8. Pickle-O's
Chain:
SonicLaunched: 1968, 2003 (limited)
Once a relic of the mid-20th century, Sonic brought back these fried pickle slices for a limited run in honor of the chain’s 50th anniversary in 2003. They are still spotted occasionally on Sonic menus across the country.
9. Arch Deluxe
Chain: McDonald’s
Launched: 1996
A new menu item can fail for a number of reasons. Sometimes, like in the case of Dairy Queen’s Breeze, the public interest just isn’t there. Other flops can be attributed to marketing missteps: McDonald’s McAfrika, a pita-style sandwich released in Norway in 2002, hit the market just as a major famine hit southern Africa; McDonald’s was lambasted for refusing to pull the sandwich.
But sometimes, it’s simpler: people don’t like the taste. So it was with the Arch Deluxe.
McDonald’s spent a reported $300 million market testing and advertising the Arch Deluxe hamburger, making it one of the biggest, most public product flops in history. A quarter-pound burger on a potato bun with “secret” mustard and mayonnaise sauce, the Arch Deluxe was marketed as a burger exclusively for adults. Early TV spots showed children reacting with befuddlement and disgust to the sandwich. When that proved unsuccessful, new ads featured chefs extolling the Arch Deluxe’s fine ingredients. Neither tactic worked.
10. Burger Bundles
Chain: Burger King
Launched: 1987
What works for one fast food joint may not work for another. In the late '80's, Burger King took a page from White Castle's book and released Bundles, mini burger sliders that came in a pack of six. The chain has resurrected the slider idea twice, once as the "Burger Buddy" and again in 2011 with beef and chicken patty options.
