What Really Happened To McDonald's McFeast Burger?

Updated on April 23, 2024, to clarify that the McFeast was once available on American menus.

If you've never heard of the McFeast and are wondering if you blinked then missed some extra-limited release, relax; this isn't something featured on the McDonald's menu in the U.S. anytime recently. A pair of retro commercials on YouTube show the McFeast was available on American menus in the late 1970s, featuring lettuce, mayo, onions, pickles, and tomatoes with a single patty on a bakery roll. However, it appears short-lived, scantly leaving other marks behind.

Nowadays, the McFeast is associated with a Land Down Under (you know, the one "where women glow and men plunder"). This Australian entree is like the Big Mac, only instead of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun (there, now the Big Mac song is stuck in your head), it has a single patty, a tomato slice but no onions, and the special sauce is a blend of three: ketchup, mustard, and McChicken sauce.

When McDonald's Australia dropped the McFeast from its menu in 2021, people were upset. It seems, though, this item has long had a habit of appearing and disappearing. It was around in the '80s and also the '90s — until it wasn't. It returned in a slightly-revamped version in 2009 only to vanish again and reappear once more in 2011 for another limited-time run. As of May 2023, though, the McFeast came back, although again, its time was limited. Even in the Antipodes, Mickey D's seems fond of playing McRib-type games.

Australia isn't the only country to have a McFeast on the menu lately — although, if you'll note the choice of our indefinite as opposed to definite article, the reason why we say "a" instead of "the" McFeast is because South Africa's burger isn't quite the same as the one being sold on the other side of the world. For one thing, it has two beef patties instead of just one. For another, it has onions but no pickles. The most significant difference, however, is that while it, too, is topped with McChicken sauce, the ketchup and mustard are replaced by something called "braai sauce."

What, exactly, is braai sauce? It's not something the South African McDonald's menu has need to explain to its customers, as it's a favorite condiment in that country. "Braai" is an Afrikaans term used to mean "barbecue," and the sauce is something that might not seem amiss at an American BBQ, as it's a cooked sauce made with a base of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and vinegar that's flavored with brown sugar, yellow mustard, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.

It does contain one element that is a bit different but sounds quite tasty: peach chutney, which adds a little extra sweetness to this tangy sauce. It's not your typical burger topping, perhaps, but it is one more reason for us to be envious of McDonald's overseas offerings.