Remember These Discontinued McDonald's Menu Items?

From unfortunate misfires to fan-faovirtes that were unjustly pulled from the menu, there are tons of discontinued McDonald’s menu items. These thirty are among the most memorable from the history of the Golden Arches. Read on for a walk down memory lane.

Eggs Benedict McMuffin

This one was a disaster for McDonald’s: the 2016 “eggs benedict” McMuffin didn’t have poached eggs on it. It had scrambled egg with hollandaise sauce. Customers were rightfully disappointed that the item was named erroneously and refrained from buying it, leading to McDonald’s canning the item.

McLobster

If you pulled a frown upon reading the word “McLobster,” you’re not alone. This unpopular menu item is ostensibly the McDonald’s version of a lobster roll. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t very profitable and was pulled from every restaurant except a few in New England and Atlantic Canada.

Fish McBites

It’s weird that McDonald’s has dabbled so much in seafood. Their Filet o’ Fish is popular, though, so the brand tried to make a bite-sized version of its fried, breaded fish into a standalone menu item. These whitefish bites didn’t go over well and were discontinued shortly after they were introduced in 2013.

The McJordan

Long before McDonald’s partnered with BTS and Travis Scott, the brand knew a thing or two about appealing to fans based on their admiration for celebrities. In the 90s, Michael Jordan was a bona fide superstar and had his own sandwich in Chicago-area restaurants. It was a normal hamburger with raw onions, circular bacon, and barbecue sauce.

McSalad Shakers

The first thing you think about when you hear “McDonald’s” is salad, right? Yeah, no one ever thought of the burger chain as a healthy option. Offering salad in a cup didn’t do much to salvage this very 00s experiment, which was put out of its misery after three years on the menu.

Fruit and Walnut Salad

After the McSalad Shakers went away, McDonald’s didn’t give up on trying to rebrand as a “healthy” option. They introduced a fruit and walnut salad in 2005, and, interestingly, it was somewhat popular. In fact, the menu item stuck around until 2013, when declining interest in the brand’s healthier options drove them to streamline their menu.

McDLT

McDonald’s tried a disassembled burger starting in 1984 called a McDLT. It was served in a container that separated the cold ingredients from the hot ones—which made many customers question what exactly they were paying for. Shouldn’t the restaurant assemble the sandwich before selling it to you?

Mighty Wings

In 2013, McDonald’s tried their hand at chicken wings. The Mighty Wings, as they were called, didn’t hold a candle to offerings from other restaurants, though, and actively competed against McDonald’s own popular Chicken McNuggets. This menu item didn’t last long before being discontinued.

Chicken Selects

This one isn’t forgettable because it was bad, but instead because you don’t think of McDonald’s as a chicken joint. Chicken Selects were basically McDonald’s attempt to break into the chicken fingers business. They were actually really good, especially when paired with dipping sauces. However, they were a flop, and were promptly removed from the menu.

Chicken Bacon and Onion

The CBO is actually a somewhat well-known McDonald’s sandwich in some markets, but it’s been discontinued at the national level. It’s surprisingly good for such an obscure item. Chicken and bacon go great together, and cooked onions work to give the sandwich a perfect bite.

Arch Deluxe

The 1996 menu item known as the Arch Deluxe was marketed toward adults. It was basically a quarter pounder with a sesame seed bun and with lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, ketchup, and mustard. It was a monumental sales flop, despite a huge marketing push, and was quickly discontinued.

Chicken McBites

The Chicken McBites were introduced in 2012 as a way for McDonald’s to compete with the then-popular KFC popcorn nuggets. However, McDonald’s isn’t exactly known for its chicken dishes. As such, it wasn’t a terribly popular item and was discontinued in 2013.

Hula Burger

Conjuring up images of the fictional Big Kahuna burger from Pulp Fiction, the Hula Burger was a Hawaiian-inspired burger that was, ironically enough, introduced as a competitor to the Filet-o-Fish. The Filet, which was introduced by a McDonald’s franchisee, ended up being far more popular, muscling out the Hula Burger.

Big N’ Tasty

With a name like Big N’ Tasty, this had to be a great burger, right? It was introduced in 1997 to compete with the Burger King Whopper, complete with a wide patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a sesame seed bun. It turns out people who wanted Whoppers just went to Burger King, so this one was discontinued in 2011.

McSpaghetti

Yes, you read that right, McDonald’s offered spaghetti starting in the 1970s. What’s even wilder than the fact that McDonald’s ever served the Italian staple is that it still sells it in select markets, like Orlando and the Philippines. For the curious, spaghetti is a beloved comfort food in the Philippines.

