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The Arch Deluxe Was a Hell of a Burger. It Was Also McDonald’s Most Expensive Flop.

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Ubiquitous

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Dec 7, 2022, 10:02:21 AM12/7/22
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In the ’90s, fine dining chef Andrew Selvaggio was tasked with creating a
burger that would appeal to sophisticated palates. The problem was no one
wanted it.

The year is 1996. Charles and Diana are divorcing, Jerry Maguire tops the
box office, a Finn Dorset sheep named Dolly makes a friend made from her own
mammary gland, and America’s favorite sitcom is a show about nothing in which
four neurotic New Yorkers debate life’s finer points. Such sophisticated
times, McDonald’s had determined, called for a sophisticated sandwich, one
that would appeal to the urbane, discerning, and diet-conscious tastes of Gen
X: the Arch Deluxe.

It was bold and upscale, featuring spices like pepper (ooh) and mustard (not
yellow, but the stoneground kind — quelle magnifique). It was also the
biggest marketing flop in McDonald’s history, with the brand spending an
estimated $200 million to advertise a sandwich that very few people —
especially not sophisticated urbanites — wanted to order.

Where McDonald’s went wrong has been covered at length. Mistakes include
marketing to a new, disinterested demographic, while neglecting the brand’s
core audience, overpricing the sandwich itself, some ad firm dram, and
sweeping disinterest or disdain from franchisees. In 1996, the New York Times
reported on a memo from the company’s then-president Edward H. Rensi, in
which Rensi “tried to marshal market-research data in a defense of the Arch
Deluxe to the franchisees, writing in summary: ‘Only those who expected a
miracle were disappointed.’”

Rensi was underselling McDonald’s high hopes for the burger, which — per the
New York Times — was originally projected to bring in $1 billion to the
company. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable to expect miracles because on paper,
the Arch Deluxe is one hell of a burger: crisp lettuce, mustard-mayo sauce,
peppered bacon, tomato, and beef on a bakery-style potato roll. It was the
creation of Andrew Selvaggio, a fine dining chef from Chicago’s legendary
Pump Room. With all the talent and bona fides a McDonald’s head chef required
and then some, Selvaggio spent months coming up with what he now describes as
“something unique and different [to] set us apart from everybody. The Arch
Deluxe was supposed to be the first entry into a better burger — premium
burger — experience for McDonald’s.”

Selvaggio was hired as McDonald’s head chef in 1994 and flourished in the
role. He reveled in the impromptu lessons in food technology, food science,
and process technology from what felt like the control center of the fast-
food industry. Two years into the job, he was approached about creating a
burger with a distinctly adult taste to shift the perception of McDonald’s
from a place for families to a place for anyone, childless grownups included.
While this had actually been the case among working-class adults for some
time, McDonald’s was now pursuing high-earners and young professionals.

For about a year, Selvaggio furiously worked from a glass-encased test
kitchen, which looked like a lab out of Jurassic Park. “I tasted at least 30
or more mustards for the Arch Deluxe sauce,” he says. “I worked with the
bakers to create potato rolls — not to mention a new salt-to-pepper ratio,
and the development of peppered bacon procedures.” Along with recipe
development, Selvaggio immersed himself in research, diligently investigating
how competitors created and marketed their burgers.

In 1995, the Arch Deluxe debuted in test markets in Canada and in May 1996,
it was added to U.S. menus nationwide for the cool price of $2.09 to $2.49.
McDonald’s accompanied the release with an expensive marketing campaign that
iterated, then reiterated, that this “burger with the grownup taste” was not
for childish palates. In one commercial, two tweens, a boy and a girl, sit
across from each other at a McDonald’s table; the boy dismantles his
sandwich, grossed out by the sophisticated flavors, as the girl observes with
distaste. “It’s true,” says the voiceover. “We do mature faster than boys.”
In another, Ronald McDonald plays golf as if to say, “See? Even the clown can
grow up a little.”

The public’s reaction to the $150 million Arch Deluxe campaign was tepid at
best. In addition to its marketing failure, the sandwich struggled to gain
support and enthusiasm from McDonald’s franchisees. “It was a new burger that
required a new sauce, new buns, new lettuce, seasoning,” says Selvaggio. In
the end, they weren’t seeing the return on investment needed to justify the
specialty burger. From 1998 to 1999, McDonald’s kept the Arch Deluxe on the
menu at select McDonald’s stores before removing it completely on August 18,
2000. “It was sort of hard working on a product so long and [to] see it not
go anywhere,” says Selvaggio. “I learned not to get too attached.” He stayed
on at McDonald’s for several years before leaving in 2009 and now works as a
culinary advisor at Jollibee, the Philippine fried-chicken chain. But he is
still proud of the Arch Deluxe and his time at McDonald’s.

