The Failed McDonald's Burger That Was Dubbed The 'McFlopper'

Not every burger that McDonald's debuts will ascend to icon status like the Big Mac has. More often than not, the fast food chain's attempts at rebranding and expanding menu offerings aren't big hits at all. As popular and beloved as McDonald's is, the company is no stranger to a flop. One of the McDonald's menu items from the 1990s that you probably forgot existed was the McLean Deluxe. This burger was not well received by customers. 

In response to criticisms about McDonald's lack of healthy options back in the early 90s, the fast food chain debuted this burger that claimed to be 91 percent fat-free. Compared to the Big Mac's 26 grams of fat, the McLean Deluxe's mere 10 grams of fat appealed to people who loved McDonald's but struggled with the high-fat content. 

While the McLean Deluxe seemed like an answer to all of McDonald's problems, most people claimed that it didn't taste very good and was extremely dry. The "McFlopper," as many consumers not-so-lovingly referred to it, had a brief appearance on menus from 1991 until it was removed in 1996.

For those lucky or maybe unlucky enough to have been around to try this extra low-fat McDonald's burger for themselves, not many have kind things to say about the McLean Deluxe. One Reddit user shared an ad for the McLean Deluxe from 1991 which had the tagline, "Hold the fat." Users who responded to the post recalled ordering the "McFlopper" and remembered how dry and "flavor-free" the burger tasted due to its low-fat content.

Interestingly enough, the secret to this extremely dry burger was seaweed. The seaweed extract called carrageenan acted as a binding agent for the extremely low-fat burger meat. While the McLean Deluxe ended up with just 10% fat content thanks to the experimental additives, the lack of it also meant less flavor. 

When customers discovered that seaweed extract was to blame for the low-fat patty, jokes were quickly made at its expense and public opinion of the burger turned sour pretty quickly. When it came down to it, customers did actually care more about the taste of McDonald's burgers than its fat content.

The McLean Deluxe is merely one of the many eyebrow-raising McDonald's food fails that didn't go over so well with customers. Because the fast food chain is so well known for things like the Big Mac and the distinctly shaped McNuggets, menu items that veer too far away from the restaurant's expected taste and style usually aren't extremely well received. 

For example, the fast food chain has made multiple attempts at offering Italian food with items like McPizza and McSpaghetti. Unsurprisingly, neither menu item received the love that the company expected. The Hula Burger featuring a slice of pineapple with cheese sandwiched between two buns was another wild swing that ultimately lost to the much more popular Filet-O-Fish. However, not all of Mickey D's food flops happened because of the taste or texture. 

In the case of the failure of McDonald's Arch Deluxe, poor advertising cost the company $200 million. In an attempt to appeal to a more mature audience, a 1996 ad campaign for this adults-only burger showed children being disgusted by the sight of the Arch Deluxe. After receiving backlash, the company quickly pivoted its approach. One ad via YouTube used the tagline, "The burger with the grown-up taste." Unfortunately, McDonald's couldn't pull off such a drastic shift in branding and the Arch Deluxe went down in history as a rather pricey mistake.