Bring back these awesome fast food items! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for McDonald’s items that have been discontinued or are only available in a small number of locations in the United States
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00:00Ma'am here's your pizza. Already? Yes, already. McDonald's pizza is freshly baked in our
00:07revolutionary ovens in under five minutes. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting
00:13down our picks for McDonald's items that have been discontinued or are only available in a
00:18small number of locations in the United States.
00:2020. Triple Double Burger
00:32The Triple Double Burger, also known as the Superhero Burger,
00:36was released in 1995 in conjunction with the film Batman Forever.
00:44And we gotta say, the Superhero Burger is something we wish we could sink our teeth into
00:49today. We're talking three beef patties, two slices of cheese, and all the classic fixings.
00:54With all that meat, this superhero was doing its part to save everyday citizens from the
00:58evils of empty stomachs. Released as part of McDonald's Taste of the Month campaign that year,
01:04when the month ended, so did the Triple Double Burger.
01:1119. Shaken Flavor Fries
01:142014 was a big year for shaking. But while Taylor Swift was telling us all to shake it off,
01:25McDonald's was asking us to shake it on. Our fries, that is. It was in 2014 that the fast
01:31food chain introduced Shaken Flavor Fries, which were packets of seasoning to pour into a bag of
01:36fries and then shake it up. This flavorful and interactive menu item was introduced as a limited
01:41time offering and wasn't meant to stick around forever. But that doesn't mean we can't still pine
01:45for some garlic parmesan, spicy buffalo, or zesty ranch shaken in our lives.
01:5518. Onion Nuggets
01:57If McNuggets and Onion Rings had a baby, that offspring would be Onion Nuggets.
02:02Weird little lumps were made out of diced onion blobs that were breaded and fried.
02:07Although the truth is that when McDonald's introduced their Onion Nuggets to the world,
02:11the Chicken McNugget hadn't been invented yet. We're going back to the 1970s for this one, folks.
02:16And while the exact origin stories do vary slightly, what we do know for sure was that
02:21McDonald's executive chef Rene Ehren created the fried Onion Nuggets, and the company tested them
02:26out in a few markets in the second half of the decade. Why they didn't fly might forever be
02:31a mystery. But what we do know is that Ehren took the Onion Nugget idea and substituted in chicken,
02:37thus creating one of the greatest fast food items ever.
02:4717. Deep-Fried Apple Pie
02:50It might sound crazy to our 21st-century health-conscious ears, but prior to 1992,
02:55McDonald's apple pies were fried, not baked.
03:04While one doesn't generally think of the words McDonald's and healthy in the same sentence,
03:08the company has made attempts to play to society's growing desire for healthier eating over the years.
03:13Baking their apple pies was one such move.
03:16And it's a move our taste buds would love to see reversed. Although, as some of you may know,
03:28a small number of American locations still do offer the fried apple pie,
03:32as well as many international McDonald's restaurants from Mexico to Hong Kong.
03:3716. Beef Tallow Fries
03:40McDonald's french fries are generally considered to be the best in the fast food game.
03:45So why would we want any change made to them, you ask? Well, because they used to be even better.
04:00Yep, for about 50 years, McDonald's would fry their french fries in 93% beef fat tallow.
04:07It was done as a cost-saving venture, but ended up creating iconically delicious french fries.
04:16But then came the war on high-fat foods. In 1990,
04:22this led McDonald's to switch out the beef fat tallow for vegetable oil.
04:26Even those of us who only know the new version of the fries are
04:29desperate to taste the tallow versions that are considered legendarily tasty.
04:3415. McJordan
04:36If you were lucky enough to be in Chicago in 1991 and 92,
04:45you had the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure, you could have seen Michael Jordan playing
04:49basketball for the Bulls on his home court. But even more awesome would have been the
04:53chance to try the McJordan burger at one of many McDonald's locations in the city.
04:57The burger, which Jordan signed off on, consisted of a quarter-pound of beef,
05:02barbecue sauce, bacon, cheese, onions, pickles, and mustard. North Carolina,
05:07South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee also got the McJordan for a limited time in 92.
05:12It was brought back for a short while in 1993, but unlike Jordan himself,
05:17who returned to basketball after his 93 retirement, his burger was never to be seen again.
