The Rise and Fall of McDonald's Arch Deluxe

Weird History Food is taking you back to the 90s to relive one of McDonald's biggest and most delicious failures --- the Arch Deluxe. When it comes to finding success in the marketplace, knowing your competition is key. But even more important than understanding your competition is knowing your target customer - and this is the mistake McDonald’s made with the 1996 release of the Arch Deluxe burger.

#mcdonalds #thearchdeluxe #weirdhistoryfood

[weirdhistoryfood]

What's the best fast food burger?

[CanMav]

The Arch Deluxe was an excellent burger. The sauce wasn't too sweet, the veggies were thick and the patty was juicy.

[bucksdiaryfan]

I absolutely LOVED the Arch Deluxe. I thought the whole "adult burger" campaign was weird and unnecessary, but the burger itself was tremendous -- a better version of the double cheeseburger. I have to admit I had no idea what made it so "adult"... it was just a freaking burger

[mattblom]

Sucks because even as a 15 year old kid, this burger was a revelation. It was always my go to and the fast food menu item I miss the most.

[heatherm]

I worked at McDonald's when they launched the Arch Deluxe. I still have the pin they gave us to wear during the campaign 😂

[reapthegirlwind]

The marketing backfired on kid me - the implication that it wasn't for kids made me want it all the more, and I remember liking it pretty well. Would love to see it come back in a wide release.

[WhatAboutZoidberg]

I was a kid when it came out and I loved it. Spending hundreds of millions on the ads definitely ruined this, not the burger itself. Would still love it to come back on special occasions, not like its that far from their current ingredients.
Being from St. Louis, I always thought it was a local test market item based on the arch, but the Golden Arches makes much more sense.

[TankHammer]

The ad campaign worked on me. My 12-year-old self enjoyed the "adult taste" of the mustard seeds. I'm actually surprised my mom didn't protest the added price but it was a rare visit to McDonald's at the time.

I didn't remember the item lasting to the 2000s so I must have moved on by then.

[andrewhill]

Not only do I remember the burger being pretty good, I remember other things this missed. There were FOUR "deluxe" sandwiches total. You forgot the crispy chicken, grilled chicken, and fish. I only ever ate the arch deluxe and crispy chicken (why would I want grilled chicken at a mcdonalds?)

Also the original AD packaging had a piece of cellophane on it so you could see how fresh your burger looked before you even opened the package. Even though I was a young teen I knew that was ridiculous.. that ended up swapping it for just a plan cardboard box.

[tanside]

I really liked them. I was around 17 when they came out, the marketing was definitely different but the burger itself was excellent if you enjoy a burger dragged through the garden.

[Larry]

They went for an adult burger in the UK called the McTasty, but it's super super popular, but they keep it in demand by making it a seasonal burger.

[spookerd]

I was probably about 10-12 when the Arch Deluxe came out and it helped me transition from happy meals to more adult fast food combo fare.

[arnellamahoney]

I actually liked the Arch Deluxe because it was different from the other sandwiches on the menu.

[tommiefunk]

I just paused my current binge watch of Rick and Morty for this. And it is worth it.

[SkeetMcRibb]

I remember the Arch Deluxe as a kid and I loved them. I couldn't believe they quit making them.

[DarkLegion]

Around the time the commercials for this "grown up" burger came out, I had this crazy dream that I was eating an Arch Deluxe, and all the kids in the restaurant started yelling, "Ewww" at me.

[EvilPhantasm]

The arch deluxe was fantastic. It broke my heart when it went away.

[Oonagh]

You gotta do the McDLT next. My other grandmother loved it. She likes having her “salad” with sandwich. She ate the vegetables separately.

[notawinemom]

This was my favorite burger from McDonald's when I was in elementary school! I was devastated when they took it away. It came only second to the best fast food sandwich of all time, the Philly cheese steak sandwich at Jack in the Box.

[DragonKazooie]

This reminds me of the Big ‘n’ Tasty, another discontinued McDonald’s burger my mom loved.