12 Discontinued Fast Food Items That Still Have Cult Followings

One of the best things about fast food chains is consistency. No matter where in the country you are, you can go to a McDonald's, order a Big Mac, and know exactly what you're going to get. There's something comforting, too, about knowing that DQ is always going to have Blizzards on the menu, you'll always find curly fries at Arby's, and that a trip through Wendy's drive-thru always holds the possibility of a Frosty. But the truth is that menu items do come and go, and there are a number of one-time fast food staples that we're (probably) never going to see again.

Sure, even the giants like McDonald's end up discontinuing items that no one is actually going to miss, but sometimes, it's major fan favorites that end up disappearing. And fans? Well, sometimes, they're not ready to let their favorites go quietly into the night.

Let's look at the stories behind some of those now, because fans' devotion to keeping the memory of their favorite foods alive is a beautiful thing. From petitions to social media pages, the outcry is real: And sometimes, it works. In 2022, Taco Bell brought back the Mexican Pizza because there were so many fans clamoring for its reinstatement, and as of this writing, McDonald's is planning to bring back its beloved Snack Wraps, so to all you dedicated fans out there, that's our reminder not to give up hope.

It's safe to say that there are some varying opinions on just how good McDonald's foray into the world of pizza was, but you'll commonly see mentions of it popping up on social media pages dedicated to the '90s. Whenever the McPizza shows up on Reddit, it gets a ton of attention from fans saying that it was one of the best things on the menu, with some even saying that it was better than Pizza Hut's pan pizzas. Others suggest we're just remembering it that way, but honestly? The days are long, the world is weird, and let's all agree that if we can take comfort in the memory of the McPizza, that's all right.

Some are quick to add that technically, you can still get this old-time favorite at one location: International Drive in Orlando, Florida. (We will add that it's not on the menu for delivery, so the Redditors who suggest you'll need to go on a McPilgramage seem correct.) For the rest of the country, the McPizza disappeared in stages. It was pretty much completely extinct by 2000, and the problem wasn't reception but a simple matter of the time, equipment, and space needed. Change.org petitions have sprung up and fizzled, but don't give up hope: McDonald's Germany has pizza pockets on the menu, so maybe Americans will get their McD's pizza fix once again.

Dipping sauce can make or break your fast food lunch, and anyone who's gone through a drive-thru, left, and found sauces missing knows that the disappointment is real. Back in 2017, that disappointment turned into outright hatred thanks to the bizarre joke in a television show and a reference to a dipping sauce that was already 19 years old. 

The O.G. Szechuan Sauce from McDonald's was only meant to be a temporary thing alongside the release of Disney's "Mulan," and it's entirely possible that may have been the end of the story. Fast-forward to 2017, and the sauce got a mention in "Rick and Morty," where it was used to basically suggest that life is as pointless and stupid as the search for a long-gone dipping sauce. In a massively ironic twist, that's exactly what fans decided they needed to do. McDonald's was apparently on board with it, announcing a new, very limited one-day release. Things went sideways when demand vastly outmatched the supply, and in some places, police were called to quell angry, dip-less crowds. A 2018 rerelease was meant to make things right, and fans are still obsessed. It was released again as an ultra-limited, app-only special in 2022.

Taco Bell's 1980s-era seafood salad might not be making a return to the menu soon, but we do have some good news for those who joined the Beefy Crunch Movement. At the time of this writing, Taco Bell is conducting some market testing on a new version of the fan-favorite burrito. It's not precisely the same — it's now being called the Flamin' Hot Burrito — and it remains to be seen as to whether or not purists will be happy. And those fans are serious, with some proud to fly very literal flags showing their dedication to the cause. Others have opted for tattoos. 

The Beefy Crunch Burrito was originally meant to be a limited release, and it's returned a few times. When it was briefly rereleased in 2018, the social media campaign to keep it around was so big that Taco Bell even confirmed that fan fervor is what convinced the chain to keep bringing the burrito back. Taco Bell told Forbes: "It's their advocacy and love for the burrito that continues to bring it back on a limited time basis."

That's a pretty wonderful thing. It remains to be seen just what's going to happen with the Flamin' Hot Burrito, but Taco Bell is listening, and sometimes, fan movements do matter.

It seems as though people these days can't agree on much, but we'll go out on a limb and say that a lot of people would agree that Burger King's Cini Minis were pretty perfect. They debuted back in 1998, and it's unclear just why they were removed from the menu.

