9 McDonald’s Items That Were Total Disasters
Even McDonald’s—the king of fries, burgers, and unstoppable global branding has had its share of head-scratchers. Over the decades, they’ve tried everything from seafood rolls to spaghetti, in hopes that lightning would strike twice after the Big Mac, but it didn’t. Here’s a roundup of McDonald’s menu items that didn’t survive the fryer.
Hula Burger
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In the 1960s, McDonald’s tried to swap beef for grilled pineapple for Catholics who skipped meat on Fridays. In a sales test, the Hula Burger—pineapple, cheese, and bun—was pitched against the now-famous Filet-O-Fish. The result showed that six Hulas were sold compared to 350 fish sandwiches.
McLobster
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A lobster roll at a drive-thru sounds fancy until reality kicks in. While technically a real lobster, the McLobster lacked the taste people expected. Combine that with a high price and inconsistent quality, and the McLobster became a regional novelty at best, reappearing only occasionally in New England and Canada.
McDLT
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The McDLT kept “hot side hot, cold side cold” using a two-compartment styrofoam container. It was clever, but the packaging arrived just as consumers started caring more about the environment. The PR backlash was quick, and by 1990, the McDLT was gone.
Arch Deluxe
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McDonald’s spent over $100 million marketing this “sophisticated” burger for adults in 1996. The Arch Deluxe came with peppered bacon, fancy mustard sauce, and a potato bun. Even so, kids hated it, adults didn’t care, and franchisees hated stocking unique ingredients for just one item.
McSpaghetti
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McSpaghetti was part of a broader dinner experiment that included lasagna and Alfredo. While it survived in the Philippines, it flopped elsewhere. Pasta took too long to prep, clashed with the brand, and wasn’t something people craved in a burger joint.
McHotdog
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Ray Kroc was firmly against serving hot dogs—he said you could never know what was inside them. After he passed, McDonald’s ignored his warning, and the McHotdog hit U.S. menus in the mid-’90s, but it never caught on. It didn’t taste bad, but it just didn’t feel like McDonald’s.
McLean Deluxe
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This 1991 burger was aimed at the health-conscious crowd by advertising itself as 91% fat-free. To cut calories, McDonald’s used carrageenan—an additive made from seaweed—to hold the watery, low-fat patty together, but it sold poorly.
Pizza / McPizza
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In the late ’80s, McDonald’s rolled out pizza to spice up dinner menus. The only problem was that it took 11 minutes to cook—basically a lifetime in fast-food land. Some locations even widened drive-thru windows to fit the box.
McAfrika
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No item tanked harder due to bad timing than the McAfrika. Launched in Norway during a 2002 famine in southern Africa, the sandwich—a pita with beef and salad—sparked international outrage. Critics blasted McDonald’s for insensitivity, and the chain tried damage control by adding donation boxes.
Mighty Wings
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At nearly $1 per wing, Mighty Wings launched in 1990, returned in 2013, and failed both times. Consumers found them too spicy, too pricey, or just not worth swapping for nuggets. At one point, McDonald’s was left with 10 million pounds of unsold chicken.
McGratin Croquette
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In Japan, McDonald’s tried a fried patty stuffed with shrimp, mashed potatoes, and macaroni. The McGratin Croquette looked like a creamy comfort food, but the odd texture and taste didn’t sit right with customers. It made a few holiday comebacks in Japan, but never made its way west.
McCrab / Crab Cake Sandwich
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Crabcakes work best when fresh and local, not when mass-produced at a fast food chain. In the early 2000s, McDonald’s gave it a go with the McCrab, aimed at mid-Atlantic seafood lovers. Reviews were brutal. One called it “more cake than crab.”
Onion Nuggets
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These were deep-fried, nugget-shaped chunks of onion. They didn’t catch on. Customers didn’t love the texture, and the onion flavor was overwhelming. Chairman Fred Turner reportedly suggested replacing the onion with chicken—and just like that, the iconic McNugget was born.
McSalad Shakers
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In 2000, salad in a plastic cup sounded like a cool idea. However, shaking lettuce turned out to be awkward and messy, and the tall cup was hard to eat from on the go. The McSalad Shakers vanished a few years later, replaced by good old-fashioned bowls.
McStuffins
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Hot Pockets ruled the ‘80s, so McDonald’s gave their own version a shot in 1993. The McStuffins were small baguettes filled with BBQ beef, teriyaki chicken, or pepperoni pizza. The name didn’t help, and neither did the product. People weren’t looking for baked sandwich tubes when they walked into McDonald’s.