Give Back Our KFC Potato Wedges
The evolution of fast food has given rise to some classic inventions. Well, maybe it's more accurate to call them "memorable" inventions—for better or worse. While some earned their spot as fond memories, others are best left in the dumpster where they came from. It's time we explored 10 discontinued fast food items we’re happy are gone, and 10 we miss terribly.
1. McDonald’s Hula Burger
This monstrosity from the ‘60s has been gone a long time, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Originally introduced as an alternative for Catholics who forgo meat on Fridays, this so-called burger swapped a meat patty for a grilled pineapple slice. It quickly became obsolete when the Filet-O-Fish was considered the better option.
2. Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut once tried to blend the best of both worlds with this little number. It didn’t last long. Between poor reviews from multiple publications, not to mention lackluster public opinion, this became a thing of the past pretty quickly.
3. Burger King’s Bacon Sundae
Say what you want about bacon or sundaes, but the two shouldn’t be mixed. That didn’t stop BK from launching their version of a bacon sundae back in 2012, a dessert loaded with bacon bits (or strips) coated in fudge and lain atop vanilla ice cream. Hard pass.
Wright Brand Bacon on Unsplash
4. McDonald’s McSpagetti
It’s not totally fair to say this is discontinued as it can still be found at the largest McDonald’s location in Orlando, Florida. However, it is fair to say that this never should have seen the light of day. We barely trust McDonald's with the menu items they have, let alone their pass at Italian food.
5. Wendy’s Frescata
Wendy’s had a line of cold sandwiches back in 2006 called Frescata, and it took little more than a year before the whole thing fell apart. Originally meant to compete with places like Subway, Wendy’s cold sandwiches took way too long to make and weren’t exactly received well. They got the axe in 2007.
6. Burger King’s Whopperito
We deserved better. Back in 2016, BK launched their version of a burger taco hybrid that essentially stuffed a Whopper into a tortilla. You also got queso instead of the usual condiments. It didn’t take long for the fast food chain to come to its senses and pull it off the menu.
7. KFC’s Cheeto Sandwich
You know, it’s okay to have Cheetos on the side. Not according to KFC apparently, who launched a limited-time sandwich complete with Cheetos stuffed in alongside their chicken. As you can imagine, it was a confusing take that was also difficult to eat, and ultimately not brought back.
8. Pizza Hut’s Priazzo
Once upon a time, Pizza Hut flew too close to the sun and came crashing down along with their invention, the Priazzo. In ‘85, the pizza chain introduced a pizza that was more pie-lasagna than what we all expected. It took too long to make and people dismissed it, leading to its timely demise in the early ‘90s.
Ed!(talk)(Hall of Fame) on Wikimedia
9. McDonald’s McLean Deluxe
Back before plant-based food was all the rave, McDonald’s had a rather literal take on the idea. The chain introduced the McLean Deluxe in 1991 and marketed it as a healthier option. They accomplished this with lean beef…with seaweed added in. They were discontinued not long after and we hope they’re all lying at the bottom of the ocean.
10. Burger King’s Enormous Omelet Sandwich
With a name like that, we probably should have anticipated the difficulty in eating it. Sausage, bacon, egg, and cheese were all stuffed in a self-proclaimed “huge” sandwich that beat the Whopper for calories. It also clocked in just shy of 2,000 milligrams of sodium. Surprisingly, consumers weren’t huge on having this for breakfast, and it was discontinued.
Now we're onto the discontinued items we wish they'd bring back!
1. KFC’s Potato Wedges
Not everyone is fond of KFC’s french fries, but just about everyone got on board with their potato wedges. So many people miss the superior potato, in fact, that a petition circulated demanding their resurgence—and it actually worked (kind of)! You can now get them in select locations.
2. Subway’s Frito Chicken Enchilada Melt
It’s been about 10 years since Subway’s limited-time sub made waves, but we’re here to rock the boat again. This delicious sub was loaded with chicken, enchilada sauce, and Fritos, all to a catchy commercial jingle we haven’t forgotten about either.
3. McDonald’s Dipped Cones
A working McDonald’s ice cream machine is hard enough to find, but even harder is their dipped cones. Back in the day, you could have their signature vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate, and it was a sweet treat we miss to this day.
4. Arby’s Potato Cakes
For some godforsaken reason, Arby’s pulled potato cakes off its menu and opted to replace them with crinkle fries. We’re not over the decision, especially not after the food chain brought them back…but only for Canadians.
Kenneth C. Zirkel on Wikimedia
5. KFC’s Double Down
It seems like not even KFC can part with the Double Down, and for that we’re grateful. However, this menu item often makes its way back for a limited time only, and we wish it was part of their regular lineup. We know it's bad for us, but that's the whole point.
Michael Saechang from Diamond Bar, USA on Wikimedia
6. McDonald’s Salad Shakers
The 2000s was a simpler time. We had beloved McDonald’s salad shakers that were not only affordable, but simple on-the-go options that offered a bit of fun. They were struck down in their prime to make room for the the chain’s premium salad line, but we still miss the good old days.
7. Sonic’s French Toaster
We don’t know what went wrong. Was it us, Sonic? Why did you only offer this menu item for a limited time? The good news is that Sonic kept a similar item on their menu with the Breakfast Toaster, but nothing quite beats french toast, not even Texas toast.
Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA on Wikimedia
8. McDonald’s Fried Apple Pies
Make no mistake, we know apple pies can still be found on the McDonald’s menu—but it’s not the one we want. Back in ‘92, McDonald’s swapped their fried pies for a baked substitute, and not a day has gone by that we don’t remember the good times. Thankfully, California and Hawaii still have the fried option.
9. Pizza Hut’s P’Zones
The P’Zone was a delectable calzone baked with parmesan-crusted pizza crust and loaded with pizza toppings. It first left Pizza Hut’s menu in the early 2000s and then came back in 2019, but it never stuck around for good. We wish it would.
10. McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce
Szechuan Sauce is kind of like the Double Down or McRib. Just when you think you’ve forgotten about it, lo and behold, it pops up again for a limited time. Well, we wish McDonald’s would just make it a staple already!
RightCowLeftCoast on Wikimedia
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