Top 20 McDonald's Menu Item FAILS

We commend McDonald’s for trying to offer their customers more healthy menu options - especially them doing it all the way back in 2000, which was arguably earlier than many of its competitors. With the McSalad Shakers, diners were invited to pick one of three options (Chef, Caesar or Garden Salad) , add the dressing and then, in an admittedly fun bit of product packaging, cover and shake the domed cup in which the salads were served. Unfortunately, the McSalad Shaker failed on two counts. First, people generally don’t go to McDonald’s when they have a hankering for salad. Secondly, the meager, low-quality ingredients fell far short of the lush green salads advertised.

Over the years, we’ve seen McDonald’s make countless attempts at a premium burger. They’re rarely long for this world, but the Arch Deluxe was an especially colossal flop. The marketing campaign was massive and focused on selling the Arch Deluxe as a McDonald’s burger “for adults”. See the issue there? It insinuates that all the other burgers people have been enjoying are for kids, and that mature consumers should embrace the new Deluxe line of sandwiches, with this new burger leading the charge. The development, marketing and rollout is estimated to have cost $300 million and utterly failed to convert customers, who balked at the price, high calorie count and the tone of the commercials. Today, it’s remembered as one of the company’s most expensive misfires.

McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish can be a hit or miss item with most consumers, but at least it’s reminiscent of the familiar frozen fish sticks most people ate as kids. That being said, it seems most clients would prefer that McDonald’s stay away from seafood. The strange concoction called the McGratin Croquette feels like the end result of a basket of secret ingredients gone wrong. The “gurakoro”, as it’s known in Japan, consists of ground shrimp, mashed potatoes and deep-fried macaroni - all mushed together into a patty. Smother it in mystery brown sauce, and you’ve got yourself a culinary misadventure. It was designed “specifically” for Japanese markets. But guess what? Japan was NOT interested. Apparently the odd marketing didn’t help either.

The late ‘70s were an exciting period of innovation in American pop culture history. McDonald’s, not wanting to be left out, prepared to unveil the chopped beefsteak sandwich, and for the most part, it was deemed “delicious”. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with groundbreaking new products, it reportedly priced itself out of reach of the average consumer, apparently ringing up at $1.29 to the regular burger’s 40 cents. Many “fast foodies” lucky enough to try it in the early ‘80s remember it as one of the greatest sandwiches to ever touch their palates. But... the steep price made it too hard to swallow, even after McDonald’s tried throwing in a free dessert.

For a company that’s conquered the globe by selling beef (as in, hamburgers), you’d think that McDonald’s would have a better handle on how to successfully market that same meat in its other popular forms. Between this and the Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich however, McDonald’s has repeatedly proven otherwise. Back in 1968, in an effort to compete with Arby’s (which was only a few years old at the time), McDonald’s released a roast beef sandwich of their own. And guess what? People loved it! So why was this a flop? Simple economics. The roast beef was freshly sliced, and the need to install and operate a meat slicer in every McDonald’s proved too inefficient, terms of time, cost and profitability.

More like “mighty unpopular”. According to most reviewers and consumers, there was nothing spectacularly bad about these wings, they were just… unremarkable. McDonald’s is a juggernaut in the fast food world, and every so often they try to branch out to corner another end of the market. But with so many “tried-and-true” choices out there for delicious chicken wings, you can’t blame consumers for continuing to take their business elsewhere on game night. Sales numbers were so poor that McDonald’s lowered the price from an average of $1 per wing to 60 cents. This was allegedly done in order to liquidate the 10 million surplus wings they had left in stock when it became clear that the product had flopped.

Another entry in a long line of failed “premium” burgers, the Angus Burger was first rolled out in select markets around 2006. Boasting a thick, juicy patty made of “pure angus beef”, the sandwich came in one of four options: Mushroom and Swiss, Bacon and Cheese, Chipotle BBQ Bacon and wait for it… the Angus Deluxe. We know, you’d think the word “Deluxe” would’ve left a bad taste in the mouth of the company after the Arch Deluxe, but apparently not! McDonald’s really stuck it out with the Angus burger, and it eventually developed a dedicated following... albeit a notably small one. In 2013, the burger was discontinued in the United States, though it generally continues to be offered in Canada.

