12 Discontinued McDonald's Menu Items We're Not Getting Back

From McDonald's world-loved french fries to its fan-favorite Chicken McNuggets, the fast food joint's long-standing, best-selling menu items might trick customers into thinking the corporation has always been successful with its creations. But the double Golden Arches' permanent offerings didn't come without trial and error to find what their customers truly like. To solidify the current lineup it has today, McDonald's continuously weeds out the products that don't seem to work, leading to a long list of discontinued menu items we probably won't ever get back.

It may come as a surprise that McDonald's didn't just stop at Egg McMuffins or Big Macs. The chain ventured out in a number of surprising directions, leaving consumers with fallen products like McSalad Shakers and Chicken Selects. To the dismay of some customers and the indifference of others, items like these and more have been removed from McDonald's in the decades it has been open. For one reason or another, whether due to poor performance or increasing prices, the public has had to say goodbye to several interesting McMeals.

McDonald's isn't known for its health-conscious options and wowing nutritional value. In fact, it's quite the opposite, as the restaurant always makes its way onto roundups of the most unhealthy fast foods there are. Phil Sokolof, a wealthy businessman at the time, certainly agreed. He suffered from a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1966, and he immediately pointed fingers at McDonald's and other fast-food places. The highly publicized crusade he led seemingly inspired original recipes that changed for the worse and the creation of new, healthier menu items.

One of the additions was the McLean Deluxe, which lasted five years from 1991 to 1996. The burger was 91% fat free on account of the seaweed that was added to the meat. Considering it was hyped up by professional football player Kevin Greene in the old commercials, it was a surprise this low-fat item didn't stick around longer. A big reason for that was the taste. The burger's loss of fat equated to a loss in flavor and a drier texture. On top of that, seaweed wasn't a great selling point due to its containment of carrageenan, an additive whose safety has been questioned. The McLean Deluxe's third strike was its price tag being a few cents higher than other McDonald's burgers, leading to its demise. But if you're bothered by the fact that you'll never have the chance to try this discontinued item, opt for a burger made with mushrooms and ground beef as a safer alternative that still contains less fat.

For a fast-food corporation that specializes in burgers and shoestring fries, McDonald's sure tried hard to include wholesome options on its menu. It even went so far as to make grab-and-go meals, aka the McSalad Shakers. Introduced in 2000, these leafy green dishes were stuffed into the clear plastic cups you'd usually find cold coffee in, making it easy to take wherever you went.

There were three variations to these portable Shakers: the Chef, Garden, and a Grilled Chicken Caesar. Each one contained a green salad mix, and the add-ins varied between ingredients like julienne ham and turkey, chicken breast, cheddar and jack cheese, parmesan cheese, chopped tomatoes, and more. Unfortunately, due to a lack of sales, the product was discontinued three years after its release. The McSalad Shakers were promptly replaced in the spring by a line of premium salads, which also included a grilled chicken caesar salad. Fast forward even further to the onset of COVID-19, and you have the eradication of salads altogether from McDonald's menu.

McDonald's clearly doesn't seem to have the greatest running streak when it comes to healthy options. Case in point is the removal of yet another nutritional choice: the Fruit N' Yogurt Parfait. This side consisted of low-fat yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, and granola mixed in. It was a popular choice among customers for a very long time, thanks to its sweet, refreshing taste and relatively small amount of calories compared to other foods the chain sold.

Lasting 20 years, the Fruit N' Yogurt Parfait was one of several items that fell as collateral to the coronavirus pandemic. McDonald's adjusted to the times by focusing primarily on its drive-thru, which meant a limited menu in order to get food to customers as efficiently as possible. Items that were too complex to make were quickly booted from the restaurant's offerings, and that included the parfait. It took too much time to assemble and somewhat fell into a category of breakfast-time items — a category of food McDonald's couldn't prioritize as much during the pandemic. Despite establishments like McDonald's having recovered in the time that has passed since then, it seems there's no plan for the Fruit N' Yogurt Parfait's return.

