McDonald’s Most Expensive Flop



Does anyone remember the Arch Deluxe? It was a fancy hamburger offered at McDonalds beginning in 1996. The company spent $200 million to promote it, and expected to rake in a billion dollars in return. Only they didn't.

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable to expect miracles because on paper, the Arch Deluxe is one hell of a burger: crisp lettuce, mustard-mayo sauce, peppered bacon, tomato, and beef on a bakery-style potato roll. It was the creation of Andrew Selvaggio, a fine dining chef from Chicago’s legendary Pump Room. With all the talent and bona fides a McDonald’s head chef required and then some, Selvaggio spent months coming up with what he now describes as “something unique and different [to] set us apart from everybody. The Arch Deluxe was supposed to be the first entry into a better burger — premium burger — experience for McDonald’s.”

When I read the name of the burger, I confused it with the McDLT, which launched in 1984. So you might be forgiven if you've forgotten the Arch Deluxe, but you can read about it at Eater.  -via Digg


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I had largely avoided McD for a few years until the Arch Deluxe... then proceeded to eat there almost every day. It was delicious compared to their other offerings. Oh well, I've more or less recreated it since with fresh beef and higher quality condiments, but it was still a great product.
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I remember the Arch Deluxe and the McDLT, they should bring them both back. That's so weird they discontinued the McDLT because of the polystyrene package. 1) Millions of restaurants daily use polystyrene still. and 2) Why not just use cardboard then? If it's such a big problem? and 3) The Mcdonalds Breakfast Platter still uses polystyrene so Mcds are hypocrites imo.
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