Chain: McDonald's
Launched: 1962
The Hula Burger didn’t so much fail as get beat out by a far superior sandwich. In the early 1960s, McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc concocted a battle royale of the meatless sandwiches, in the hopes of luring Catholic customers who didn’t eat meat on Fridays. In one corner: a grilled pineapple sandwich placed in a hamburger bun and topped with traditional burger fixins’. In the other: what we now know as the Filet-O-Fish, invented by Cincinnati McDonald’s franchisee Lou Groen. Mr. Kroc had McDonald’s sell the two sandwiches side by side on Fridays, and whichever sold the most would be added to the permanent menu. The Filet-O-Fish won by a landslide, and it’s still a permanent fixture of the McDonald’s menu. The Hula Burger, meanwhile, appears mostly on lists like this one.
