The 1990s McDonald's Homestyle Menu Item Customers Were Torn Over

The world of fast food thrives on innovation. Chains constantly test new ideas to see what will be a hit. McDonald's didn't start with McNuggets and the Big Mac on the menu, after all. Those were innovations that proved their worth. A lot of trial and error goes into perfecting a fast food menu, which is why McDonald's past is full of discontinued menu items like McSpaghetti and McPizza. Back in the day, the chain even experimented with McSoup.

In the early 1990s, McDonald's partnered with Campbell's to offer homestyle soups in a variety of flavors. Chicken Noodle, Vegetable Beef, Cream of Potato, Boston Clam Chowder, and Chili Con Carne were all available, with Broccoli Cheddar a clear fan favorite. The soup was tested in markets in the late 1980s before becoming more widespread. Some sources suggest flavors like chicken noodle were tested regionally as far back as the 1970s. International locations still offer soup, like the corn soup available at McDonald's in Taiwan. McDonald's Portugal has several soups, including pea and carrot.

According to those who remember, McSoup was shipped to stores in plastic bags to be reheated on-site, rather than cooked in the restaurant. Low demand has been cited as one of the chief reasons the soup did not remain as a menu staple, as well as operational complexities. Soup has found a place on many other fast food menus, but it's not a thing people expect from McDonald's, and that may have tempered its success.

While some people only speculated the soup was just Campbell's, others who claimed to have worked at McDonald's confirmed it. "Bag even said Campbell's. My store had broccoli, tomato, and chicken noodle," said one Redditor. Another Redditor said that, even though it was Campbell's, "It honestly tasted better than the can." That means it's not as simple as buying a can and making it at home if you want to recreate the experience.

One thing worth remembering is that this soup from McDonald's was referred to as homestyle. Years later, Campbell's introduced a line of Homestyle soup in cans, including several of the same flavors offered at McDonald's. Traditional Campbell's is condensed, while Homestyle versions are ready-to-serve, like McSoup, and are designed to taste more like homemade. This version probably tastes closer to the McSoup of old, though it's hard to say without a direct comparison.

Of all the soup flavors, there's one that gets reminisced about most by people online. "The broccoli and cheese soup was greatness in a cup," according to one Redditor. The sentiment was echoed by others, including those who recommended dipping fries and even cheeseburgers in the soup. One Redditor even said, "I think about this soup weekly. I loved it." That's a heck of an endorsement for soup that's not been around for a couple of decades. You may not be able to try the real thing anymore, and if you can't find Homestyle cans in your local supermarket, we have a recipe for a classic broccoli cheddar soup that might hit the spot.