Posted on 12/21/2021 7:35:29 AM PST by mylife
Not Lovin' It Fast-food restaurants make some of our favorite guilty pleasures, many of which have reached iconic status. But it takes a lot of experimenting to score a hit the likes of the Big Mac, Whopper, or Frosty. Whether they missed the mark on taste, customer enthusiasm, or something else, here are some of the biggest fast-food flops from the past few decades, including a burger that's getting a second chance to impress math-challenged Americans.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
McDonald's Arch Deluxe Few fast-food items have failed quite as prominently as McDonald's Arch Deluxe. Rolled out with a pricey ad campaign in 1996 in an effort to appeal to a more grown-up, "sophisticated" audience, the burger just didn't appeal to customers, who wanted convenience instead of culinary refinement from the Golden Arches.
click on “slide show”
I lub me some Popeye shrimp!
A common thread: Food had too much “fat” and was widely criticized as unhealthy, leading to unhealthy sales. Even now, the totally incorrect vilification of saturated fat interferes with healthy eating...although getting 1500-2000 calories in a single meal isn’t a good fit for most people.
LOL! like the Clown ever delivered culinary refinement!!
I agree, but trans fat is another matter, it kills.
Why did the executives running McDonald’s corporate office force the last two eateries selling pizza to stop doing so? Crowds were coming from as far away as Canada to the eateries, located in Ohio and West Virginia, just to get it. One would think those suits would be in favor of something that attracted hordes of customers.
does anyone remember Carrolls hamburgers? Hamburger, Fries and a soda and change back from your dollar in the 60’s.
McDonald’s Pizza
McDonald’s spent much of the ‘80s tinkering with its attempt to disrupt the pizza market, finally rolling out pizza to nearly 40% of its stores by 1990. But it turns out no pizza oven was fast enough for a McDonald’s kitchen, so the burger giant gave up on its dream of domination by the slice. (Two rogue McDonald’s in Ohio and West Virginia continued to sell pizza through August 2017, when they were finally forced to stop.)
I pretty much only eat fast food when road tripping. There are a few places I will actually seek out when near (most are hundreds of miles away from my residence): Roy Rogers for their roast beef, White Castle, and Lee’s Chicken.
I actually liked that one instead of the normal maggot looking onion bits and pickles they put on everything else.
McGriddles are one of their best sellers. Why would they be on the list?
Howdy pardner, want a holster of fries to go with that?
“In 1995, the Arch Deluxe debuted in test markets in Canada and in May 1996, it was added to U.S. menus nationwide for the cool price of $2.09 to $2.49. McDonald’s accompanied the release with an expensive marketing campaign that iterated, then reiterated, that this “burger with the grownup taste” was not for childish palates. In one commercial, two tweens, a boy and a girl, sit across from each other at a McDonald’s table; the boy dismantles his sandwich, grossed out by the sophisticated flavors, as the girl observes with distaste. “It’s true,” says the voiceover. “We do mature faster than boys.” In another, Ronald McDonald plays golf as if to say, “See? Even the clown can grow up a little.”...
Trends are currently geared more toward nostalgia, and reminding consumers what it was like to be a kid rather than highlighting the increasingly limited perks of adulthood (like paying $20 for a burger when you’d rather be ordering off the kids’ menu). Lauded chefs like David Chang are not only less scornful of fast food, but go as far as to celebrate it. But at least one thing is consistent between now and then: The type of person in search of a more sophisticated, elite burger experience probably doesn’t look to McDonald’s. And vice versa, a person craving a McDonald’s burger isn’t asking for the bells and whistles, but the comforts of a classic.”
Just a difference of opinion, but I think they are awful.
I was rating their taste. I was just saying that this article is about failures in fast food. The McGriddles have been a huge success going on a 20 year run now.
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