05:2314. Mighty Wings
05:26When it comes to McDonald's and chicken, everyone knows McNuggets and the McChicken burger.
05:30But how many of you remember Mighty Wings?
05:40What made these wings so mighty? Well, we assume it's the fact that they were actual
05:44bone-in chicken wings. And while this mighty menu item was only meant to be a limited time
05:50offer, that limited time actually lasted from 1990 to the early 2000s, and then came back for
05:55a more limited time in 2013 and 14. People generally liked the Mighty Wings taste,
06:04but the mighty price point left customers a little less enthused during their return in the 2010s.
06:10Depending on the number you ordered, they could price out to up to around $1 per order.
06:1613. Hula Burger
06:22Given how divisive the idea of pineapple on pizza is,
06:26we understand that this choice is sure to have its haters.
06:35However, we also know that there are those out there who would definitely be game for
06:40trying out this 1962 Ray Kroc invention. In an effort to come up with a vegetarian
06:45lunch-friendly dish, Kroc brought together cheese and a pineapple slice on a bun.
06:49We'll admit it, it does sound weird. But we'll also admit that were it to show up on our local
06:54Mickey D's menu, we would be one of the first in line to try this six decades old throwback option.
07:0612. Fish McBites
07:09As McNuggets are a small version of a chicken finger, back in 2013,
07:17Fish McBites were small versions of fish sticks. Or even better, think of them as pop-in-your-mouth
07:22bites of the popular Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Which, if you like the Filet-O-Fish sandwich,
07:27probably sounds really good, right? And you know what else sounds good? That fishy fishy
07:32groove jingle that was released as part of the marketing campaign for the new menu item.
07:42Is it wrong that we want them to bring that jingle back as much as the actual Fish McBites?
07:4811. Big N' Tasty
07:56Come on, who wouldn't miss a food item that was big and tasty? McDonald's created said
08:01Big N' Tasty to compete with another big and yummy burger, the Whopper over at their rival
08:05Burger King. The Big N' Tasty went nationwide in the year 2000, and for a decade, you could enjoy
08:11it as part of the chain's famed dollar menu. However, by the end of the decade, the cost of
08:16production had gotten too big. And while the burger was still tasty, McDonald's could no longer
08:21afford to have it on their dollar menu. And so, in 2010, we bid a big goodbye to the Big N' Tasty.
08:2810. Angus Third Pounders
08:40What do you order when a quarter pounder with cheese just isn't enough? Enter the Angus Third
08:45Pounder. This big-time burger was introduced in 2009, and was enjoyed for a too short four years,
08:51during which time the sandwich proved relatively popular with customers. One caveat to the Angus
08:56Third Pounder was that it ran for about $4.49, which made McDonald's a little nervous that their
09:02customers wouldn't continue to order it over the chain's more affordable sandwiches. This led to
09:06the item's dismissal from the menu in 2013, although some international franchises may
09:11still carry this bacon and beef bonanza. 9. McWraps
09:20The year 2013 also saw the introduction of a new,
09:28leaner, and more portable style of menu item. Not only were McWraps supposed to attract millennial
09:33eaters, they were also a way for Mickey D's to sell a product in a market dominated by Subway.
09:39The smaller-sized wraps advertised preservative-free ingredients and a lower caloric count
09:43compared to main menu fare, but this didn't quite draw in the customers the way McDonald's had hoped.
09:48Although franchises in places like Croatia still offer the McWrap, McDonald's employees
09:53largely saw it as too time-consuming for how small it was, so it got the boot.
09:588. Hot Dogs
10:00We know what you're thinking. McDonald's is known for burgers and fries, but hot dogs?
10:12The idea does sound weird, and maybe that's why the company's brief flirtation with Frankfurters
10:17didn't go so well. Former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc voiced how against the idea he was,
10:22but this didn't stop Mickey D's from trying the concept out during the mid-'90s.
10:29The McHotDog enjoyed a brief run of success at the turn of the millennium and into the 2000s
10:35in areas like Toronto and Pennsylvania before being discontinued.
10:397. McSalad Shakers
10:41Have you ever wanted to dump your salad ingredients into a plastic container and
10:45shake it up just for the hell of it? Well, then you probably grew up in the 90s and remember this
10:53classic menu item. It was the McSalad Shaker, and it came in a trio of styles. Garden, Chef,
10:59and Grilled Chicken Caesar. Customers could pour the dressing in through the top and then shake,
11:03shake, shake to mix it in with the leafy greens and other additions. Then voila! Instant salad!
