Frederic Melton
McDonald's, the world's most-recognized fast-food brand, has had a storied history with pizza. In the 1980s, the company introduced McPizza as a family-sized offering, later scaling it down to a personal-size option. Despite its best efforts, including developing a quick-cook oven, McDonald's struggled with the 6-16 minute cook time, which clashed with its reputation for speed and convenience. The pizza also required special equipment and presented logistical challenges, ultimately leading to its discontinuation by 2000, except for a few locations in the US.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Launch Year | Mid-1980s |
| Discontinuation Year | Around 2000 |
| Locations Serving McDonald's Pizza in 2017 | Spencer, West Virginia; Pomeroy, Ohio; and Florida |
| Current Locations Serving McDonald's Pizza | Orlando, Florida |
| Reasons for Discontinuation | Long cooking time (11-16 minutes), awkward logistics of cooking pizza |
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What You'll Learn
McDonald's cheese pizza was launched in the mid-1980s
McDonald's cheese pizza, or McPizza, was launched in the mid-1980s. This was a time when the fast-food chain was looking to expand its menu and attract even more customers, having already conquered the burger market. The McPizza was McDonald's attempt to break into the pizza market and challenge established pizza chains.
The McPizza was initially a family-sized pizza, brought out to the table by an employee and placed on a raised rack. However, it was later scaled down to a personal-size pizza. The company spent years developing a quick-cook oven for the pizza, which could cook a pizza from frozen in around six minutes. This was significantly slower than McDonald's usual service, and the pizzas took between 11 and 16 minutes to cook, according to some sources. This caused issues with McDonald's reputation for fast service.
The pizza also required new equipment, like pizza ovens, which took up valuable kitchen space and required franchisees to remodel their restaurants. The drive-thru windows also had to be expanded to accommodate the pizza boxes, which were too big to fit through the older, smaller windows. These logistical issues, along with the longer cooking times, meant that the McPizza was discontinued in most restaurants by around 2000.
Despite the challenges, the McPizza has achieved a legendary status among some McDonald's fans, with some even embarking on long trips to the few locations that continued to serve the pizza until 2017. As of 2024, only one location in Orlando, Florida, still serves the McPizza, keeping the memory of McDonald's cheese pizza alive.
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It was discontinued around 2000 due to long cooking times
McDonald's cheese pizza, or McPizza, was discontinued around 2000 due to long cooking times. The pizza was launched in the mid-1980s and was available in most McDonald's restaurants until around 2000. The cooking time for the pizza was between 11 and 16 minutes, which was significantly longer than the cooking time for other McDonald's menu items. This long cooking time was out of sync with the restaurant's reputation for fast service.
In the 1980s, McDonald's was a dominant force in the fast-food industry, and speed was a crucial component of their success. When McDonald's added pizza to their menu, they promised consumers pizza that was "so good, so fast". However, the reality was that pizza took much longer to cook than other menu items, and it was difficult to speed up the process without sacrificing quality.
The company did invest in developing a quick-cook oven that could bake a pizza in under six minutes, but this required a significant redesign of their kitchens, which was costly and logistically challenging. Additionally, the pizza boxes were often too big to fit through the drive-thru windows, causing further delays in serving customers.
The long cooking times and logistical challenges associated with serving pizza ultimately led to its discontinuation in most McDonald's restaurants by around 2000. However, it is worth noting that a few locations, such as those in Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida, continued to serve pizza for many years after its official discontinuation, with some locations keeping it on the menu until as recently as 2017.
While McDonald's cheese pizza may not have stood the test of time on their menus, it remains a memorable item for many customers who experienced it during its run.
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It was originally a family-sized pizza, later scaled down
McDonald's has experimented with pizza in the past, including cheese pizza. The product, known as "McPizza", was launched in the mid-1980s and mostly discontinued by around 2000. It is important to note that McDonald's has not completely abandoned the idea of pizza, with a few locations still offering it on their menu as of 2024.
The McPizza was originally a family-sized pizza, brought to the table by an employee and placed on a raised rack. This presented a challenge for drive-thru orders, as the large boxes could not fit through the older drive-thru windows, requiring renovations. The pizza was later scaled down to a personal-size option, but even at this smaller size, the boxes still proved difficult to fit through the drive-thru windows.
