• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Twelve McDonald's Menu Items That Failed Spectactularly

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jme

Member
On the eastern shore of Maryland, select McDonalds have been serving "Crab Cake" sandwiches seasonally (summers) on and off for the past few years. They are about 5 bucks, and are no better (or worse) than a crab cake you might find in the frozen food aisle, or a crappy buffet.

But seeing as how they are in direct competition with you know, real crab cake restaurants on Maryland's eastern shore, it's pretty much always a failure.


P.S. - The Arch Deluxe was awesome.
 

Poyunch

Member
Wow I didn't know they discontinued the Big N' Tasty. As a kid I could never decide between the Big N' Tasty and the Big Mac. I always ended up siding with the Big Mac but I always wondered what the Big N' Tasty would taste like. Now I regret it.
 
I think I remember that as a kid, I would often order a nugget happy meal with an individual pizza, or maybe the other way around. I did always have to wait quite a while for the pizza. I remember the ads for the Arch Deluxe as well, but I don't think I ever tried it.
 
ReXXXSoprano said:
I try to get one every month just to see how long they last. Answer, less than 24 hours.

But I remember that McDonalds used to have Cheese Sauce for fries. I think this was around the time Space Jam was out. Somebody confirm so I'm not thinking I'm tripping out.

I need to go on a MickeyD's run in Japan. They have some of the craziest shit over there. I gotta have one of those Double Big Macs with the Egg Patty. Sounds good in my head anyway.

And McGangBangs. Love me some McGangBangs. Shit is too good.
Forget McDonalds. When in Japan make sure to hit up the far superior Mos Burger!
 
Not sure what's the failure about the McLobster, it's still a served seasonally around here like clockwork, I understand maybe why it doesn't go nationwide but I don't see how that = failure.

(I've also never had one, so don't bother about me being on the McLobster Defense Force)
 

Guzim

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
I remember the DLT and the Arch Deluxe. The rest not so much. As an aside, I miss the Rodeo Burger at Burger King.
Burger King still has the Rodeo Burger.
 

Quixzlizx

Member
I think health concerns were just an excuse to get rid of super size and increase the price of large to the former super-sized prices.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
 

disco

Member
This thread made me hungry for McDonalds until I read that bit about injecting seaweed instead of fat... urgh!
 

UraMallas

Member
Brettison said:
McDonalds decided to get it's shit in order. Not say it's all good or that the McCafe is Starbucks at McDonalds or anything. Yet it seemed corporate wide to try and slightly up the food quality while redoing the look of all of their franchised restaurants. McDonalds by me is now far and away the best fast food of the big nationwide chains. Looks nicer, feels cleaner, has a shit ton of people working in there, can always tell who the manager is, and the food seems to be slightly better. BK is the opposite. Restaurant feels old inside, not that clean, not nearly enough people working, always wondering where the manager is to run the show, and the food quality is meh.

PS: Arch Deluxe was legit!
Good post and I mostly agree.
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
Oh Jesus the sound of McSpaghetti is truly terrifying. Looks worse than the stuff I got in my school lunches.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The McDonald's near my house used to sell fries in a sized called "bucket" which consisted of the fries being shoveled into a drink cup.

Before anyone tries to tell me it was a rumour, be aware you'd have to first prove to me that I was hallucinating when I ordered it multiple times.
 

shira

Member
bozeman said:
I can't believe they actually still sell the McLobster in New England. From driving around Maine a few years ago, I noticed there's no shortage of places to get awesome lobster rolls.
Lobster is a "premium" item which the market holds back to increase the value much like diamonds, maple syrup, etc. It only tastes good because you think it is expensive.
 
shira said:
Lobster is a "premium" item which the market holds back to increase the value much like diamonds, maple syrup, etc. It only tastes good because you think it is expensive.


Where is Maple Syrup sold for a premium?
 
BGBW said:
Oh Jesus the sound of McSpaghetti is truly terrifying. Looks worse than the stuff I got in my school lunches.

It's true ; spaghetti really is a fine and hard food to cook, especially takes a while, too.

Spaghetti IS fast food. There are a bunch of fast pasta restaurant around the town, so I can't understand how McDonald couldn't have made something as good as what they do.

Lobster is a "premium" item which the market holds back to increase the value much like diamonds, maple syrup, etc. It only tastes good because you think it is expensive.

Maple's Sirup only comes once a year and lasts a couple of months at best, depending on the temperature it can be weeks.

It is tough to make. However, I don't think there's a premium to it, unless you're from India or something.
 
I remember the McDLT. It was pretty good!