11:09Unfortunately, the idea of a McDonald's salad, even in shaker form,
11:13didn't sell too well at that time, and the product was eventually discontinued.
11:186. McDonaldland Cookies
11:26If dining at Mickey D's in the 90s was all about shaking your salad, then a meal at McDonald's
11:30during the 70s and 80s might have been defined by this confectionary treat.
11:34McDonaldland Cookies were the franchise's dessert du jour of the time, a boxed-up container of
11:40delicious crispy cookies in the shapes of all the McDonald's mascots. Ronald, the Hamburglar,
11:48and Mayor McCheese were all present, and for a while were given out in an iconic handled box.
11:53These days, McDonaldland Cookies are a mostly discontinued rarity,
11:57and are only sold in select stores like those in Australia.
12:015. Szechuan Sauce
12:04It's nothing new for fast food companies to release a promotional tie-in on their
12:13menu for a popular film. It's also not new for foodies to look up retro and nostalgic
12:18eats on the internet. It's another thing entirely for someone to bid over $14,000
12:24on a 20-year-old packet of Szechuan dipping sauce inspired by Disney's Mulan.
12:28That's exactly what happened in April 2017 after the Season 3 premiere of Adult Swim's
12:34Rick and Morty. The show inspired a resurgence of love for the discontinued sauce. This,
12:45in turn, led McDonald's to re-release the beloved product for a limited time,
12:49so maybe it will be available again soon.
12:594. The McDLT
13:06The beef stays hot, the cool stays crisp. This was part of the catchy little ditty
13:10used to promote the McDLT, a weird but beloved McDonald's fast food experiment.
13:23Maybe it was the accompanying commercial with Jason Alexander that sold us,
13:26or the novel concept of fresh, crisp vegetables as opposed to a soggy burger mess.
13:31But how could they solve such a problem? Well, McD's had a special box, with one side for the
13:36warm ingredients and the cold, crunchy components safely separated in another.
13:40Some fans loved the McDLT, while others simply shrugged it off in favor of other fare.
13:45For our money, we still miss snapping the styrofoam container together and assembling
13:49our sandwich. Right, Jason?
13:513. Arch Deluxe
13:57These days, there's nothing new about a fast food chain advertising fresh ingredients for
14:02an elevated style of burger. The Arch Deluxe was a novel concept for 1996, however,
14:10and reflected McDonald's desire to appeal to an adult demographic.
14:14The quarter-pound burger was served up with veggies, peppered bacon, and secret sauce,
14:18and was actually way above the average bar set by other fast food chains of the time.
14:22Still, the Arch Deluxe's comparatively high price tag hurt the burger's sales,
14:27and it was soon discontinued, despite a massive promotional push.
14:31Versions of the Arch Deluxe still exist in countries like France,
14:34but under the moniker of Royal Deluxe.
14:372. The Super Size Combo
14:40If a little is good, then a lot must be better, right? Well, yes, or at least that must be the
14:52reasoning behind McDonald's Super Size Combo. This was when an average meal combo from the
14:56restaurant's value menu could be supersized to include a bigger fry and drink for only a small
15:01extra amount. This tactic of
15:10upselling not only gave the customer an increased sense of value for money,
15:13it undoubtedly helped McDonald's bottom line as well. The practice of supersizing was eventually
15:19phased out in 2004, however, as the franchise decided to focus more on health-conscious
15:24menu items for its consumers. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the
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15:38on notifications. 1. McPizza
15:48The idea of McPizza may seem as foreign now to diners as the idea of the McHotDog or McSaladShaker,
15:54but the truth is that McDonald's take on fresh pizza actually sold quite well when it was first
15:59introduced in the 1980s. The main problem with McPizza was the 10 or 11 minutes it took to get
16:04one made, which is an eternity in the high-volume world of fast food. The pizza pie's portions were
16:14then changed from full-sized to personal-sized, and eventually phased out entirely. But don't
16:20lose hope! One McDonald's in Orlando still carries McPizza for the die-hard fans.
16:25Which of the items on our list would you be loving if they brought it back?
16:29Let us know in the comments below!
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