McHotDog

The McHotDog was a popular menu item in Japan in the 90s, owing partly to Japan’s love of professional baseball and ballpark franks. The item was briefly sold in 2007 in Pennsylvania, contrary to the demands of Ray Kroc, who, during his lifetime, never wanted McDonald’s to sell hot dogs.

Szechuan Sauce

The legendary Szechuan sauce, which McDonald’s briefly carried as part of a tie-in with the Disney film Mulan, was famously the subject of parody on an episode of Rick and Morty. This led McDonald’s to briefly reintroduce the sauce, which resulted in some genuinely uncool behavior from Rick and Morty fans eager to taste the famous sauce.

Onion Nuggets

Fans of the Mythical Kitchen likely know this one already, as that famous YouTube channel created a convincing remake of the notorious 1975 dish, Onion Nuggets. They were something like onion rings mixed with chicken nuggets. They weren’t very popular, as customers preferred onion rings, and McDonald’s introduced the much more popular Chicken McNuggets weeks later.

Chicken Fajitas

Weirdly enough, McDonald’s did once serve chicken fajitas. They popped up on the menu in 1993, but they were rather barebones and didn’t really appeal to fans of Mexican cuisine or McDonald’s traditional customers. They were discontinued very shortly after being introduced.

Brownie Melts

Introduced at some point before 2009, the McDonald’s Brownie Melt was a somewhat popular dessert option that consisted of brownie layers stacked up and topped with a chocolate drizzle. They were quite tasty, but were discontinued in either late 2009 or early 2010.

McRib (Kinda)

The legendary McRib isn’t technically discontinued, but it’s not on the main McDonald’s menu, either. Those who love the McRib likely wish it would just stick around full-time, but, in the meantime, McDonald’s makes a real meal (ha) out of its periodic returns to the main menu.

McPizza

Imagine any dish. Put “Mc” in front of it. There’s probably a discontinued McDonald’s item with that name. Case in point: the McPizza. Like the McSpaghetti, this one is still served at a few locations around Orlando. Weirdly, it was mainly discontinued due to the long cook times, not necessarily due to poor sales.

McLean Deluxe

With a bizarre name and a seemingly health-centered marketing campaign, the McLean Deluxe was one of many items on the failed Deluxe line. By the beginning of the 2000s, the Deluxe line in its entirety was pulled from the McDonald’s menu.

Cheddar Melt

Like so many experimental burgers before it, the Cheddar Melt was not long for this world. One of its unique elements was that it had fried onions, teriyaki sauce, and a rye bun. The patty was a Quarter Pounder. It was introduced (and removed) in 1988, then briefly brought back in 2004 before being, unsurprisingly, canned again.

Snack Wrap

While the Snack Wrap is still available in some markets, like Canada, it’s been largely abandoned in the US, with most locations discontinuing sale around 2016. The wrap was sold with crispy chicken and ranch, but the sales were underwhelming and it didn’t fit McDonald’s brand image.

McOz/Kiwiburger

The McOz was an Australian menu item that came with beetroot, tomato, lettuce, cheese, onions, mustard, and ketchup on a toasted bun. It was also sold in New Zealand as the KiwiBurger. Both were discontinued in favor of the McFeast Deluxe, which itself was later canned to make room for the Angus beef lineup.

Meatloaf

Mmm, hey everyone, let’s go to McDonald’s and get some meatloaf! Yeah, said no one, ever. There’s a reason this menu item was discontinued all the way back in the 90s. This bizarre item showed up on menus including a Charlotte, NC location.

Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich

First introduced in 1979, the chopped beefsteak sandwich had a similar form factor to the ever-popular McRib. It was a long sandwich that was served with the aforementioned Onion Nuggets. It was also quite expensive for the time, and it was eventually removed from the menu due to cost issues.

McStuffins

“What,” you’re thinking, “could a McStuffins possibly be?” The unfortunate answer you’ll now have is that these were basically Hot Pockets sold by McDonald’s. According to people who tasted them, they were pretty dire, and they were only on the menu for a brief time in 1993.

Peanut M&M’s McFlurry

As if it needed to be more difficult to drink a McFlurry like a milkshake, McDonald’s briefly sold a Peanut M&M’s McFlurry. At this point, you throw in the towel, accept that a McFlurry is an ice cream dish served in a cup, and eat the whole mess with a spoon. This one could come back and many people would be quite happy. One thing kicked it out, though: peanut allergies.