The Arch Deluxe was not without its fans; McDonald’s even tested a revamped
version of it, dubbed the Archburger, at a cheaper price point in 2018,
though it didn’t stick beyond that. When Selvaggio rewatches old Arch Deluxe
commercials — many of which he’s featured in — online, he finds himself
mostly touched at the reactions from the masses. “You should see some of the
comments. Everything from, ‘I really missed this burger’ to ‘this guy
probably is just like Jared Fogle.’ But, man, I just start laughing when I
read that stuff.” (He is not, he clarifies, anything like Jared Fogle.)

Had the Arch Deluxe debuted in a different time, and with a different
marketing gimmick, there’s a chance it could’ve been a hit. Only three years
after the burger’s discontinuation, McDonald’s — giving up on the marketing
white whale of Gen X — hit gold among millennials with its Justin
Timberlake-fronted “I’m lovin’ it” campaign. Younger generations typically
don’t approach fast food with the same amount of scorn, and sandwich releases
now come with celebrity endorsements and the same level of anticipation as
sneaker drops.

Trends are currently geared more toward nostalgia, and reminding consumers
what it was like to be a kid rather than highlighting the increasingly
limited perks of adulthood (like paying $20 for a burger when you’d rather be
ordering off the kids’ menu). Lauded chefs like David Chang are not only less
scornful of fast food, but go as far as to celebrate it. But at least one
thing is consistent between now and then: The type of person in search of a
more sophisticated, elite burger experience probably doesn’t look to
McDonald’s. And vice versa, a person craving a McDonald’s burger isn’t asking
for the bells and whistles, but the comforts of a classic. In the endless
search for hype, the Golden Arches has had better luck repackaging its
consistent menu with in-demand celebrities like Travis Scott or BTS than it
ever will with a mustard-mayo sauce, no matter how delicious it is.

--
Let's go Brandon!

KlausSchadenfreude

unread,
Dec 7, 2022, 12:09:02 PM12/7/22
to
On Tue, 06 Dec 2022 21:05:06 -0400, Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net>
wrote:
They should have marketed it as a Quarter Pounder deluxe and used Big
Mac sauce.

Jerry Sauk

unread,
Nov 8, 2023, 1:05:12 AM11/8/23
to

"Ubiquitous" <web...@polaris.net> wrote in message
news:tmq9tq$j27t$2...@dont-email.me...
> In the '90s, fine dining chef Andrew Selvaggio was tasked with creating a
> burger that would appeal to sophisticated palates. The problem was no one
> wanted it.
>
> The year is 1996. Charles and Diana are divorcing, Jerry Maguire tops the
> box office, a Finn Dorset sheep named Dolly makes a friend made from her
> own
> mammary gland, and America's favorite sitcom is a show about nothing in
> which
> four neurotic New Yorkers debate life's finer points. Such sophisticated
> times, McDonald's had determined, called for a sophisticated sandwich, one
> that would appeal to the urbane, discerning, and diet-conscious tastes of
> Gen
> X: the Arch Deluxe.
>
> It was bold and upscale, featuring spices like pepper (ooh) and mustard
> (not
> yellow, but the stoneground kind - quelle magnifique). It was also the
> biggest marketing flop in McDonald's history, with the brand spending an
> estimated $200 million to advertise a sandwich that very few people -
> especially not sophisticated urbanites - wanted to order.
>
> Where McDonald's went wrong has been covered at length. Mistakes include
> marketing to a new, disinterested demographic, while neglecting the
> brand's
> core audience, overpricing the sandwich itself, some ad firm dram, and
> sweeping disinterest or disdain from franchisees. In 1996, the New York
> Times
> reported on a memo from the company's then-president Edward H. Rensi, in
> which Rensi "tried to marshal market-research data in a defense of the
> Arch
> Deluxe to the franchisees, writing in summary: 'Only those who expected a
> miracle were disappointed.'"
>
> Rensi was underselling McDonald's high hopes for the burger, which - per
> the
> New York Times - was originally projected to bring in $1 billion to the
> company. It wasn't entirely unreasonable to expect miracles because on
> paper,
> the Arch Deluxe is one hell of a burger: crisp lettuce, mustard-mayo
> sauce,
> peppered bacon, tomato, and beef on a bakery-style potato roll. It was the
> creation of Andrew Selvaggio, a fine dining chef from Chicago's legendary
> Pump Room. With all the talent and bona fides a McDonald's head chef
> required
> and then some, Selvaggio spent months coming up with what he now describes
> as
> "something unique and different [to] set us apart from everybody. The Arch
> Deluxe was supposed to be the first entry into a better burger - premium
> burger - experience for McDonald's."
>
> Selvaggio was hired as McDonald's head chef in 1994 and flourished in the
> role. He reveled in the impromptu lessons in food technology, food
> science,
> and process technology from what felt like the control center of the fast-
> food industry. Two years into the job, he was approached about creating a
> burger with a distinctly adult taste to shift the perception of McDonald's
> from a place for families to a place for anyone, childless grownups
> included.
> While this had actually been the case among working-class adults for some
> time, McDonald's was now pursuing high-earners and young professionals.
>
> For about a year, Selvaggio furiously worked from a glass-encased test
> kitchen, which looked like a lab out of Jurassic Park. "I tasted at least
> 30
> or more mustards for the Arch Deluxe sauce," he says. "I worked with the
> bakers to create potato rolls - not to mention a new salt-to-pepper ratio,
> commercials - many of which he's featured in - online, he finds himself
> mostly touched at the reactions from the masses. "You should see some of
> the
> comments. Everything from, 'I really missed this burger' to 'this guy
> probably is just like Jared Fogle.' But, man, I just start laughing when I
> read that stuff." (He is not, he clarifies, anything like Jared Fogle.)
>
> Had the Arch Deluxe debuted in a different time, and with a different
> marketing gimmick, there's a chance it could've been a hit. Only three
> years
> after the burger's discontinuation, McDonald's - giving up on the
> marketing
> white whale of Gen X - hit gold among millennials with its Justin
> Timberlake-fronted "I'm lovin' it" campaign. Younger generations typically
> don't approach fast food with the same amount of scorn, and sandwich
> releases
> now come with celebrity endorsements and the same level of anticipation as
> sneaker drops.
>
> Trends are currently geared more toward nostalgia, and reminding consumers
> what it was like to be a kid rather than highlighting the increasingly
> limited perks of adulthood (like paying $20 for a burger when you'd rather
> be
> ordering off the kids' menu). Lauded chefs like David Chang are not only
> less
> scornful of fast food, but go as far as to celebrate it. But at least one
> thing is consistent between now and then: The type of person in search of
> a
> more sophisticated, elite burger experience probably doesn't look to
> McDonald's. And vice versa, a person craving a McDonald's burger isn't
> asking
> for the bells and whistles, but the comforts of a classic. In the endless
> search for hype, the Golden Arches has had better luck repackaging its
> consistent menu with in-demand celebrities like Travis Scott or BTS than
> it
> ever will with a mustard-mayo sauce, no matter how delicious it is.