In Hawaii, a few years back, hey tried to serve local style "plate lunches" using the menu items. Two scoops of rice, a scoop of mac salad, and either, two filet o fish patties for a fish plate, hamburger steak was two ordinary hamburger patties with gravy, or two mcchicken patties with gravy for a "chicken cutlet". They were terrible.
 

Salmonax

Member
Littleberu said:
Spaghetti IS fast food. There are a bunch of fast pasta restaurant around the town, so I can't understand how McDonald couldn't have made something as good as what they do.
McDonald's should always be very skeptical of any time they get a fork involved.
 
The Arch Deluxe debuted in 1996 and was meant to target (and only target) McDonald's adult customers, but it bombed massively. The burger was a quarter-pounder with peppered bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, ketchup and a secret sauce.
It's been considered one of the most expensive product failures in McDonald's history, primarily due to the $100 million marketing campaign that accompanied it. Advertisements depicted children disgusted with the burger, and Ronald McDonald playing adult sports.
A decade later, McDonald's tried a similar sandwich in Japan, called the Tomato McGrand. It failed too.
But what a commercial it had.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6jQlzr6Gjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ0X1I91SMU
 

Brannon

Member
Maybe one day they'll relaunch the Arch Deluxe but not fanfare it up so much. That burger was ace, but when you advertise that a section of your customer base won't like it, well that just doesn't go over so well.

Need more Arch Deluxe :mad:
 

wsippel

Banned
ReXXXSoprano said:
And McGangBangs. Love me some McGangBangs. Shit is too good.
A threesome with two ugly chicks. You think it's great while you're at it, but when it's over, you slowly realize what you've done.
 

Screenboy

Member
The_Technomancer said:
The Big n' Tasty was cancelled world wise? That sucks, that sandwich was awesome.

The have the Big Tasty in England but its different to the Big 'N' Tasty. Infact its the best McDs burger ever.

nether_big_tasty_bacon1.jpg
 
The McGratin Croquette and the McAfrika sound really good. Why did controversy surround the McAfrika in 2008? What's wrong with marketing something as "Afrikan"?

The McSpaghetti looks and sounds atrocious. God, look at it.
 

Utako

Banned
Deified Data said:
The McGratin Croquette and the McAfrika sound really good. Why did controversy surround the McAfrika in 2008? What's wrong with marketing something as "Afrikan"?

The McSpaghetti looks and sounds atrocious. God, look at it.
We aren't allowed to acknowledge that Africa or Africans have any distinguishing traits. We are one human community PLEASE FORGIVE US AFRICA
 

ckohler

Member
You guys remember the McDonald's Diner experiment? They did one where I live. I remember having McDonald's served Meatloaf and Mashed-Potatoes among other things. Really bizarre. You could order traditional "diner" like items alongside regular McDonald's menu items.

mcd_diner2_20030104.jpg


mcd_diner1_20030104.jpg
 

Madao

Member
i don't know about other countries, but i stopped asking for large fries and soda in my country because the price became a total ripoff over time.
enlarging it costs like 60-70 cents nowadays, they don't even fill the fries properly, the biggest size is barely bigger than the standard and the soda is like half ice. i could buy an extra 99 cents burger instead and get a way better deal.
 

blamite

Member
Man, the Arch Deluxe looks awesome. That thing needs to come back asap. Sounds like it was just a case of dumb marketing, too.
 
Haven't had anything on that list including super sizing. Most of them seem like awful ideas, but the Arch Deluxe sounds like a great sandwich. It's amazing how much influence advertising has, if that was the actual cause of its death.
 

3N16MA

Banned
Hula Burger was a one time thing to see which new item would make the menu (Filet-O-Fish or Hula Burger). Was only on the menu I believe for one day and at one location.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
Super-Sized fries and coke still exist, no? But most cashier just don't ask if you want it, you have to ask it yourself.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
I've eaten the McSpaghetti, in the Philippines.
Two of my favorite things to get in Korea were the Bulgogi Burger and the Shrimp Burger.

It's too bad stateside McDos are so boring. But...I might eat there tonight.
RedNumberFive said:
I'm not a huge fast food guy. But about once a year, I have to buy one of these badboys:

whitecastle.jpg
I haven't eaten at a White Castle in years, ever since the Blue Springs, MO store closed. Out here by where I am at now, there are only Krystal locations. A buddy and I will be driving pasts several on our way down to Atlanta for a Nekromantix show tomorrow and play on eating 50 each. It should be possible, I mean the world record is more than double that. But I am worried I will ruin Krystal/White Castle forever by doing it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom