scorecardThese were the biggest menu flops in fast food
  1. Home
  2. slideshows
  3. miscellaneous
  4. These were the biggest menu flops in fast food

These were the biggest menu flops in fast food

McDonald's: Hula Burger

These were the biggest menu flops in fast food

McDonald's: Fish McBites

McDonald

Fish McBites were also added to the menu as another fish option, but they failed to do anything to help McDonald's sales and were eventually taken off the menu in 2013.

McDonald's: McAfrika

McDonald

The McAfrika was one of McDonald's worst PR disasters because it was launched in Norway, one of the world's wealthiest countries, when millions in South Africa were starving. The sandwich was made with beef, cheese, and vegetables on a pita, and was quickly pulled from the menu in 2002.

McDonald's: McStuffins

McDonald

McStuffins, which look a lot like Hot Pockets, were made from French bread filled with ingredients like pepperoni or teriyaki chicken. McDonald's attempt at Hot Pockets lasted less than a year and were removed from the menu in 1993.

McDonald's: McDLT

McDonald

The McDLT, short for McDonald's Lettuce Tomato, separated the lettuce and tomato from the burger, placing them in separate styrofoam containers for "maximum freshness." It was taken off the menu in 1991 after receiving backlash from environmental activists.

McDonald's: McSalad Shakers

McDonald

Introduced in 2000, McSalad Shakers didn't last too long on the McDonald's menu, perhaps because not enough people were interested in buying a shakeable salad. There's a Facebook group full of fans advocating to bring back the Salad Shakers, but it hasn't been active since 2016.

McDonald's: Mighty Wings

McDonald

McDonald's Mighty Wings failed for a few reasons, mainly that they were too expensive and too spicy for McDonald's customers' tastes. The were on the menu from 1990 to 2003.

McDonald's: Chicken Fajitas/Breakfast Burritos

McDonald

McDonald's briefly tried selling Mexican food, but the fajitas and breakfast burritos were pulled from the menu in the 1990s, most likely because they couldn't complete with Taco Bell's offerings. There's a Facebook group advocating to bring them back, but it only has about 650 likes.

McDonald's: Arch Deluxe

McDonald

The Arch Deluxe, which was introduced in 1996, was one of the most expensive failures ever for McDonald's. The advertising budget was upwards of $150 million, according to The New York Times. Even though the Arch Deluxe cost McDonald's millions and was discontinued in the late '90s, the Arch sauce — a mustard-mayo combination — is in testing again, on a new fresh-beef burger called the Archburger.

McDonald's: McSpaghetti

McDonald

McSpaghetti was introduced in the 1970s. Even though it was discontinued in the United States, it's still on the menu internationally in the Philippines.

McDonald's: McHotdog

McDonald

Even though McDonald's founder Ray Kroc said in his autobiography that the chain would never sell hot dogs because of quality concerns, McDonald's launched the McHotdog in 1995 anyway. It didn't go over well with customers and was later pulled from the menu.

Taco Bell: Waffle Taco

Taco Bell: Waffle Taco

Taco Bell's Waffle Tacos — scrambled eggs and sausage inside of a folded waffle — received a lot of attention when they were first announced in 2013, but they were eventually replaced by similarly constructed biscuit tacos.

Taco Bell: Seafood Salad

Taco Bell: Seafood Salad

As a response to fish-fillet sandwiches from other fast-food restaurants, Taco Bell launched the seafood salad in the 1980s. The salad made with shrimp, whitefish, and snow crab did not go over well with customers and was eventually removed from the menu.

Burger King: Burger Shots

Burger King: Burger Shots

Burger King repeatedly tried to sell sliders, first as Burger Bundles, then as Burger Buddies, and eventually as Burger Shots, which were unpopular and eventually discontinued in 2004.

Burger King: Enormous Omelette Sandwich

Burger King: Enormous Omelette Sandwich

The Enormous Omelette sandwich from Burger King, introduced to the menu in 2005, was mainly discontinued because of health concerns — it had 330 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,940 milligrams of sodium.

Burger King: Satisfries

Burger King: Satisfries

Satisfries were a low-calorie alternative to Burger King's traditional fries, but they sold poorly because people preferred the regular french fries. They were discontinued in 2014.

Burger King: Shake Em Up Fries

Burger King: Shake Em Up Fries

Shake 'Em Up fries, launched in 2002, came with a packet of cheese powder that customers had to pour into the bag and shake to make cheese fries.

McDonald's: McLean Deluxe

McDonald

The McLean Deluxe claimed to have 91% less fat than a Big Mac and had seaweed extract in place of fatty content. It was dropped from the menu in 1996.

Dairy Queen: Dairy Queen Breeze

Dairy Queen: Dairy Queen Breeze

The Dairy Queen Breeze launched in 1990 as a frozen yogurt alternative to the Blizzard, but it was discontinued in 2000 because sales were disastrous.

Wendy's: Frescata

Wendy

This deli-style sandwich was pulled in 2007 after just one year on the menu because it wasn't selling well.

Wendy's: Superbar

Wendy

Wendy's used to have an all-you-can-eat salad bar/buffet, but it wasn't quite fast food and eventually proved unsuccessful before being pulled in 1998.

Jack In The Box: Frings

Jack In The Box: Frings

Frings, introduced in 1979, were a french fry/onion ring combo that was discontinued shortly after being released.

Sonic: Pickle O's

Sonic: Pickle O

Pickle O's were initially introduced in 1968 and brought back to the menu in 2003. Even though these fried pickles were officially discontinued, people claim you can still order them simply by asking for fried pickles.

Domino's: Oreo Dessert Pizza

Domino

First offered in 2007, this dessert pizza was quickly discontinued because people claimed it was too sweet.

Pizza Hut: Priazzo

Pizza Hut: Priazzo

Made in 1985 to resemble a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, the Priazzo failed because it took too long to prepare for a fast-food establishment.

Advertisement