In honor of America’s 250th birthday, McDonald’s is bringing back one of its most nostalgic menu items — the fried apple pie.
The fast food giant announced Tuesday that the beloved treat is making its return for the first time in more than 30 years. Beginning June 23, customers can find the fried apple pie at most McDonald’s locations across the country for a limited time.
McDonald’s isn’t the only chain getting into the patriotic spirit. Burger King recently launched its Firecracker Cookie Pie, featuring a sugar cookie crust topped with red, white, and blue star-shaped sprinkles. Sonic is selling a red, white, and blue slush float for $2.50, while Hardee’s is offering an iced Star-Spangled Biscuit decorated with red and blue sprinkles.
Here’s a closer look at the history of McDonald’s fried apple pie by the numbers:
1968: That’s the year McDonald’s first introduced the fried apple pie, along with the iconic Big Mac. A McDonald’s franchisee in Tennessee named Litton Cochran created the rectangle-shaped pie, which came packaged in a cardboard sleeve. The year 1968 was historically significant, marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis and Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, widespread protests against the Vietnam War, and the passage of a federal law banning housing discrimination.
1992: McDonald’s swapped out the fried version for a baked apple pie at most of its U.S. restaurants that year, responding to increased public concern about fat and cholesterol in the diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also released its first food guide pyramid in 1992. Notably, the fried apple pie never disappeared entirely — it has remained on McDonald’s menus in several other countries, including Mexico, Australia, and China.
230: That’s the calorie count in McDonald’s baked apple pie — actually 10 more calories than the fried version, according to the company’s own website. For comparison, a cup of boiled lentils, a single almond Snickers bar, and a grande coffee Frappuccino from Starbucks each contain roughly the same number of calories.
130: The number of members currently in the Facebook group called “Bring Back the Original McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie.”
170 million: The number of American-grown apples McDonald’s says it uses each year at its U.S. restaurants.
35: The height in feet of a massive fried apple pie installation McDonald’s is placing along Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, near its Chicago headquarters. That’s roughly the same height as a three-story building or certain species of palm trees. The oversized pie is scheduled to remain on display through July 4.