The story of McDonald's unpopular Hula Burger is intertwined with the documentary-worthy history of the Filet-o-Fish, the fried fish patty customers love. In 1962, we were given a riveting tale of a duel between the two products. It all began when Lou Groen, a businessman who opened the Cincinnati area's first McDonald's, realized that with the nearby population being mostly Catholic, not enough money was being reeled in on Fridays during Lent. In came Groen's solution: the Filet-o-Fish.

McDonald's founder Ray Kroc wanted to rival the product with his own creation, though. That would be the Hula Burger, a piece of thick, grilled pineapple and slices of cheese on a bun. The burger was posted to the menu alongside the Filet-o-Fish, and whichever was ordered the most would win a permanent spot in the fast-food chain's lineup. You can guess what happened from there. The Filet-O-Fish outsold the Hula Burger by a landslide, kicking Croc's fruity creation to the curb.

The Filet-o-Fish might currently be the only fish-based product McDonald's carries, but it wasn't always that way. For three months in early 2013, Fish McBites were added to the joint's menu to cater to those who celebrated Lent. The meal consisted of fried nuggets of wild-caught Alaskan pollock, a substantial protein source with a mild flavor and delicate texture, and tartar sauce on the side.

The public's response to the new option was apparently just as underwhelming as the product itself, though. Reviews were generally mixed, but enough skewed in an overall unfavorable direction. Several news outlets poked fun at the Fish McBites' failure to pull McDonald's out of its financial slump at the time. For example, NPR's weekly segment, "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!," hurled a number of jokes at the product, one of them being "They went with the name 'Fish McBites' because the name 'Cat Food' was already taken." The barrage of sea-themed negative reviews clearly outweighed the good, forcing the Fish McBites to flounder (pun intended).

Though many beloved foods were removed from the McDonald's menu during the outset of COVID-19, some were added. October 2020 saw the arrival of the McCafé Bakery, which consisted of three confectionary goods: an apple fritter, a blueberry muffin, and a cinnamon roll. These items were available for purchase throughout the day, though they were originally added to the menu in an effort to draw more customers in for breakfast. McDonald's never explicitly stated whether the items succeeded in doing so or not. But taking into account the establishment's statement to the New York Post, saying "We're always listening to our fans and adjusting our menu based on what they crave," it can be assumed that perhaps the baked treats didn't achieve exactly what the corporation was going for, leading to their erasure in 2023.

The decision brought about a toss-up of people who grumbled at the loss of the McCafé Bakery and those who didn't think much of it. A thread on Reddit discussing the removal garnered a pretty even mix of both groups. One user commented "Tried all 3, had high hopes. Unfortunately they all were mediocre or terrible." Another person shared their love of the cinnamon rolls in particular, saying they were "great when they microwaved it on time. The sauce was amazing, wish I could get it on its own." Regardless of the group you fell into, you'll have to satisfy your sweet tooth with McDonald's apple pies or cookies instead.

For an obnoxiously catchy jingle you won't be able to get out of your head, turn to advertisements for McDonald's 1979 Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich. This meaty meal had a tune made especially for its commercials, which spelled out almost exactly what customers could expect from each bite: a patty of 100% pure, grilled beef topped with onions, all on a toasted French roll. And, most importantly, a special steak sauce that came on the side. It was served after 4 p.m. at select locations.

The item didn't last very long at all. It remained on the menu for just one year before it was removed. This was likely due to its relatively higher cost in comparison to the other McDonald's burgers being sold at the time — a familiar problem that will always seem to factor in as beef prices continuously climb higher even today. And it's a real shame, considering the love the Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich received. Comments from customers as recent as one year ago are still being left under the product's commercial videos that were posted to YouTube. One person reminisced, saying, "The meat was a higher quality and had a really good texture. Plus the sauce was great. I could never understand why they didn't continue with it."

In a ranking of fast food nuggets and tenders, McNuggets will almost always earn a place somewhere up top. They were first introduced in 1983 and have had a cult-like following ever since. Well, the birth of one of McDonald's best-selling items is all thanks to the death of another of the Golden Arches' inventions: Onion Nuggets.

