McDLT

McDLT
A shallow angle of a white, double-compartment foam burger container. A hand is lifting the lid clean off. The container and the lid both resemble opened clamshell containers on their own. A narrow divider separates the two burger buns lying inside. There is lettuce, cheese and tomato slices on the left bun, and a beef patty on the right bun.
Alternative namesMcDonald's Lettuce and Tomato
TypeHamburger
Place of originLufkin, Texas, United States
Serving temperatureHot and cold ingredients in separated compartments
Main ingredientsBeef patty, bun, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, pickles, condiments

The McDLT was a hamburger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's from 1984 to 1991. The product's marketing focused on keeping the hot and cold components separate until the customer assembled them, popularized by the slogan "Keep the hot side hot, and the cool side cool."

McDonald's discontinued the sandwich in early 1991, citing complaints about its bulky polystyrene packaging, which caused logistical difficulties in restaurant kitchens and environmental concerns. Later accounts have described the McDLT as a failed McDonald's product.

History

In the mid-1980s, McDonald's sought to introduce menu items positioned as fresher or lighter options to compete with the Whopper from rival chain Burger King. Reporting on the chain's expansion into fresh vegetables noted that McDonald's had historically resisted placing lettuce and tomato on burgers, fearing the hot meat would wilt the ingredients and make the bun soggy. McDonald's developed a dual-compartment sandwich package that physically separated the hot and cold components. The burger was invented by Wil May, a Lufkin, Texas franchisee. It rolled out nationwide in 1985 as the McDLT.

McDonald's use of polystyrene foam packaging became a frequent target of environmental criticism during the late 1980s. Activists often cited the McDLT's large container as a symbol of excessive waste. In late 1990, amid growing public and regulatory pressure, McDonald's announced it would phase out foam packaging. The chain discontinued the McDLT in January 1991, replacing it with the McLean Deluxe, a lower-fat burger that did not use the dual-compartment packaging.

McDonald's revisited the "hot and cold" concept in later years with the Big N' Tasty, though it was served in standard cardboard and paper packaging. In 2025, Al Roker said he wished McDonald's would bring back the McDLT.

Product and packaging

Patent illustration of the dual-compartment packaging

The McDLT was served in a specialized, extra-wide dual-compartment polystyrene (Styrofoam) container. One side held the bottom bun and the hot beef patty, while the other side held the top bun, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, pickles, and sauces. The customer was instructed to flip the "cool" side onto the "hot" side immediately before eating.

The dual-compartment clamshell packaging created operational challenges in McDonald's kitchens. The container was nearly double the size of a standard burger box, which required special equipment for storing it after preparation to heat one side while cooling the other, and it occupied twice as much space in the bins (chutes) behind the counter. Critics also noted that the empty space above the "hot" side allowed the beef patty to quickly lose heat, often resulting in a tepid sandwich by the time it was eaten.[failed verification]

Serious Eats later pointed to uneven temperature control and the need for customers to assemble the sandwich as possible reasons for its failure.

Marketing and media

Marketing for the McD.L.T. used the tagline "Keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool." A 1985 television commercial featured Jason Alexander singing and dancing in a Broadway-style production promoting the sandwich's unique packaging. Other commercials featured Aretha Franklin, Jerry Butler, and Janet Hubert. In competitive analysis of the time, the McDLT was considered a major "signature" sandwich intended to rival the Whopper.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Edwards, John M. (August 10, 2018). "Blast from the Past: The McDLT". Serious Eats. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  2. ↑ Bhasin, Kim. "12 McDonald's Menu Items That Failed Spectacularly". Business Insider. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  3. ↑ Andrew, Amelinckx. "What Happened To McDonald's McDLT Burger". Chowhound. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ "McDonald's Tosses Up a Salad". The Washington Post. April 10, 1986. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ US 4537326, Kuhn, Jr., William E. & Phelan, Jr., William W., "Dual compartment sandwich package", issued August 20, 1985
  6. ↑ Harris, Trace (June 12, 2024). "Friends remember McDLT inventor". The Lufkin Daily News.
  7. 1 2 "McDonald's Double Clam Shell Container". National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ Farhi, Paul (November 2, 1990). "McDonald's Trashing Its Foam Containers". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ Flores, Geca. "Al Roker Really Wants McDonald's to Bring Back Favorite Item Discontinued in the '90s". Parade. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ "What Happened To McDonald's McDLT Burger". Chowhound. January 27, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  11. ↑ Pinkham, C.A. "The Failed McDonald's Burger With The Hot Side And Cold Side". Daily Meal. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ Lewis, James. "Jason Alexander Sings About How To Make A BLT In 'Lost' '80s McDonald's Ad". Mashed. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ McCarter, Reid. "Watch a young Jason Alexander, moved by McDonald's burgers, sing and dance in fast food joy". AV Club. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ "The McDonald's McDLT: George Costanza Takes on the Whopper". Everything 80s Podcast. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Wendy's research serves" (PDF). Quirk's Marketing Research Review: 8. February 1987. Retrieved January 22, 2026.