Why The Filet-O-Fish Was Taken Off McDonald's Menus In 1996, And How Angry Customers Reeled It Back

It might be a staple on McDonald's menu these days, but once upon a time Mickey D's monkeyed with the Filet-O-Fish and caused a near riot among their customers. In 1996, the fast food chain removed the sandwich from its menu, replacing it with the allegedly fancier McDonald's sandwich, the Fish Filet Deluxe. Like the Arch Deluxe (a discontinued McDonald's menu item most fans don't miss at all), which debuted around the same time, the Fish Filet Deluxe was a larger sandwich than the Filet-O-Fish, and it was marketed to older customers with a more discerning palate. 

The sandwiches shared a couple of the same toppings, such as cheese and tartar sauce. But the Fish Filet Deluxe added lettuce to the mix, came on a sesame seed bun, and was larger. Unfortunately, much like the rest of the Deluxe menu, the Fish Filet Deluxe was discontinued entirely by 2000. Removing the Filet-O-Fish to make way for the Fish Filet Deluxe in 1996 was likely part of the problem for the latter's demise. Public outcry quickly set in, letter-writing campaigns were launched, and petitions were sent out to gather signatures. This resulted in the Filet-O-Fish making its way back to the menu just a year later, in 1997.

Years later, customers look back on the whole Fish Filet Deluxe switch-up with bemusement. Former McDonald's employees especially remember how annoying it was, and laid to rest rumors about the size of the OG fish sandwich after its return. "They didn't keep using the bigger fish patty when they went back to the original Filet-O-Fish. I worked during those years. When they changed the sandwich back, they went back to the smaller patties," a commenter on r/nostalgia said. The ex-employee even claimed that they had to change the size of the fryer baskets they were using to better accommodate the smaller patties.

Unfortunately for some customers, size does matter, and they're thoroughly unimpressed with how tiny the Filet-O-Fish has gotten since its comeback. "I've been eating the filet-o-fish since its inception, and it is much smaller now than it used to be and is no longer worth my money, which is sad because I always loved it," a customer said. Still, it has the flavor that keeps McDonald's fans coming back for more, and is beloved as one of the best fast food fish sandwiches out there. And, ironically, the Fish Filet Deluxe has now become a discontinued fast food fish sandwich that fans miss.