18 Discontinued McDonald's Items Customers Want Back
What would McDonald's be without its Big Mac? The iconic burger has occupied the chain's menu for 56 years. Or, how about the Chicken McNuggets, which launched over 40 years ago? The fast-food chain's menu has several fan-favorite items with decades-long lifespans, but not every option has been a lasting success.
Over the past 68 years, McDonald's has discontinued plenty of menu items for various reasons, such as low popularity or operational issues. No matter the cause, menu item cuts hit some customers harder than others, with loyal fans even creating fan pages or petitions in an attempt to revive their favorite fast-food options.
While McDonald's keeps its customers in anticipation of exciting new releases, why not wax nostalgic about the fast-food finds of years past? To help guide you through your trip down memory lane, here are 19 discontinued McDonald's items.
Snack Wraps
2016 was a devastating year for McDonald's customers. That's when the chain removed Snack Wraps from the menu. While fans have been mourning the loss for the past seven years, McDonald's recently offered a glimmer of hope. Last month, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald's USA, revealed plans to bring back Snack Wraps as part of the McCrispy line. However, he noted that the menu item "is still in the early days" of development, so it's unclear when fans can finally sink their teeth into a Snack Wrap again.
McCafé Bakery Items
After a three-year stint on the menu, the McCafé bakery items left the chain in July 2023. The selection of baked goods included a blueberry muffin, cinnamon roll, and an apple fritter. Luckily, sweet tooths can still satisfy their sugar cravings with the chain's baked apple pie, chocolate chip cookie, and frozen treats like McFlurries—assuming the ice cream machine is working.
Cinnamon Melts
Apple pie and the discontinued cinnamon roll weren't the only cinnamon-y menu items sold at McDonald's. In 2007, the chain released its Cinnamon Melts, also called "Cinnamelts," which were pieces of dough covered in cinnamon, sugar, and cream cheese icing. Though these deconstructed cinnamon rolls had their fair share of fans, they were gone after about a decade.
Cheddar Melt
This burger hit McDonald's menus in 1988—but it didn't stay there for long. After leaving the chain, the menu item made reappearances in the 1990s, 2004, and most recently, for a limited time in 2014. The burger featured a quarter-pound beef patty topped with grilled onions and creamy cheddar cheese sauce on a toasted rye bun.
McSalad Shakers
McDonald's probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you're looking to eat a salad, but the chain previously tapped into the space. In the early 2000s, the fast-food giant sold McSalad Shakers only to discontinue them in 2003. Packaged in plastic cups, these portable, convenient salads came in three varieties: Garden, Chef, and Grilled Chicken Caesar.
Salads
McSalad Shakers weren't the only leafy green offerings to grace the McDonald's menu. The chain added salads to its menu in 2005, but discontinued them, along with several other menu items, in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company implemented these menu cuts to "simplify operations" and focus on serving the chain's most popular menu items, according to a statement from Bill Garrett, McDonald's senior vice president of operations.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
For the past few years, McDonald's customers have only been able to order from a selection of crispy chicken sandwiches. That's because 2020 also marked the year when McDonald's gave its grilled chicken sandwiches the boot.
Chicken Tenders
Yes, McNuggets are still on the menu. But, there was something that felt a little more grown-up about ordering chicken tenders instead. Like the salads and grilled chicken, the chain's Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, which were launched in 2017, left McDonald's in 2020, as well.
All-Day Breakfast
After rolling out all-day breakfast in 2015, McDonald's cut this offering in 2020. The fast-food chain's breakfast hours now vary by location, but McDonald's notes on its website that customers can often get breakfast until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. local time.
Arch Deluxe
If you were feeling fancy in the '90s, you could order an Arch Deluxe instead of a Big Mac. This featured a quarter-pound beef patty, mustard-mayo sauce, cheese, peppered bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onions on a sesame seed bun. "The Arch Deluxe was supposed to be the first entry into a better burger — premium burger — experience for McDonald's," chef Andrew Selvaggio, the burger's creator, later told Eater. Despite McDonald's pouring $200 million into the burger's campaign, the menu item did not live up to expectations. The chain ultimately discontinued the Arch Deluxe in 2000.
Big N' Tasty
McDonald's tested the Big N' Tasty in select markets during the late '90s before rolling it out nationwide in 2000. Conceived as a rival to Burger King's Whopper, this burger included a quarter-pound beef patty, ketchup, mayonnaise, onions, lettuce, dill pickle slices, and tomato on a sesame seed bun. For years, it was a prominent feature on McDonald's dollar menu but ultimately became too costly to charge so little. The chain took it off the menu permanently in 2010.
Fried Apple Pie
Apple pie is still on the menu at McDonald's, but the recipe has changed quite a few times since its 1968 launch. After offering a fried pie for decades, the chain switched to a baked version in 1992 and changed the recipe once again in 2018 with the goal of making the dessert healthier.
Beef Tallow Fries
Once upon a time, McDonald's made its fries with beef tallow. But since 1990, the fries have been vegetarian-friendly and are prepared in vegetable oil.
Szechuan Sauce
McDonald's sparked backlash with the rollout of this dipping sauce in 1998, drawing criticism for using racial stereotypes in the item's ad campaigns. But the dip is still beloved by many fast-food fans, especially those who watched Rick & Morty. It returned briefly for a limited time in 2022 and, as predicted, fans went wild for it.
Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait
The only two items currently on the McDonald's "fries and sides" menu section are fries and apple slices. The fruit and yogurt parfait, which layered strawberries and blueberries with vanilla yogurt, disappeared during the pandemic.
Onion Nuggets
McDonald's doesn't serve onion rings, but once upon a time (in the 1970s), the Golden Arches served Onion Nuggets. They were a bit like the Texas Tonion from LongHorn Steakhouse, featuring fried onion chunks that were perfect for dipping.
Hula Burger
Cheese and pineapple slices don't usually go together—and pineapple isn't usually served in place of burger meat. Yet, in 1962, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc introduced this inventive vegetarian creation as a Lent-friendly option, challenging Cincinnati McDonald's franchise owner Lou Groen, who created the idea for the Filet-O-Fish. We all know which menu item came out on top.
Fish McBites
This Lent favorite—which was only on the menu for a few months in 2013—is beloved if only for the catchy jingle from the ads that went with it. Fishy, fishy!
This story has been updated to include additional entries and new information.
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