I rememer the arch-deluxe, I only tasted it 2 or 3 time's but I really liked
it. They should bring it back, even if just tempory for nostalgia puropse.
They could make a lot of money.............


KWills

unread,
Nov 8, 2023, 5:10:19 AM11/8/23
to
On Wed, 8 Nov 2023 00:01:52 -0600, "Jerry Sauk"
<jerr...@hotmail.com> wrote:


>Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2022 21:05:06 -0400

You waited over 11 months to post your reply?
Why?

[Cue avoidance.]

[...]

>> Trends are currently geared more toward nostalgia, and reminding consumers
>> what it was like to be a kid rather than highlighting the increasingly
>> limited perks of adulthood (like paying $20 for a burger when you'd rather
>> be
>> ordering off the kids' menu). Lauded chefs like David Chang are not only
>> less
>> scornful of fast food, but go as far as to celebrate it. But at least one
>> thing is consistent between now and then: The type of person in search of
>> a
>> more sophisticated, elite burger experience probably doesn't look to
>> McDonald's. And vice versa, a person craving a McDonald's burger isn't
>> asking
>> for the bells and whistles, but the comforts of a classic. In the endless
>> search for hype, the Golden Arches has had better luck repackaging its
>> consistent menu with in-demand celebrities like Travis Scott or BTS than
>> it
>> ever will with a mustard-mayo sauce, no matter how delicious it is.


Once again, please restore your settings regarding attributions.


>
>I rememer the arch-deluxe, I only tasted it 2 or 3 time's but I really liked
>it. They should bring it back, even if just tempory for nostalgia puropse.
>They could make a lot of money.............

I am of the opinion that it's failure was due to the packaging.
The use of styrofoam is what harmed it.
If they could offer it without the non-biodegradable packaging,
maybe it would work.

--
A small number of the documented lies of Jerry "Jenny" Sauk.
http://jerrylies.byethost22.com/?i=2

KlausSchadenfreude

unread,
Nov 8, 2023, 5:53:48 AM11/8/23
to
On Wed, 8 Nov 2023 00:01:52 -0600, "Jerry Sauk"
<jerr...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>I rememer the arch-deluxe, I only tasted it 2 or 3 time's but I really liked
>it. They should bring it back, even if just tempory for nostalgia puropse.

They won't. It was a failure and one of their biggest flops ever.

Everyone complained it was too expensive and not worth it.
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