Hot dogs or hamburgers? That’s the question most commonly asked at a summer barbecue. So don’t hot dogs seem like a guaranteed success for any major fast food franchise? Well, Mickey D’s and hot dogs have a long and complicated history. In fact, the McDonald’s Corporation founder, Ray Kroc, banned hot dogs from his restaurants. Following his death in 1984 however, a number of attempts have been made to introduce hot dogs in one form or another to the McDonald’s menu in select North American and UK markets. But time and time again, they just fail to catch on. There’s even been an attempt to market a Chili McHotdog in Japan. Oh the horror...

When you’re big, it can be tempting to try to do it all. More often than not, however, when McDonald’s gets greedy and tries to take a bite out of competitors’ markets, like Taco Bell’s, it misses the mark. Even though McDonald’s now does a breakfast burrito, and tried tortas in California back around 2000, fajitas were its big attempt. First rolled out in the ‘90s, McDonald’s fajitas consisted of a soft shell tortilla, grilled vegetables and chicken. Most people seemingly found them palatable enough, just unremarkable - and not what they were after when they went to McDonald’s. Though relatively short-lived in the United States, a version of the McDonald’s fajita enjoyed greater success in other countries. The burrito style McWraps have similarly been pulled from many countries.

Sometimes referred to as Baby Mac, Mini Mac, Mac Jr. or Kids Mac (depending on the market), this burger is a Big Mac without the second burger patty and middle bun. So in short, it’s pretty much a cheeseburger dressed as a Big Mac! Don’t get us wrong, that sounds like the lighter, easier to eat version of the Big Mac that many consumers want. The thing is… those who want it can already get it by ordering exactly what it is...a cheeseburger dressed as a Big Mac. It’s one of the most popular off-menu customizations, but McDonald’s various attempts over the years to make it official have just felt really half-hearted in terms of marketing.

Two words that don’t add up: “McDonald’s” and “sophisticated”. Two other words tough to pair in a sentence? “McDonald’s” and “healthy”. The Deluxe line aimed to corner the adult fast food market by presenting an entire line of sophisticated McDonald’s products, including this supposedly healthy, low fat burger. It achieved the lower fat content by using about 90% lean beef in its patties and adding water to replace the missing fat. But how would they bind it all together? Seaweed to the rescue. Carrageenan, a seaweed extract, is a common thickening/binding agent used in the processed food industry. Mouth not watering yet? This dry burger was deemed to be lacking flavor despite flavor additives, and thus earned itself the nickname “McFlopper”.

It’s hard to believe that anyone at McDonald’s had faith in this product. Don’t people go out for fast food because they DON’T feel like having spaghetti for the third time in a week? McDonald’s tried marketing this in Italy, and unsurprisingly, it bombed. Nothing fails quite like a country’s most cherished and widely available dish, as poorly prepared by an American fast food chain. America was equally disinterested in McSpaghetti. It took too long to prepare, lacked flavor and simply couldn’t satisfy the cravings that drive people to McDonald’s in the first place - they wanted fast food! The weirdest thing about McSpaghetti though? It was a surprise hit in places like the Philippines!

Ever seen that prank where people take an onion, put it on a stick and then dip it in caramel or sugar to trick people into thinking it's a candied apple? Well, McDonald’s did something similar back in the ‘70s. But it wasn’t a gag; it was a real menu item they were pushing in test markets. The product was essentially McDonald’s’ attempt to make their own unique spin on onion rings, taking small chunks of onion and battering and deep frying them. And you know what? Those few people who tried them, actually remember Onion Nuggets fondly. Unfortunately, they were pulled from the menu and are now little more than a footnote in the history of Chicken McNuggets, which debuted in the early ‘80s.

McDonald’s really hit it out of the park when it introduced the Chicken McNuggets, a childhood favorite that legions of customers keep eating well into adulthood. But as failures like our previous entry remind us, there’s more to this winning formula than simply the “nugget” format. Fish McBites were a 2013 attempt by McDonald’s to recreate the runaway and enduring success of their McNuggets, but with fish. The dish came in three portion sizes (snack, regular and shareable) and were served with tartar sauce for dipping. The reality is, however, that fishy fast food often has limited appeal, and so the Fish McBites were deemed a failure and pulled from the menu the same year they debuted.

