McDonalds has been cranking out some of the most iconic menu items in fast food over more than six decades. However, some customer favorites have disappeared from menus, never to be seen again.
McDonalds graveyard of lost menu items includes cult classics such as Szechuan sauce, the “McPizza,” and orange Hi-C. Then there are some bizarre misfires — McSpaghetti and the Hula Burger are unlikely to see any petitions for their returns anytime soon.
Here is a look back at some of the best and worst McDonalds menu items that you can no longer order at the chain. Advertisement
In 2017, fans of the cartoon “Rick and Morty” organized a movement calling for McDonalds to bring back its Szechuan McNuggets sauce, a plum sauce that was available for a limited time in 1998 to promote the Disney movie “Mulan.”
However, when McDonalds did bring the sauce back in October 2017, demand far outpaced supply. The sauces brief appearance on menus in 2017 ended with bidding wars and riots in fast-food parking lots.
McDonalds distributed 20 million sauce packs across the country in February 2018, but the passion for the Szechuan sauce had died down at that point. Soon after, the limited-time offering disappeared from menus again — and few have been demanding its return this time around.
McSalad Shakers were on the menu for only three years. But at least some people wish they would return — theres even a Facebook group trying to bring back the menu item. Advertisement
McDonalds spent an estimated $150 million to $200 million advertising the Arch Deluxes rollout in 1996 — at the time the most expensive promotional campaign in fast-food history, The New York Times reported.
Though the fast-food chains executives had predicted it would bring in $1 billion in sales in 1996, the burger — which at $2.09 to $2.49 was on par with or pricier than typical McDonalds fare — failed to win over customers and was discontinued in the late 90s.
However, the burger won over a cult following. In early 2018, the chain tested a revamped Archburger, made with fresh beef, at a handful of locations.
A true fast-food relic from the late 70s, these deep-fried onion bits, part of McDonalds dollar menu, were short-lived. They were discontinued shortly after being introduced, though why that happened remains a mystery. Advertisement
Fish McBites served as McDonalds attempt at creating a mini fried-fish snack — a fishy version of popcorn chicken.
The menu item became McDonalds first new Happy Meal entree in more than a decade when it was added to menus in 2013. They disappeared soon after. Advertisement
In the 60s, McDonalds debuted its Hula Burger as an option for Catholics looking for meatless options during Lent, according to The Daily Meal.
However, the “burger” — made with grilled pineapple and cheese — failed to capture customers interest in the same way that the Filet-O-Fish had. The faux burger is long gone from menus, but McDonalds execs are contemplating a new wave of vegan burgers.
Although you may have heard this late-80s menu item being called the “McPizza,” it was never actually named that by McDonalds. Instead, the chain just called it pizza and hoped that it would bring in customers who frequented other pizza chains, such as Dominos and Pizza Hut. Starting out as full-size pies, McDonalds pizza was then offered in individual sizes with toppings such as sausage, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and mushrooms before it was discontinued.
Two McDonalds locations, one in Pomeroy, Ohio, and the other in Spencer, West Virginia, that kept pizza on the menu since the 90s were forced to take the item off the menu in 2017, West Virginia Illustrated reported.
That means that pizza is now on the menu at only one McDonalds in the US — a restaurant in Florida that actually added pizza to the menu in 2016.
Advertised as a more “premium” version of McDonalds regular chicken nuggets, these tenders were said to be made from “100% white chicken breast meat.” They had an 11-year run from 2002 to 2013.
Still, demand continued on social media. The Selects returned for a limited time in 2015, but they disappeared again by the end of the year.
In 2017, McDonalds tried again. The fast-food chain debuted Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, which seem to be intended to fill the Chicken Selects-sized hole in customers hearts. Advertisement
The goal of the McDLT was to keep the burgers hot patty warm, while the lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise would stay cool and crisp. The burger was served in a two-part polystyrene container, with the warm elements on one side and the cold toppings on the other, Serious Eats reported.
While McDonalds more gourmet burgers have come and gone, the McDLT represented a major step forward in the fast-food chains attempt to improve the quality of its menu offerings. Advertisement
McDonalds announced plans to debut its mozzarella sticks across the US in 2015. The snack was seen as a bit mediocre, with some people complaining about missing fillings, though Business Insiders Hollis Johnson wrote in his review that it was hard to go wrong with piping-hot fried cheese.
“While the mozzarella sticks are far from gourmet, theyre not as bad as one expects — as long as theyre hot,” Johnson wrote. “Once they go cold, all bets are off. But for a mere $1, its hard to go wrong for a quick and melty snack.”
McStuffins, which look a lot like Hot Pockets, were made from French bread and filled with ingredients such as pepperoni and teriyaki chicken. McDonalds attempt at Hot Pockets lasted less than a year and were removed from the menu in 1993.
McDonalds Mighty Wings failed for a few reasons, mainly because they were too expensive and too spicy for McDonalds customers tastes. They were on the menu from 1990 to 2003. Advertisement
McDonalds added the McSpaghetti alongside its pizza in the 80s. According to The Motley Fool, the chain was trying to boost dinner sales by getting into Italian cuisine.
