Guilty Eats
Fansided

25 most utterly disgusting fast food menu items ever

By Kareem Gantt

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: An awning stands over a McDonald's entrance in lower Manhattan on February 9, 2015 in New York City. McDonald's Corporation has said sales in January fell a worse-than-expected 1.8%. While the fast-food restaurant chain said U.S. and Europe sales showed signs of improvement, Asia sales slowed. McDonald's is facing new completion from trendier and more health conscious fast food chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Shake Shack. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: An awning stands over a McDonald's entrance in lower Manhattan on February 9, 2015 in New York City. McDonald's Corporation has said sales in January fell a worse-than-expected 1.8%. While the fast-food restaurant chain said U.S. and Europe sales showed signs of improvement, Asia sales slowed. McDonald's is facing new completion from trendier and more health conscious fast food chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Shake Shack. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) /
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McDonald's, Fast Food
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 09: A sign for a McDonald’s restaurant is seen on June 9, 2014 in New York City. McDonald’s domestic sales fell slightly in May, marking one of the longest streches without U.S. growth. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images) /

7. McAfrika from McDonald’s

Believe it or not, there is a theme to this Hall of Fame of worst-of-the-worst.

The theme is that a good idea on paper doesn’t always translate into real-world success, and the McAfrika probably represents the best evidence for that theory. A combination of a bad name and bad timing, the McAfrika was actually made to not last long, but it still has earned its spot as one of the worst fast food items of all time.

The McAfrika was a simple burger, containing beef, cheese, and tomatoes. The difference with the McAfrika was that instead of a usual bun the McAfrika would be wrapped in pita bread, which was uncommon for a fast food joint in the early 2000s.

The high-ups at McDonald’s thought that this would be a game-changer for their menu, being branded as the lead item for their “Olympic Games Burger.” When it was released in 2002, however, a major famine struck in Africa, and many lobed heavy criticisms at Micky D’s for the burger’s name. McDonald’s remained unfazed, however, offering the McAfrika through its release schedule.

After the McAfrika was pulled off the menu, McDonald’s responded, saying that the release of the burger was ill-timed. That didn’t stop them from re-introducing the McAfrika for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, however, and can anyone guess what type of reaction the restaurant go then?

If you guessed a bad reaction, then you would be right. Maybe McDonald’s will learn that launching a burger named after Africa is a bad idea, and they won’t re-release the McAfrika anymore.

We hope.

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