McDonald's axes Georgie Pie

9 June 2020 - Seven years after McDonald's brought back Georgie Pie to widespread excitement, the company is taking them off the menu again due to lack of demand. 'We know there will be disappointed Georgie Pie fans out there, and this is not a decision we have taken lightly,' said Dave Howse, McDonald’s New Zealand’s managing director. Existing stock of the single flavour offered, Steak Mince 'N' Cheese Pies, will be run down over the next few weeks. They have already been withdrawn from some outlets.

'It's the brand  that, for many people, defined a Kiwi childhood,' we wrote back in 2013, when the return of Georgie Pie made the front cover of Franchise New Zealand. A campaign to bring it back attracted over 57,000 likes on its Facebook page, and when McDonald's launched its initial trial, 'The hordes rushed in and we got absolutely slammed,' reported Mark Rush, who owned the Queen Street, Auckland, franchise. But, like the original Georgie Pie concept which lasted barely 20 years, it wasn't sustainable in the long term, even though the pies were sold through existing McDonald's restaurants rather than stand-alone stores. Tastes have moved on, and further 'Bring back Georgie Pie' campaigns seem unlikely to succeed. Read our original coverage of the return of Georgie Pie here.