McDonald's Ditches 7 Sandwiches in Menu Reboot

Say goodbye to the Quarter Pounder Deluxe and a lot of chicken
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2015 9:41 AM CDT
McDonald's Ditches 7 Sandwiches in Menu Reboot
In this April 20, 2006, file photo, a McDonald's restaurant logo and golden arch is lit in Chicago.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

If the McDonald's Quarter Pounder Deluxe is a staple, you'll need a new go-to meal. The Golden Arches is axing that particular burger, six chicken sandwiches, and a handful of other offerings, Bloomberg reports, in an initiative meant to cut service times and even add healthier fare. The sheer number of items on the restaurant's menu has grown substantially over the past few decades: A 1990 Fortune poll found 33 different menu offerings (not counting varying sizes); by the end of 2014, there were 121 items, a restaurant consultant says. "If you have a … really, really good burger, you don't need a million," a Columbia marketing professor tells Bloomberg. "They should go for quality and not quantity."

Mickey Dee's has been losing market share to chains with more fit reputations like Panera and Chipotle, Time reports, even as direct rivals Burger King and Wendy's are surpassing its sales growth. The chain will unveil a blueprint Tuesday to address its financial issues, the AP reports; ideas include all-day breakfast, more vegetarian options, and sacking Ronald McDonald to keep him from appearing to peddle unhealthy food to kids. A McDonald's rep tells the AP the axed menu items are part of a "rolling removal," meaning that Quarter Pounder Deluxe will be around until supplies run out. Other items falling by the wayside: honey mustard and chipotle barbecue snack wraps, per Bloomberg. (One analyst thinks kale will show up.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X