McDonald's $MCD said Tuesday it is bringing back fried apple pies for the first time in more than three decades, with the item available at most U.S. restaurants for a limited time starting June 23.
The fast food giant is reviving the menu item it replaced with a baked version in 1992, in honor of the U.S. semiquincentennial
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McDonald's $MCD said Tuesday it is bringing back fried apple pies for the first time in more than three decades, with the item available at most U.S. restaurants for a limited time starting June 23.
Timed to coincide with the U.S. semiquincentennial, the revival marks the end of a more than 30-year absence from domestic menus. Health concerns about dietary fat and cholesterol prompted the switch to a baked version back in 1992. The fried version has remained available in some international markets, including Mexico, Australia, and China, the company said.
The item traces its origins to 1968, when it debuted alongside another enduring menu staple, the Big Mac. A Tennessee franchisee named Litton Cochran is credited with creating it — a rectangular pastry tucked into a cardboard sleeve, the company said. Perhaps counterintuitively, switching to baked didn't make the pie lighter — at 230 calories, the baked pie carries 10 more than its fried predecessor, per nutrition data on the company's website.
As a promotional stunt, a towering 35-foot sculpture shaped like the pastry is going up along Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, not far from McDonald's Chicago headquarters, where it will stand until July 4. Separately, the company noted that its U.S. locations collectively go through 170 million domestically sourced apples in a given year.
Other fast food brands are also leaning into the nation's 250th birthday with limited-time offerings, according to The Associated Press. Burger King's contribution is a Firecracker Cookie Pie built on a sugar cookie crust and finished with red, white, and blue sprinkles. Sonic has a patriotic slush float in red, white, and blue for $2.50, while Hardee's is selling an iced Star-Spangled Biscuit decorated with red and blue sprinkles.
The fried pie's return comes as McDonald's works to rebuild its value perception with customers. The chain recently unveiled a new global growth strategy called McDonald's > NEXT, built around menu innovation, improved efficiency, and a rethought approach to customer service. The plan replaced Accelerating the Arches, which had prioritized digital channels and delivery since 2020. McDonald's has also been running a pilot program using an automated ordering system called ARCHY at five U.S. locations.
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