The plan was a bust, as the spaghetti took too long to prepare, so the dish was taken off the menu. However, McSpaghetti remains on the menu in the Philippines, where the noodles are more commonly accepted fast-food fare. Advertisement
The McLean Deluxe was national news when it launched in 1991, as the chain tried to roll out lower-fat items in the face of criticism. However, people took issue with the taste of the McLean Deluxe — which had less than half the fat percentage of the average McDonalds burger — and sales tanked, with The Wall Street Journal calling it the “McFlopper.”
McDonalds created the Big N Tasty to compete with Burger Kings Whopper. It disappeared from the menu in 2011, but the chain has brought it back a few times since as a limited-time offering. Advertisement
McDonalds removed Hi-C Orange Lavaburst from its American menu in 2017, sparking backlash from fans of the drink. The chain replaced the orange drink with a new soda called Sprite Tropic Berry.
By then, a McDonalds customer in California, Chris Howe, filed a class-action lawsuit against the chain along with 40 other customers (via Eater). The furious patrons collectively claimed a whopping $5 million in damages from the chain. According to ABA Journal, the point of contention was McDonalds advertising its cheese sticks as being made of “100% mozzarella.” Instead, Howe claimed that “the sticks are filled with a substance that is composed [in part] of starch, in violation of the federal standards of identity for mozzarella cheese, and contrary to reasonable consumers expectations regarding the meaning of the term mozzarella.” The suit claimed that 3.76% of the cheese is starch.
Fast food chains have the annoying tendency to scrap popular items from their menu, much to the chagrin of loyal customers. Blame it on seasonal availability, marketing gimmicks, supply chain issues, or unprofitability, you never know when your go-to order is going to go extinct. The discontinuation of McDonalds mozzarella sticks, however, is an entirely different story.
As soon as the mozzarella sticks hit McDonalds stores, furious customers flocked to social media to express their displeasure at the cheese inside the sticks, or rather, lack of it. Pictures of mozzarella sticks with hollowed insides started surfacing the internet with people complaining that the sticks had more fried air than cheese. “When I order mozzarella sticks I generally want some cheese,” tweeted one unhappy patron. The chain later released a statement saying that the mozzarella oozed out while baking and should not have been served — a mishap that was supposed to be fixed (per Delish).
When McDonalds announced that it was going to add the deep-fried cheese stick to its menu nationwide starting in 2016 — and selling three sticks for a dollar at that — collective gasps from thrilled customers could be heard across the country (via Business Insider). While the initial reaction to the mozzarella sticks was one of delight, soon the highly anticipated cheese sticks became the subject of national outrage. In fact, the sticks were reportedly taken off the menu pretty soon after they were launched and it was no planned tactic on McDonalds behalf.
On the contrary, the mozzarella sticks were taken off the menu amidst a string of complaints on social media as well as a class-action lawsuit and whats even more interesting is this isnt the only time McDonalds has been sued over cheese.
Although you may have heard this late-80s menu item being called the “McPizza,” it was never actually named that by McDonalds. Instead, the chain just called it pizza and hoped that it would bring in customers who frequented other pizza chains, such as Dominos and Pizza Hut. Starting out as full-size pies, McDonalds pizza was then offered in individual sizes with toppings such as sausage, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and mushrooms before it was discontinued.
McDonalds announced plans to debut its mozzarella sticks across the US in 2015. The snack was seen as a bit mediocre, with some people complaining about missing fillings, though Business Insiders Hollis Johnson wrote in his review that it was hard to go wrong with piping-hot fried cheese.
In 2017, McDonalds tried again. The fast-food chain debuted Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, which seem to be intended to fill the Chicken Selects-sized hole in customers hearts. Advertisement
Fish McBites served as McDonalds attempt at creating a mini fried-fish snack — a fishy version of popcorn chicken.
McDonalds removed Hi-C Orange Lavaburst from its American menu in 2017, sparking backlash from fans of the drink. The chain replaced the orange drink with a new soda called Sprite Tropic Berry.
McDonald’s Mozzarella Sticks
FAQ
Are mozzarella sticks coming back to McDonald’s?
When did McDonald’s stop selling mozzarella sticks?
Why does McDonald’s not have mozzarella sticks?
Are the Mozzarella Dippers gone?
Are McDonald’s mozzarella cheese sticks made with skim mozzarella cheese?
McDonald’s responded to press inquiries by stating that “our mozzarella cheese sticks are made with 100 percent low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against these allegations.” The case was voluntarily dismissed in October 2016, with no reward obtained by either party.
Did McDonald’s take off mozzarella sticks?
While the initial reaction to the mozzarella sticks was one of delight, soon the highly anticipated cheese sticks became the subject of national outrage. In fact, the sticks were reportedly taken off the menu pretty soon after they were launched and it was no planned tactic on McDonald’s behalf.
Are McDonald’s mozzarella sticks fried?
As soon as the mozzarella sticks hit McDonald’s stores, furious customers flocked to social media to express their displeasure at the cheese inside the sticks, or rather, lack of it. Pictures of mozzarella sticks with hollowed insides started surfacing the internet with people complaining that the sticks had more fried air than cheese.
Did McDonald’s advertise ‘100% mozzarella’?
The furious patrons collectively claimed a whopping $5 million in damages from the chain. According to ABA Journal, the point of contention was McDonald’s advertising its cheese sticks as being made of “100% mozzarella.”