Why The Internet Is Unimpressed With McDonald's Latest 'Menu Hack' Promotion
Just last month, McDonald's announced a promotion that was supposed to be a hit with some of their most loyal fans. The company announced their new "Menu Hacks" in a press release shared by PR Newswire describing how the new options were designed to highlight some "fan-favorite creations." As part of the launch, McDonald's introduced four new possibilities to choose from that sounded right on the money, and the pictures looked downright delicious.
The Menu Hacks include a breakfast option called the Hash Brown McMuffin inspired by a "menu hack master" who believes the hash brown's true home is inside the breakfast sandwich. There is also the Crunchy Double — a McNugget-Double Cheeseburger-Tangy Barbeque situation — and a Surf + Turf that involves a Filet-O-Fish and a Double Cheeseburger. Perhaps the wildest offering is the Land, Air & Sea, which comprises a trio of classics, a McChicken, Big Mac, and Filet-O-Fish. Unfortunately for the Golden Arches, the hacks didn't quite live up to everyone's expectations. So, what went wrong?
The 'menu hacks' don't come assembled
Imagine believing you are ordering an epic, triple-stack creation only to receive a bag filled with three separate sandwiches! That's exactly what happened to Eddy of Wichita by E.B., who was duped by an enticing photo of the Land, Air & Sea only to receive a some-assembly-required meal. Admittedly, Eddy didn't read the entire description of the menu hacks, but concluded, "If I want to build something, I'll go play MagnaTiles with my daughter." Over on Twitter, user @allponolypous had a similar experience with the Crunchy Double and tweeted "I didn't know we had to assemble these 8 dollar 'menu hacks' by ourself," explaining in hindsight she wished she would have ordered "plain ole nuggies."
Apparently, lack of assembly isn't the only barrier for some diners. Danny Gallagher wrote about his experience for the Dallas Observer, describing the taste of the Land, Air & Sea as being "almost tart" and "on par with a handful of Sour Patch Kids." (Not exactly our go-to flavor in a sandwich.) Meanwhile, Dane Rivera at Uproxxx pointed out there's another issue once you finally get some of the hacks assembled — "what the hell are we supposed to do with all of these extra buns!?" While a surplus of messy buns isn't on our wish list, there is a bright side. Rivera actually enjoyed the Hash Brown McMuffin describing it as "a crunchy, hearty, breakfast flavor bomb." But, let's be honest, you had us at hash brown!