What is clear is that people weren't happy about it. In a massive Reddit thread dedicated to Cini Minis, one Redditor summed up the prevalent attitude: "I think and dream about them once a week ... [Every time] I watch the commercial 'BK have it your way' all I can think is I cannot have it my way because they got rid of [Cini Minis]." There are sweet stories of fans remembering now-departed loved ones picking up Cini Minis for them, and others say that the tiny iced cinnamon buns were their pregnancy craving. A Change.org petition garnered thousands of signatures, but Cini Minis remain tantalizingly elusive.

That's not to say they've disappeared completely. While they have been discontinued, they were briefly offered via GrubHub in 2018. In 2024, they reappeared for a limited time. There was, however, a massive catch that left most of the nation with jealous cravings: Fans needed to go to Fort Lauderdale or Miami to get them.

Reddit has a question for you, KFC. Are you listening? Because it starts with "What the heck!?" and quickly dissolves into demands that potato wedges be returned to the menu. Many put forward the opinion that the potato wedges were the best thing on the chain's menu, and even the reason to go to KFC in the first place.

Some Redditors who claimed to be KFC employees offered their thoughts on the discontinued fan favorite, with one explaining that fries are easier and faster to make and, at the end of the day, sold really well. Others suggest there's a cost factor, too, and fries are just cheaper for the chain to produce and cook. But we ask: Are they big sellers because they're good or because they're there, and getting fries is just what you do at a fast food chain?

Several Change.org petitions were started, earning a few thousand signatures. It's possible, though, that KFC has heard the grumbling and is paying attention. The beloved KFC side dish made a brief return in Florida in 2025, and along with the announcement was an acknowledgement from the chain that yes, the fans were still angry, still complaining, and still wanted their wedges back.

It makes sense that Taco Bell's Enchirito has a massive fan base even years after it first disappeared from the menu in 1993. It was a staple for decades, created in 1968 and ringing in the 1970s as a massive hit. It was pretty brilliant, too, marketed as an entire meal that was easy to reheat. The Enchirito had tons of fans and still does.

There are social media communities dedicated to keeping the Enchirito's memory alive, and they're active at the time of this writing. Redditors want it back, too, with many noting that there's no reason the chain can't make them. All of the Enchirito's ingredients are still stocked for other items, so what gives, Taco Bell? 

Some have taken a crack at making their own, and it's that red sauce that's hard to get right. Others say they've hacked the menu to create an approximation of this fan favorite, and we have to add that yes, it has technically returned to the menu a few times, including from 1999 to 2013 and again in 2022. It wasn't the same, though, and unhappy customers complained about a weird, gummy texture, that it had been downsized from a full meal to a burrito, and that the sauce just didn't cut it.

There are a lot of bizarre ingredient pairings that are surprisingly delicious, but it's no surprise that coleslaw and a chicken sandwich were made to be together. The crunch of the chicken, the creaminess of the slaw ... it's one of those things that seems so natural that it came as a shock when Chick-fil-A discontinued its coleslaw in 2016. The move made a lot of people angry, especially longtime fans who remember ordering it back in the late 1960s. 

Plenty of Redditors claim that they simply stopped going to Chick-fil-A, because coleslaw just makes the experience. In 2023, Chick-fil-A confirmed that it was still getting a ton of complaints about the missing coleslaw, yet in spite of all the outcry, the decision stood.

We do have to give Chick-fil-A some major kudos, though. While it was clear the coleslaw wasn't going to be coming back, the chain did the next best thing and shared the official recipe for it. In a Facebook post detailing the simple recipe of cabbage and carrots seasoned with salt, dry mustard, and sugar covered in mayo and white vinegar, Chick-fil-A wrote, "We know it's not the same as getting it here, but we wanted you to know you can enjoy it at home or at family gatherings!" Classy move, Chick-fil-A.

Deep-fried pizza might be popular in Scotland, but for a time, it was fried apple pies that were the darling of everyone's eye — specifically, the ones from McDonald's. Pies have been on the McDonald's menu as long as the Big Mac has, but there are a ton of people on Reddit who still lament the loss of the fried version that was discontinued in 1992. (In some countries, however, they're still fried: That featured image is from Malaysia.) If you're wondering why the fried pies were discontinued, a popular opinion on Reddit is that it's because they were deep-fried to be perfectly, deliciously crisp on the outside ... and approximately the temperature of the sun on the inside.

