Is the Big Arch Being Discontinued? Here’s What We Know

When food historians look back at the first few months of 2026, they may well refer to it as the Big Arch Era. In my opinion, that would be slightly less to do with the McDonald’s burger than with the endless furore that accompanied it, due to the infamous moment that CEO Chris Kempczinski took a tiny bite out of the sandwich, prompting news headlines everywhere (after which, he sat down with the Wall Street Journal, blaming it on his Mom and taking another small bite out of a chicken nugget).

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Throughout all this, though, the Big Arch stood tall as one of its biggest releases of the year. Now, though, it looks like McDonald’s might be quietly quitting on its burger, and people aren’t happy. Here’s what we know so far.

The Big Arch Burger: Too Much, Too Soon?

The Big Arch officially launched in the US in early March, and while we didn’t love it, a lot of other people did. On Reddit, a lot of people have stated that it’s taken the Big Mac’s place in their hearts as a superior burger that delivers the same feeling of abundance, but with an elevated feel. It’s taken a second, but it’s gently emerged as a bit of an MVP on the McDonald’s menu.

Now, though, it looks like it’s starting to be removed from menus. In the same Reddit thread mentioned above, one customer noted that the Big Arch is no longer available at their local store – and that they now have to drive a significant distance to get to a McDonald’s that does. This gentle disappearance hasn’t been received too well by customers, some of whom have said that its removal from the menu might mean the end of their patronage at the restaurant. The stakes are very high.

So, Why Is It Being Removed?

Well, the fact of the matter is that the Big Arch was never actually a permanent item to begin with. It’s always been billed as a limited-time burger, and so, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that it’s starting to fade from existence. It should be said, though, that the Big Arch is a permanent item in the UK and was made so after its initial launch, so it definitely had a chance of sticking around in the US. People were holding out hope, but alas, it looks like it wasn’t to be.

Others have alluded to the CEO moment as a reason why it was destined to fail. “The CEO’s clear distaste for the product in that ad made it impossible for it to be a hit,” said a commenter on Reddit. That’s just opinion, of course – and it could well be the case that it comes back later in the year. We’ll just have to wait and see. At least we have its new official secret menu to comfort us.