For one year from 1978 to 1979, the chain deep fried chunks of onion, giving them a crispy, golden outer layer. This treat was usually cross-promoted and sold alongside the Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich. Concepts similar to Onion Nuggets do wonders at fairs and carnivals today, but back then at Mickey D's, simply not enough of them were selling. So in an elevator rendezvous between Fred Turner, the McDonald's chairman at the time, and Rene Arend, McDonald's chef, the big boss suggested using chicken instead. The rest is history, and the world can now attribute the greatness of Chicken McNuggets and the accompanying nugget sauces to the battered onion debacle.

Even with the overwhelming success of Chicken McNuggets, McDonald's went on to sell an elongated form of the poppers. These were called Chicken Selects — the restaurant's very own strips of chicken breast in a battered and fried coating. And though no chicken product can beat the success of the McNuggets, which have had a permanent place on the menu for decades now, the Chicken Selects found fame, too, lasting from 2004 to 2013.

Only four years later, they made a comeback onto the menu when they were rebranded as Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The meal was so popular that McDonald's had to temporarily hold off on serving them because the demand was so much higher than the corporation anticipated. Customers truly loved the strips for a few reasons. Business Insider, for example, glorified the product as "an impressively moist tender enclosed in the nice crunchy exterior. There's a great balance of white-meat chicken to breading here ... There's no spice as promised by the little dots of pepper in the breading, but the richness of the experience does not demand it." All good things must come to an end, though, and on trend with a few other products discussed on this list, the Buttermilk Crispy Tenders were dismissed from the menu during the pandemic.

Pizza always sounds promising. It's a classic comfort food that countless fast-food chains, whether it be Pizza Hut or Domino's, have found success in selling. McDonald's, however, is not one of them. The eatery's McPizzas came out in the late '80s as a family-sized pie. They were eventually reduced to individual-sized pies, but even with the change in measurements, the cook time was still too long for McDonald's taste.

So by 2000, the McPizzas were pulled from all Mickey D's locations but three: ones in Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida. In any of these stores, you could have ordered family or individual pies with a variety of toppings, including plain, pepperoni, mushroom, sausage, and more. That was until McCorporate made two of the locations cease production in 2017, leaving only the Sunshine State in the running. Now, the Orlando store is the sole place those craving a McPizza badly enough can take a trip to.

After already trying its hand at burgers, pizza, and a number of chicken products, McDonald's only needed hot dogs to check off its attempts at an all-American lineup. And that's exactly what the chain did in the summer of 1995 when the McHotDogs were added to the menu. These grilled beef hot dogs had relish and onions, all sandwiched together on a toasted bun. They lasted only a few years in the '90s before being removed. In 2002, they were reintroduced as a seasonal summer item and have been sold on and off since then. There haven't been any comebacks in recent years, though, and it doesn't seem like there ever will be.

It'd be hard to permanently bring McHotDogs back when Ray Kroc, the founder himself, expressed disapproval from the start. In his autobiography titled "Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's," Kroc explained how hot dogs didn't align with McDonald's identity. He stated (via EconoTimes), "There's no telling what's inside a hot dog's skin, and our standard of quality just wouldn't permit that kind of item." You can't blame his rationale, especially knowing so many hot dog brands use low quality ingredients.

With the several American products McDonald's tried and trashed, it was only a matter of time before the corporation dabbled in an entirely different cuisine. Cue the McSpaghetti, a product that entered the McDonald's scene in the '70s alongside a few other Italian pastas. The marinara-slathered noodles and optional meatballs were served with a side of garlic bread in a white foam takeout box. But even with the love most people have for spaghetti, the dish didn't quite make the cut. It was removed in all but two locations due to difficulties with sourcing and equipment as well as the public's annoyance with how long it took to prepare. Spaghetti isn't exactly viewed as fast food, after all.

That is, except for in the Philippines, one of the only locations where the McSpaghetti has successfully stuck around. Considering the Southeast Asian country is home to Jollibee, the global fast-food chain that specializes in both burgers and spaghetti, that fact isn't all too surprising. There, the McSpaghetti is a sweetened version made with banana ketchup and sliced hot dogs. It's different from the one you'd find in the only American location that still sells the dish. That would be a franchise in Orlando, Florida called the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's. Aside from the McSpaghetti, this store is said to sell quite a few other wacky items you wouldn't find at other Mickey D's.