McDonald's has launched some innovative and
extremely successful menu items over the years. From the Big Mac to the chicken McNuggets,
these signature items have been a definite hit with customers. But for every winning
menu item, there are a few more that are now buried in the McDonald's graveyard of failed
menu items. Here are 10 Bizarre Food Items That Disappeared From McDonald's Menus. The Hula Burger If you are one of those people that think
putting pineapple on pizza is bad, you're going to be appalled by this one. Back in
the '60s, before veganism was a huge thing, McDonald's decided to offer a meatless option
for the church-going folk who don't eat meat on Fridays. As you may have guessed, Friday
is a big day for McDonald's because it's the beginning of the regular weekend sales boom.
Ray Kroc, the famous head honcho of the chain, saw that there was a lag in sales for restaurants
located in areas with a large Catholic following. So, Kroc's solution was the hula burger, which
consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple with two slices of American cheese on a bun. At
the time, Kroc was trying to compete with the new Filet-O-Fish that had just been launched
by producing another Catholic Friday-friendly alternative. The Filet-O-Fish was invented
by franchisee Lou Groen, who owned a McDonald's in an area that was 87% Catholic. Kroc and
Groen were in disagreement over whose idea would be more popular, so Kroc agreed to put
both on his menu to see which one fared best. As you can imagine, the hula burger tanked,
while the Filet-O-Fish was a massive hit. The Filet-O-Fish is still a popular McDonald's
menu item to date, but this pineapple and cheese sandwich? No wonder it disappeared. Onion Nuggets Originally introduced in the '70s alongside
a chopped beefsteak sandwich, McDonald's onion nuggets seemed to be a reasonable choice.
They were made from little clumps of diced onions that were battered and deep-fried. They
were basically the same as onion rings but in little bite-sized pieces. Who wouldn't
want that? Well, everyone, apparently. The onion nuggets disappeared from the menu sometime
in the '80s and were never to be seen again. There isn't really one specific explanation as to
why these onion nuggets didn't last. It was probably bad news for those onion ring fans
who pick out pieces of onion and just eat the batter. You know the type. Onion rings
are also a bit challenging for fast food places to serve because they would need extra fryer
space. If they were fried in the same oil as McDonald's signature fries, they'd likely
change the flavor and since McDonald's fries are extremely popular and beloved among Americans,
the company probably doesn't want to risk that for a product that may or may not sell.
Another explanation could be that other restaurants, like Burger King, have already nailed down
the onion ring game and even introduced it into some burger options. That's some pretty
tough competition. Interestingly enough, McDonald's has never tried to introduce onion
rings to its menu, something that is considered a pretty common fast food staple. Some locations
in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong do apparently serve them, but they just aren't in demand
from the burger joint in the United States. Chicken Fajitas McDonald's has tried many different types
of cuisine styles with its menu items instead of just sticking to what it does best – American
food. So it's no surprise the company once dove into the world of Tex Mex cuisine. The
McDonald's chicken fajitas were released alongside the breakfast burrito in the early '90s and
landed on the popular dollar menu. They contained chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese and were
served with a packet of either mild or hot Picante sauce. According to a 90's commercial,
McDonald's fajitas tasted like, "a taste of Mexico, without the sunburn." While a quick
Google search shows that people did really enjoy this menu item but unfortunately it
disappeared and is no longer available. In 2013, a Change.org petition circulated begging
McDonald's to re-introduce the chicken fajitas. 58 people added their name to the petition,
but that's not quite enough to show any hint of consumer demand. At the time of the Change.org
petition, the organizers claimed it was unfair that the fajitas were offered in Canada and
not the United States, but it seems they've been removed from that menu as well. A Facebook
page was also created around the same time with 800 followers dedicated to the cause.
For now, customers who miss the spice of the fajitas will have to settle for options like
the cajun chicken McWrap. Rumor has it there are some locations outside of North America
that still have the fajitas on their menu, but there aren't any more details on which
ones have it. McDonald's Pizza Another example of McDonald's going outside
of its element is when the company took a stab at their take on Italian cuisine. This
came after the realization that it didn't really offer a lot of options for dinner.
So, back in the late '80s, McDonald's attempted to break into the pizza industry. After 4
pm, customers could try a personal-sized McDonald's pizza. It was also not called McPizza, which
is slightly disappointing. Regardless of what it was called, it was not successful.
Most McDonald's restaurants slowly began removing pizza from the menu, and by 2000, only one
or two locations had held on to this option. That also didn’t last. As of today McDonald's
pizza is not available at any location. One of the biggest issues with McDonald's pizza
was the fact that it took a long time to make. Since it was made to order, customers had
to wait for the pizza to bake, which could take up to 10 minutes. On top of timing, there
was also a cost factor. In order to make the pizzas, each restaurant had to install a new
oven to bake the pizza crust, as well as expand the size of the drive-thru windows to fit
the pizza box through them. Then there came the blowback from other pizza chains, who
were angry that McDonald's was trying to capitalize on the market they were dominating. Chains
like Pizza Hut and Domino's started publicly trashing the whole thing, urging customers
not to "make a McStake" and choose pizza made from "McFrozen" dough. Eventually, the pizza
was axed and McDonald's went back to its original ways. The McLean Deluxe In 1991, long before health-conscious food
items were a mainstream part of any menu, McDonald's introduced the McLean Deluxe. The
restaurant had started generating some negative feedback about its unhealthy options and decided
to do something about it. That's when the McLean Deluxe came in. This was a burger designed
to contain significantly less fat than the regular patty, with claims that it was up
to 91% fat-free. This level of fat-free was achieved by replacing fat with water and using
carrageenan, a type of seaweed extract, as a binding agent to hold it together with the
beef. So they ended up with a burger that was about 90% beef and 10% water/seaweed. The
company had high hopes for this burger because no other fast-food chain had developed something
like it. They envisioned a flock of health-conscious customers running to get their hands on a
"healthy" new burger. Advertisements positioned it as a healthy breakthrough in the fast-food
world. But while the McLean Deluxe did achieve the goals of being nearly fat-free, it didn't
win in the taste department. Customers complained that the burger was too dry and bland, and
they certainly didn't taste like the classic burgers. By 1993, it accounted for less than
2% of McDonald's overall sales and eventually disappeared from the menu. Fish McBites Imagine chicken nuggets, but with fish instead.
