I remember when they launched this in Canada, and I thought, "What are they doing?" It just seemed like that generation of McDonald's executives wanted to control the entire fast food market by doing that. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had then added fried chicken to take out KFC, and/or upgraded the quality of their ice cream offerings to go after Dairy Queen (though the latter attempt would have been compromised by their notoriously malfunctioning ice cream makers).
The McDonald brothers did not serve pizza at the original McDonalds, nor did Ray Kroc insist on adding it when he franchised the chain around the world. Pizza is a "slow" food that takes time to be made well, and therefore it doesn't jell with the "fast" way McDonald's operates.
I think the company has learned since then to stay in its lane, with their major product upgrades focusing on things they were already serving and could be presented economically (e.g. coffee) and not things that would break the franchisee's banks. And thus, they remain in business, while Pizza Hut, which inspired the ill-conceived pizza venture, is no longer as popular as it once was...
I vividly remember trying one of the personal McPizzas at a McDonald's in Springfield, MO, when I was in college in the early 90s. First bite: "Hey, this is pretty good!" Second bite: "I mean, it's... okay." By the last bite: "I will never order this again."
And I never did.
The novelty of eating pizza at McDonald's could only carry a substandard product so far. They just weren't that good.
I tried McPizza in Las Vegas, which seems like a good place to have found it. I remember it being decent but not particularly distinct. The most memorable part was the cumbersome wire rack you mentioned and the wait before there was a pizza to put on it. It's as intriguing to McDonald's as it is unworkable. McRisotto wouldn't work, either.
Our local mcdonalds in rural Maine became a "McCafe" in the early 90s and added pizza. It was a set price for all you can eat and, as a high school student, I loved it. I also think they had a steady stream of pizzas cooking and would bring out slices? personal pies? to your table. You could flag down a server and ask for another round.
People driving hundreds of miles for McDonalds Pizza; I love it! I also love the graphic design where horizontal McDonald's Arches are used for Z's.
I remember when they launched this in Canada, and I thought, "What are they doing?" It just seemed like that generation of McDonald's executives wanted to control the entire fast food market by doing that. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had then added fried chicken to take out KFC, and/or upgraded the quality of their ice cream offerings to go after Dairy Queen (though the latter attempt would have been compromised by their notoriously malfunctioning ice cream makers).
The McDonald brothers did not serve pizza at the original McDonalds, nor did Ray Kroc insist on adding it when he franchised the chain around the world. Pizza is a "slow" food that takes time to be made well, and therefore it doesn't jell with the "fast" way McDonald's operates.
I think the company has learned since then to stay in its lane, with their major product upgrades focusing on things they were already serving and could be presented economically (e.g. coffee) and not things that would break the franchisee's banks. And thus, they remain in business, while Pizza Hut, which inspired the ill-conceived pizza venture, is no longer as popular as it once was...
I vividly remember trying one of the personal McPizzas at a McDonald's in Springfield, MO, when I was in college in the early 90s. First bite: "Hey, this is pretty good!" Second bite: "I mean, it's... okay." By the last bite: "I will never order this again."
And I never did.
The novelty of eating pizza at McDonald's could only carry a substandard product so far. They just weren't that good.
I tried McPizza in Las Vegas, which seems like a good place to have found it. I remember it being decent but not particularly distinct. The most memorable part was the cumbersome wire rack you mentioned and the wait before there was a pizza to put on it. It's as intriguing to McDonald's as it is unworkable. McRisotto wouldn't work, either.
Our local mcdonalds in rural Maine became a "McCafe" in the early 90s and added pizza. It was a set price for all you can eat and, as a high school student, I loved it. I also think they had a steady stream of pizzas cooking and would bring out slices? personal pies? to your table. You could flag down a server and ask for another round.