Like all fast food chains, the McDonald’s menu has evolved over the 80 years it has been around. While some items remain staples on the menu, others come and go, while a few have gotten tweaked. However, certain things that spark some serious nostalgia have been yanked from the menu, and people want them back. Aside from the Snack Wrap, expected to make its comeback sometime this year, one item is mentioned on repeat in every Reddit feed, posing the question: If there is one item you can have back on the McDonald’s menu, what would it be? The item mentioned time and again? The Arch Deluxe.
Ironically, the most nostalgia-inducing item was the biggest flop in McDonald’s advertising history. Launched in 1996 and marketed toward adults in what happened to be the largest advertising and promotional budget (a whopping $300 million equivalent to $601 million in 2025) in fast food history at the time, the sandwich featured a quarter-pound beef patty, mustard-mayo sauce, cheese, peppered bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onions on a sesame seed bun.
“The Arch Deluxe was supposed to be the first entry into a better burger — premium burger — experience for McDonald’s,” chef Andrew Selvaggio, the burger’s creator, told Eater. The chain ultimately discontinued the Arch Deluxe in 2000 due to disappointing sales.
Fans miss the unique taste of the burger. “I have no idea why this did so poorly. I loved it,” one person writes. “There was something special to this… like a pepper-y taste? Would love to have it again,” another writes.
Many reminisce about it regularly. “I’ll break keto for an arch deluxe,” a third adds. “This is the burger I still dream of sometimes. It was so unique and so good,” another fan writes.
Others note that it really lived up to the hype. “Used to work at McD’s right when this came out. My fave burger from them. And it’s pretty much the only sandwich they’ve ever sold that looked pretty close to how it appeared in advertising. To the point there was a style of sandwich box it came in that had a window on the front,” one said.
Other honorable mentions? The Big N’ Tasty, a quarter-pound beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, ketchup, and mayo on a sesame seed bun, which was introduced in 1997 to compete with the Whopper. The Cheddar Melt and Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger are also missed.
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