While McD's does still have pies, anyone of a certain age knows that today's pies are vastly inferior. They've been overhauled a few times: They're baked instead of fried, and in 2018, ingredients were modified again. Now, all that's left is a love for that perfect combination of crispy crust and apple-and-lava interior, living on in Reddit and social media groups dedicated to preserving the memories.

Once in a while, a fast food item comes along that is so outrageous and so aggressively American that it seems like it can't possibly be real. That was KFC's Double Down, a bacon and cheese sandwich that swapped the bread for fried chicken because of course it did. It debuted in 2010, and it's come back several times since then, including an appearance in 2014.

The Double Down is one of those sandwiches that frequently becomes the topic of Reddit threads, with customers appealing to those in the know for some inside information on when it's going to show up again. In one thread where Redditors claiming to work for KFC confirmed there was no talk of making it a regular item, one Double Down devotee responded by asking, "How would I at least go about preparing my own double down chicken burger at home while I just wait around in agonizing pain. Hunger counts as pain. In fact, it is the worst type of torment of all time."

KFC did bring the sandwich back in 2023, and there were plenty of people who weren't sure how to feel about that. Many were thrilled, some loved the idea of a keto-friendly sandwich, and others felt the way Stephen Colbert did back in 2010: "This is deep-fried madness. It is breaded insanity" (via HuffPost).

Back in 2022, McDonald's announced the "Farewell Tour" of the notorious McRib, but then, much like countless musical acts, we learned that the farewell tour really wasn't a goodbye, and the McRib was back in 2023. This incredibly polarizing sandwich disappears and reappears so often that it's impossible to list all of the times it's made it onto the menu, so let's talk about the weirdness here.

The McRib is a love-it-or-hate-it thing in a way that few fast food items are, with a ton of Redditors celebrating the almost inevitable return of the sandwich, and others wondering why it's even a thing in the first place. Then there's the third camp, summed up by a Redditor who said, "It defies all laws of gastronomy. How can something be so nasty and so delicious at the same time?"

Bizarrely, the McRib's history goes back to a 1960s military research experiment to basically Frankenstein leftover meat bits together into something edible. (We are absolutely, 100% serious.) McDonald's used the idea of restructured meat first for chicken nuggets and then for the McRib. It was released in 1982, lasted only about a year as a regular menu item, and has since become a recurring special that fans love ... or love to hate.

This one's a little different, as it's not a single discontinued food item but an entire experience that scores of GenXers, Xennials, and Millennials still discuss with a fond yearning on countless Reddit threads. We're talking about the Wendy's SuperBar, and that name was serious. The all-you-can-eat buffet was divided into several sections: You could get pizza and pasta at the Italian section and build your own burritos at the Mexican station, and yes, there was a whole section devoted to desserts, too.

SuperBars started popping up in the late 1980s, and unlimited access cost just $3.99 for dinner. They had mostly disappeared by the mid-1990s, and if there's anything that makes us wish for a time machine, it's that.

We're not alone in that, either, and there's plenty of reminiscing going on at Reddit. Even better, this was also the time when Wendy's had sunrooms, which get just as much attention from those who grew up taking their plates of SuperBar nachos and burritos to go sit in a windowed room that was open to the sky. Those were good times.

Now, before we get anyone shaking their fists at us, we'll say that yes, some Taco Bell locations still carry the beloved 1990s classic that is the Chili Cheese Burrito. However, it was officially dropped from the nationwide menu during the '90s. That's a shame, but we kind of get it. The beef used was only for that single product, so if there was anything destined for the chopping block, it's that.

Even in the places where the Chili Cheese Burrito isn't sold, it's far from forgotten. Reddit conversations reveal some serious jealousy for those who post that they're living in an area with these '90s favorites, with one Redditor claiming, "If there was a town that had [Chili Cheese Burritos] and [the] volcano menu, honest to god, I'd vacation there."

Chili Cheese Burritos today tend to be much more expensive than the original 79 cents, and lately, there's been chatter that more and more locations are carrying this fan favorite. While it's not clear if we're going to see it make a full comeback, we do have good news: Fans are so dedicated that they've created a Chili Cheese Burrito Locator, which shows all the stores where you'll find it.