Chain: McDonald's
Launched: 1962
The Hula Burger didn鈥檛 so much fail as get beat out by a far superior sandwich. In the early 1960s, McDonald鈥檚 owner Ray Kroc concocted a battle royale of the meatless sandwiches, in the hopes of luring Catholic customers who didn鈥檛 eat meat on Fridays. In one corner: a grilled pineapple sandwich placed in a hamburger bun and topped with traditional burger fixins鈥�. In the other: what we now know as the Filet-O-Fish, invented by Cincinnati McDonald鈥檚 franchisee Lou Groen. Mr. Kroc had McDonald鈥檚 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鈥檚 still a permanent fixture of the McDonald鈥檚 menu. The Hula Burger, meanwhile, appears mostly on lists like this one.