That was the vision when McDonald's launched Fish McBites. Pieces of Alaska pollock fish
were chopped into little bite-size portions, dipped in batter, and then deep-fried. They
were served with a side of tartar sauce for dipping and were the first food item to be
added to the Happy Meal menu in quite a long time. While the Fish McBites were originally
introduced during Lent in 2013 as another Friday friendly option to go along with the
Fillet-O-Fish, these fish just weren't biting. It was always supposed to be a short-term
item, but at the time, parents were pressuring the burger giant to add more seafood options
to the kid's menu. So if it had done well, it probably would have stayed on. But the
company reported that sales were down during this time. There may be hope yet. Just like
the long-lost onion nuggets, there is currently an active online petition to bring back Fish
McBites. So far, there are 140 signatures. McStuffins These creations were released in the early
'90s and were basically a McDonald's version of a hot pocket. The McStuffins were enclosed
sandwiches with ingredients that were baked inside a loaf of baguette-style French bread.
There were a few different flavor options for the middle, including pepperoni and cheese
and chicken teriyaki. This doesn't even sound that bad, despite being pretty out of character
for McDonald's. But, as with any other time the restaurant ventures out of its comfort
zone, things just weren't meant to be. Hot pockets are a staple food for many starving
college students, but somehow these ones were not popular. Perhaps it was the silly name
that turned people away or maybe it was just the fact that people would rather stay at
home and microwave their own hot pockets. Regardless, it seems as though the world wasn't
ready for a McDonald's version. This one disappeared from the menu within the year and was never
thought about again. The Arch Deluxe Known as one of the biggest flops in McDonald's
history, the Arch Deluxe was an attempt at catering toward a more luxury, adult market.
Released in 1996, this burger was a more gourmet-style burger that came with circular peppered bacon,
cheese, two slices of lettuce, and a secret Arch sauce, all assembled on a gourmet potato
sesame bun. It was labeled as a grown-up burger and came with a higher price tag. McDonald's
spent a ton of money on advertising for this burger, plunging as much as $200 million dollars
into marketing campaigns and development. That's what makes this such a notable fail
in the company's history. Here's the problem; McDonald's has built a lot of its atmosphere
and vibe on being a family-friendly restaurant with cheap options that appeal to both children
and their parents. That was the whole point of introducing the McDonaldland culture with
play places, Ronald McDonald and friends, and Happy Meals. Commercials for this adult
burger even depicted children being disgusted by the taste, which obviously didn't go over
well with the parents. So, ultimately the targeting was all wrong as people were not
going to McDonald's looking for gourmet, mature options. McDonald's ultimately decided to
go back to its child-friendly ways and cut its losses. McSpaghetti Surprisingly, McDonald's pizza wasn't the
company's first attempt at entering the world of Italian dining options. Back in the late
'80s, McSpaghetti entered the scene, along with lasagna and fettuccine alfredo. The McSpaghetti
was just as it sounds. It consisted of spaghetti with tomato sauce, meatballs, and a shredded
cheese topping. Each pasta dish came with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Whether
the spaghetti tasted good or not was beyond the point. It didn't sell because people were
not interested in ordering Italian food from McDonald's. When you want a nice bowl of pasta,
you don't think about fast food, and you certainly don't think about going out of your way to
pay for something that's drenched in some type of Ragu sauce. This was just way too
off-brand and some customers reported that it tasted like ketchup soaked noodles. Clearly,
someone didn't run this past their Nonna before launching the product. If you really want
to try McSpaghetti for yourself, it'll cost you a plane ticket to the Philippines, where
it's still on the menu. The McHot Dog This one isn't really that surprising. McDonald's
is often used as a symbol of American food, so it's no surprise they tried out America's
favorite barbecue option, the hot dog. Ray Kroc, the mega-mogul we mentioned before who
was responsible for the Hula Burger, was known to hate hot dogs. He was open to the idea
of the restaurant trying out other new foods but believed that hot dogs were well below
the high standards McDonald's had. In fact, he wrote in his autobiography that the whole
idea of a bunch of mystery meat wrapped in some type of casing straight-up disgusted
him. But after Kroc passed away, the company decided to give hot dogs a shot and they were
added to the menu in the '90s for a summer. They were brought back a few times after that
but weren't overly successful. People were already loving McDonald's for its signature
items, like the burgers and fries. They didn't care about hot dogs. You can get hot dogs
just about anywhere, from the ballpark to the grocery store, and they'll taste about
the same. Maybe that's karma for going against Kroc's wishes. Take a bite out of one of our other great
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