This one is a food offering that, if we didn’t know better, we’d assume was a parody of McDonald’s’ naming strategy. It’s just so... basic and laughably straightforward. But, it happened, and it failed every bit as spectacularly as you might expect. Available in select markets over the winter months, the McSoup came in two varieties: Broccoli & Cheese and classic Chicken Noodle. But here’s the thing… McDonalds didn’t hire a crack team to develop their own instantly recognizable, trademark versions of these two soups. They literally just licensed it from Campbell’s! That’s right, McDonald’s was essentially trying to charge people to heat up soup they could get at the grocery store. McNoThanks.

This one was bad. Really bad. While many McDonald’s products have failed over the years due to pricing or marketing issues, the Hula Burger was simply a bad sandwich, to say nothing of the cultural appropriation in the name. Ray Kroc may have been a genius marketer and fast food franchising titan, but his pineapple burger was one “hula-va” bad idea. Traditionally, strict Catholics would not eat meat on Fridays, so the company thought they could capitalize and expand on that demographic with this meatless sandwich. Turns out that the Filet-O-Fish was more desirable than a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese. The Hula Burger was pulled from restaurants shortly after its debut.

And speaking of bad naming . . . This was a burger wrapped in pita bread, sold exclusively in Norway in honor of the Olympics. But consider the fact that parts of Africa were suffering from famine in 2002, with millions of people in urgent need of food aid, and you’ll see that the bad taste wasn’t necessarily in the burger itself, but in the choice of name and timing. McDonald’s addressed the issue by apologizing and by allowing humanitarian aid agencies to put up posters and donation boxes in their locations. They did not, however, stop selling the product until September of that year. And then, they re-released another one in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics, again to heavy criticism.

Remember earlier when we were talking about McDonald’s trying to take a bite out of other fast food niches? Well, in the early ‘90s they attempted to compete with the microwavable snack/meal market by putting out their own pocket-style sandwiches. The logic seemed to be that McStuffins eliminated the oh-so-gruelling effort of microwaving your hot pocket or other such savory turnover. But here’s the thing, those meals are all about the convenience of a quick bite at home, work or school. When you put in the effort of getting yourself to a McDonald’s, chances are that you’re going to opt for a burger and fries. Due to poor sales, the McStuffins were discontinued in 1993 - the same year they debuted.

When it comes to failed fast food sandwiches, this is the stuff of legend. We could describe it to you, but we’d rather let Jason Alexander do the talking. The fact that they went through the trouble (and extra styrofoam) to build this dual-chamber hamburger containment system, just to keep “the tomato and lettuce cool and crisp” is commendable, but so unnecessary. Furthermore, people get fast food on the go, when they want something quick, easy, and ready to eat. Trying to combine the two halves of the burger without losing the toppings might not be rocket science, but it’s still enough work to undermine the core principles of fast food. Even the great Aretha Franklin couldn’t convince customers.




Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable, or dishonorable, mentions.

McLobster
Still Available Seasonally, But Only in Select Markets


Big N’ Tasty
Designed to Compete With Whopper, but Failed

Supersize Items
An Extra-Large Problem


Spanish Omelet Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
It Just Didn’t Have That McDonald’s Breakfast Taste


Eggs Benedict McMuffin
Because No One Wants McDonald’s-Made Hollandaise Sauce

In the late ‘80s, McDonald’s had about 40% of the American burger market, but sales consistently lagged around suppertime. Chains like Pizza Hut simply ruled dinner. But Mickey D’s had already won breakfast and were committed to claiming all three meals. Though they’d test marketed personal-sized pizzas in the late ‘70s, the following years saw them introduce various pizza sizes in different locations, including with a pizza-pocket style McPizza - which failed. But then with their fresh-made, oven-baked pizza, they were going all in. The pizza itself was reasonably well-received . . . but the wait time for it was not. For a franchise that conquered on a campaign of speedy service, this was a deal-breaker. By the end of the ‘90s the McDonald’s pizza dream was essentially over.