwide. In a ploy to offer more dinner-worthy menu options, McDonald’s presented their pizza menu which offered several toppings and a Happy Meal size. These pies never made it past regional-tasting, due to high prices ($6 per mini pie) and Italian-offending quality. A+ for effort though.
3. Fish McBites
Although the name doesn’t exactly sound gourmet, these bites packed a punch. A personal preference to their big brother, the Filet-O-Fish, these bites were meant to be a seasonal Lent item, but stayed a bit longer due to popularity. However, this soon died out and McDonald’s was forced to pull it from their menu. *Sigh.* Dumped once again.
4. McSalad Shakers
These were the perfect road trip snack for those health nuts out there. Innovative and healthy, these shakers seemed like they could be a huge success. Indeed, it seemed like a marketing slam dunk for the first few months. However, it quickly plummeted as consumers weren’t lining up at Mickey D’s for salads.
5. Super Size
Who else remembers that enthusiastic voice roaring through the drive through asking, “Would you like to supersize that?” I never had the stomach to hold all those fries, but many did.
Due to the backlash received from the Documentary, Supersize Me, McDonald’s was forced to cut this feature from their menu. In an era of health, McDonald’s is trying to create a different image, but every now and then, a girl just wants a 42 oz. soda and a side of 610 calorie fries.
6. McSpaghetti
Still on menus in other countries, McDonald’s once took a shot at this Italian cuisine in the states. In addition to spaghetti, fettuccini Alfredo and lasagna options were offered to help build McDonald’s dinner image. Like the McPizza, these items simply couldn’t compete with Italian fast food competitors and it quickly failed (before I was even born—darn).
7. Onion McNuggets
It seems as though McDonald’s multi-million dollar marketing department could have come up with a different name other than “Onion Nuggets” for these mini onion ring snacks.
Introduced in the late ’70s as the first dollar menu item, these nuggets disappeared soon after. Oddly enough, a preserved sample of this failed item remains in climate-controlled room somewhere in the middle of Illinois (anyone trying to pull a “National Treasure” move?).
8. McDLT
This item is truly genius. The McDLT offered a separate two part container: one side for your hot components (patty, cheese, bun), the other for the cold (lettuce, tomato). Seriously, Nobel Prize worthy. I mean who likes soggy lettuce anyways? Introduced in the ’80s, this item soon vanished due to the excess packaging and environmental concerns.
9. McHotdog
This item has come and gone on the menu. It is truly a tasty bite and consumers never had an issue with the quality of produce. However, it was still a marketing fail. McHotdogs are regular items in other countries like Japan; however, the American Mickey D’s just couldn’t hold on. Unfortunately, consumers associated hamburgers with McDonald’s, and the hotdog never caught on.
10. Arch Deluxe
Born in 1996, this masterpiece was aimed at a more “grown-up” audience. Made with higher-quality products like peppered bacon, cherry tomatoes, and romaine lettuce, this product was surely delicious. However, the increase in price of ingredients, and therefore menu price, was too high for consumers and the burger never lived on.
These 10 items are just a peak at the many products McDonald’s has discontinued. As we, as a nation, change in terms of trends, current events, etc., so do our taste pallets. Companies like McDonald’s are forced to keep up and so a few MVPs are lost in the process (looking at you Chicken Selects—still not over it). Despite this, McDonald’s still manages to rake in over 20 billion dollars annually, so they must be doing something right.