McDonald’s called its 1990s premium-positioned adult burger line the Arch Deluxe.
The Arch Deluxe was launched in 1996 as an attempt to attract adults with a more sophisticated fast-food image. Its advertising emphasized adult tastes and used a campaign that contrasted the burger with children’s preferences. The product included a quarter-pound beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, bacon, and a mustard-and-mayonnaise sauce on a bakery-style bun.
Despite a substantial marketing campaign, the Arch Deluxe did not achieve the expected sales and was eventually discontinued. Its history is often discussed as an example of the difficulty of changing a familiar mass-market brand’s tone while keeping the product recognizable.
The name is sometimes confused with later McDonald’s menu items containing “Deluxe.” The Arch Deluxe was a specific 1996 product and branding campaign, not a general name for every upgraded burger.