The Other Fishy McDonald's Item That Only Lasted A Few Months

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish was initially introduced to make up for plummeting burger sales as people avoided meat during Lent. Fish and McDonald's sales have had an interesting connection ever since. Back in 2013, the company introduced Fish McBites — a bite-sized dippable fish snack that the company expected would do well in Happy Meals. Made from the same Alaskan pollock used in the Filet-O-Fish patty, the fried fish snack was introduced that February to coincide with Lent. Despite being a limited-time offering, the company planned to make it a recurring menu item once sales picked up. However, that never happened and Fish McBites were officially taken off the menu in April 2013, merely two months after being introduced.

While the fish snack didn't get the expected public response, it's still noteworthy just how quickly it was discontinued. Turns out Fish McBites came at a time when McDonald's was facing sagging profits. When the Fish McBites didn't perform fast enough, they were likely dropped in order to cut losses. While there are lots of menu items and even McDonaldland characters that have disappeared, few have gotten the axe as swiftly as Fish McBites.

There were several seemingly solid reasons why Fish McBites was supposed to be a hit with the public. In addition to the Lent-adjacent debut, the menu item also aligned with internal research showing increased demand from parents for more seafood options. The snack was based on the already popular Chicken McBites, too. The Fish McBites were thus introduced as a Happy Meal option, plus 10-piece, 15-piece, and 30-piece servings that came with tartar sauce. Considering the bites were almost like miniature versions of the Filet-O-Fish patty, it's also likely that developing and introducing the product to McDonald's supply chain was relatively simple. Brian Irwin, who was marketing director for McDonald's USA at the time, even said that they'd consider bringing the Fish McBites back periodically if they were successful.

It appears that McDonald's had pinned rather a lot of hopes on the Fish McBites since the company had recently seen a monthly decline in sales for the first time in almost a decade. The Fish McBites signified one of the only new additions to the Happy Meal menu in almost a decade as well.