The family-sized pizza was a central part of McDonald's initial strategy for the product. They intended to offer table service for these pizzas, with plans to expand their indoor dining areas. This would have been a significant shift in their business model, which was predominantly focused on fast food and drive-thru orders. However, the reality of executing this strategy fell short, as franchisees were faced with the challenge of remodelling their restaurants to accommodate the new equipment, including warming bins for the pizzas.
Scaling down the pizza to a personal size was one of several adjustments made by McDonald's in response to the challenges encountered during the rollout. They had also invested significant effort into developing a quick-cook oven, which could bake a pizza from frozen in around six minutes. However, this oven required additional space in the kitchen, adding to the renovations needed in many restaurants.
The decision to scale down the pizza size was likely influenced by the time it took to cook, which ranged from six to sixteen minutes, according to various sources. This cooking time conflicted with McDonald's reputation for fast service and was a primary reason for the product's discontinuation in most restaurants by 2000. Despite the challenges, a few locations, such as those in Ohio and West Virginia, continued to offer McPizza for many years, attracting dedicated fans who embarked on long trips to sample the legendary menu item.
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It was available in nearly 500 locations by 1991
In the 1980s, McDonald's was the most dominant fast-food chain in the world. It owned nearly 40% of the $48 billion burger market. The company was looking for new menu items to attract more customers. This is when it decided to add pizza to its menu.
The McPizza was launched in the mid-1980s and was available in nearly 500 locations by 1991. It was available in three varieties: pepperoni, cheese, and deluxe (with sausage, peppers, onion, and mushroom). The product originated as a family-sized pizza that was brought out to the table by an employee and placed on a raised rack. However, it was later scaled down to a personal-size pizza.
The company spent years developing a quick-cook oven that used superheated air to take dough from frozen to crispy in under six minutes. However, the 11 to 16-minute cooking time was still out of sync with the restaurant's reputation for fast service. This, along with the awkward logistics of cooking pizza, led to the product being placed on hold.
By 2000, the McPizza had been discontinued in almost all restaurants. However, it continued to be sold in a few locations until 2017. As of 2024, McDonald's pizza is only available at one location in Orlando, Florida.
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McDonald's developed a quick-cook oven for the pizza
In the 1980s, McDonald's was the most dominant fast-food chain in the world. After conquering the burger market, McDonald's started looking for new menu items to attract more customers. The company decided to try out pizza, which was surprisingly called "McDonald's Pizza". The menu options included pepperoni, cheese, and deluxe (with sausage, peppers, onion, and mushroom).
However, the pizza service was slow, and the company's promise of a 5-minute prep time often turned into 10 minutes or more. This was because the pizza took around 6 to 16 minutes to cook, which was out of sync with the restaurant's reputation for fast service. As a result, customers had to wait a long time for their orders, and McDonald's lost its competitive advantage of expedited food.
To solve this problem, McDonald's spent years developing a quick-cook oven that used superheated air to take dough from frozen to crispy in under six minutes. This oven was later patented by the company. However, the new oven was large and required franchisees to remodel their restaurants to make room for it, including a warming bin. This was especially problematic for drive-thru orders, as the older drive-thru windows were too small to fit the pizza boxes.
Despite these challenges, McDonald's rolled out the pizza to nearly half of its American restaurants, as well as some in Canada, in the early '90s. However, the pizza was quickly discontinued in most locations due to the long cook time and awkward logistics of cooking pizza. By 2000, the pizza had been discontinued in almost all restaurants, with only a few locations in Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida still serving it as of 2017.
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Frequently asked questions
McDonald's started serving cheese pizza in the mid-1980s.
McDonald's stopped serving cheese pizza by around 2000. However, it was available in a few locations in the US until 2017.
McDonald's discontinued cheese pizza because it took 11 to 16 minutes to cook, which was out of sync with the restaurant's reputation for fast service.
As of 2017, McDonald's cheese pizza was available at three locations in the US: two locations in Ohio and West Virginia, and one in Florida.
