Why McDonald's Big N' Tasty Burger Was Discontinued

The rivalry between Burger King and McDonald's is a tale as old as time ... or, at least, almost as old as Baby Boomers. Both chains first opened in the 1950s. BK rolled out the Whopper in 1957, but McDonald's didn't release the Big Mac until 1968. At certain points in their history, the chains have been content to stay in their own beefy lanes. Occasionally, however, shots will be fired, and someone will take direct aim at the other. Such was the case with McDonald's Big N' Tasty burger. Unveiled in 1997, the Big N' Tasty featured a composition close to that of the Whopper, with a ¼-pound beef patty slathered in mayo and ketchup and dressed with the classic lettuce-tomato-onion-pickle burger topping combination, all sandwiched in a sesame seed-topped bun.

We know now that McDonald's best-selling item is actually french fries and not a meaty burger, which may be one reason why the Big N' Tasty got axed in 2011. McDonald's generally keeps mum on reasons why it stops selling some menu items, like salads, and it never explicitly confirmed why the Big N' Tasty left menus. Interestingly, a similar sandwich called the Big Tasty, which was available overseas, was discontinued to make room for other, more popular burgers, as McDonald's has maintained. This leaves us wondering if the Big N' Tasty simply ran its course.

In terms of discontinued chain restaurant meals, some of which were 86'd due to negative reception, the Big N' Tasty seems to have enjoyed a good reputation. "Man, those were good," a commenter on Reddit sighed when a picture of the sandwich was posted. "My favorite McDonald's product ever," another Redditor gushed. Other folks confirm that the Big N' Tasty was, in fact, a yummy burger with the same delightful ooze of abundant condiments that the Whopper is known for. On YouTube, an archived commercial for the Big N' Tasty is still making mouths water, with comments like: "Mmm. That burger looks delicious."

Of course, the closest thing to a Big N' Tasty that you are going to get nowadays is not at McDonald's — it's across the street at Burger King, where you can get the OG Whopper that inspired the Golden Arches' copycat. Or, if you want to stay faithful to McDonald's, social media users claims that you can customize a Quarter Pounder Deluxe on the app to remove mustard and cheese. Of course, one of the big selling points of the Big N' Tasty was its sweet 99 cent price tag, and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe is definitely a premium-priced burger. Also, the Big N' Tasty featured leaf lettuce, while the modern-day Quarter Pounder is covered in the limp, shredded stuff. Seems like the authentic Big N' Tasty experience is doomed to live on only in memories.