McDonald’s has abandoned its attempt to sell meat-free beef burgers in America.
US President Joe Erlinger said the McPlant was discontinued because customers didn’t want fake meat.
The chain has been testing the McPlant in hundreds of restaurants in California and Texas since trials began in late 2021.
Developed in collaboration with Beyond Meat, based on pea and rice proteins.
Although it was a flop in the US, it was a hit in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
McPlant is made with a plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat. It has now been discontinued in the US
But the chances of a return to America are slim.
McDonald’s is now shifting its focus to chicken, which is more popular with its customers than beef, partly because of its lower cost.
Salads, which were taken off U.S. menus at the start of the pandemic, also won’t be returning, Erlinger said.
If you want salads, go to specialist salad chains such as Chopt, Sweetgreen and Cava.
“If people really want McDonald’s salads, we’ll be happy to bring them back,” Erlinger said at the Global Food Forum, according to Bloomberg.
‘But our experience shows that this is not what consumers are looking for.’
It’s the second big menu news in a week, the other news being the return of a dish with cult status.
The McRib — seasoned, boneless pork dipped in spicy BBQ sauce and topped with diced onions and pickles — is returning to America later this year.
The sandwich, which has been taken off and then added back to the menu dozens of times over the years, is a divisive issue among fast food fans: some love it, while others hate it.
McDonald’s knows the McRib drives customers into restaurants and drive-thrus.
The restaurant’s return, along with this summer’s $5 meal deal, will be the latest weapon in the battle to win back customers in 2024.
“By temporarily reintroducing the McRib to the market, we can help boost interest and customer numbers at McDonald’s at a time when its performance is declining,” retail expert Neil Saunders, managing director of Global Data, told DailyMail.com.
But he explained why McDonald’s is only selling it for a limited time, rather than making it a permanent item on the menu.
“Normally the improvement is only temporary, so the chain still has work to do on areas such as pricing if it wants to guarantee better performance,” he added.
McRib, once described as the “fast food sandwich that went viral before viral concepts existed,” debuted in the United States in 1982.
Production was discontinued in 1985 due to poor sales, but it was reintroduced in 1989 and was widely available in the US and other countries until 2005.
It was then periodically reintroduced until it disappeared again in 2012 for eight years. It did not return until December 2020, when it returned for a limited time.
The McRib sandwich is coming back in 2024. It was first sold in 1982
Fans rejoiced when the McRib returned for the first time in eight years in 2020
Bagel fans post memes about McDonald’s bagels
At the time, it was an attempt to lure customers back after the pandemic left dining rooms sparsely populated or closed.
Earlier this year, another item returned. In April we reported that McDonald’s had put bagels back on the breakfast menu.
Bagels aren’t yet available everywhere in the country, but they are in at least 1,200 restaurants. They could be back in all 14,300 U.S. locations later this year.
Bagels were first introduced at McDonald’s in late 2019, but were quickly axed when bosses simplified the menu in spring 2020 due to the pandemic.