10 '90s Fast Food Items That Deserve A Comeback

The 1990s were an adventurous time for the fast food industry. McDonald's began partnering with famous basketball players, Pizza Hut was redefining the pizza pie, and Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, was the star of the chain's iconic commercials. The climate was competitive as ever, resulting in one of fast food history's most memorable eras. Classics like Taco Bell's Enchirito and the Triple Deckeroni from Pizza Hut, along with duds like McDonald's Arch Deluxe, were all introduced during the decade. Some would become permanent menu items, others, recurring limited releases, while the rest disappeared into the annals of time.

In many cases, it makes sense why chains discontinue certain items, be it poor sales, limited supply, or cost of production. That said, sometimes the reasons aren't as clear, like in the case of Little Caesars' short-lived French fry crust pizza — one of countless menu items that sound incredible on paper but somehow failed to stick the landing. Fast food has come a long way, and in our opinion, all some of these bygone menu concepts need is an update and a second chance. 

Originally released in 1995 for a limited time, the Double Decker taco features ground beef, lettuce, and cheese inside a taco shell fastened to a flour tortilla with a layer of refried beans. It was an innovative fusion of taco and burrito at the time. The beans, which are typically only found in Taco Bell burritos, are used like an edible adhesive. 

After its short-lived introduction, the Double Decker resurfaced 11 years later, this time as a permanent menu item, until it was discontinued in 2019 to make way for new food items and meals. The removal left long-time fans disappointed, and even more so when Taco Bell teased a comeback in 2022, pitting the Double Decker against the Enchirito in a poll, of which the winner would reclaim menu real estate. The Enchirito ultimately emerged victorious, causing an uproar across social media.

Fans invented hacks to fill their Double Decker void until Taco Bell granted a limited time fulfillment to their wishes in 2023, and again in 2024, for just 20 days. Locations have all the necessary ingredients, so why not just make the Double Decker permanent? There's even a similar menu item named the Double Stacked taco that has nacho cheese sauce in place of refried beans. 

18 years after their debut in 1997, fans still sing the praises of Wendy's Fresh Stuffed Pitas. There were four varieties to choose from: garden ranch chicken, chicken Caesar with shredded parmesan, classic Greek with feta cheese, and veggie, each featuring toasted pita bread stuffed with fresh vegetables and/or chicken chunks. Marketed as a more nutritious menu offering, Fresh Stuffed Pitas were a breath of fresh air in a landscape dominated by traditional fast food fare.

We're not sure why Wendy's discontinued this fast food item in 2000, but we presume due to poor sales. There are endless Reddit threads and articles that lament the removal of Wendy's stuffed pitas. Unlike others on this list, Fresh Stuffed Pitas never got a second go-round. However, there is a semi-silver lining. You can recreate something similar with the chain's parmesan Caesar salad, which comes with your choice of Caesar or ranch dressing, along with pita bread from the grocery store. To recreate the classic Greek with feta, you'll have to purchase the dressing and feta from the store as well.

It's 1991. Basketball player Michael Jordan is building a legendary career with the Chicago Bulls, and McDonald's just released the "McJordan Special," his version of a Quarter Pounder. It was made with traditional Quarter Pounder ingredients, along with barbecue sauce and bacon, which apparently, was how Jordan grew up eating burgers. Despite MJ's celebrity, the burger only cost $1.89 plus tax, subsequently selling out across hundreds of Chicago locations. It was such a hit that McDonald's extended the availability and started offering it at locations in North and South Carolina and Alabama, and Tennessee.

The McJordan had one more limited run in 1993 before disappearing into the depths of McDonald's lore, but like many others, it's worthy of a reintroduction. Imagine a series of basketball legend-themed meals. The McJordan, in fact, coincided with the release of the "Big 33," a burger inspired by Larry Bird, the legendary small forward of the Boston Celtics. It was made with the same ingredients, sans mustard. You can still find the McJordan Special commercials on YouTube, which feature team members like B.J. Armstrong, Stacey King and Craig Hodges, among others.

Pizza Hut was on a creative streak during the '90s, when it dreamed up classics like Stuffed Crust pizza, the Big New Yorker and the Bigfoot. The latter, inspired by the massive mythological forest dweller, was two feet in length with 21 square slices. It came out in 1993. The Bigfoot offered more bang for your buck, 25 percent more than two 12-inch pizzas, delivered in a box twice as large.

Though it experienced some initial success, Pizza Hut had good reason to discontinue it. Locations weren't equipped with the necessary surface space, delivery drivers didn't have large enough insulated containers, and competition was fierce; Little Caesars, which kicked off the giant pizza trend with its "Big! Big! Pizza," and Domino's with "The Dominator," were stiff competition. The Bigfoot disappeared sometime in the '90s, leaving a footprint in the hearts of fans.

That said, if Pizza Hut can make the Big Dinner Box work, why can't it bring the Bigfoot back? If ingredient usage is a concern, Pizza Hut could update the crust with its new Chicago-style tavern thin crust. Fun fact: The Bigfoot wasn't Pizza Hut's biggest pie. The pizza chain once broke a world record with an assist from YouTube star Airrack, baking a 14,000-square-foot pizza.

The Pillsbury Cini Minis from Burger King arrived 27 years ago, fresh-baked, gooey, irresistibly-sized, but sadly short-lived. Besides making a brief appearance in 2018 as a Grubhub-exclusive, and again in 2024 as a limited release in Florida, only fond memories remain. (Along with 6,000-plus signatures on a Change.org petition asking for the items return.) It's hard to say why Burger King chose to re-release Cini Minis in Florida exclusively, considering the widespread demand, but they've since vanished from menus again.

Whatever the case, these tiny treats deserve a long-term resurgence. Each box contained four pre-heated buns designed for dipping into a cup of creamy icing, made for sharing or solo enjoyment. A comment posted on the petition page perfectly expresses our sentiment: "Please, it's the only thing that would bring me happiness." After you read the endearing stories in the comments section about eating Cini Minis for breakfast on the way to school, you might want to sign the petition, too.

The day that KFC decided to discontinue its potato wedges was a sad day in fast food history. It's understandable if they were the dried, soggy kind, but these were crispy, pillowy on the inside and bursting with savory flavor. One of many discontinued fast food items with a cult following, it was removed in 2020, pushing fans to petition for its return in droves. 

The petition currently has over 8000 signatures and comments from fans as recently as two months ago. One of the more recent comments, left by a man from Memphis, underscores the cult's displeasure: "As a business, I respect you. However, as a customer, this is the most disappointing thing I've seen happen with one of my favorite chains."

KFC did a classic bait-and-switch in March 2025, announcing plans to bring back the potato wedges. However, in a surprising twist, the chain instead released them exclusively in Tampa, at select locations, and only for a limited time. The wedges were replaced with the signature seasoned fries in 2020, which, according to many fans, fail to deliver. With that in mind, at the very least, KFC could add potato wedges as a permanent second fry option.

A wrapped, soft tortilla oozing savory chili and melty shredded cheddar — this is Taco Bell's iconic Chili Cheese Burrito. Originally released in 1990 and called the "Chilito," it was phased out sometime during the mid-1990s. Unlike other discontinued items, it remained available at select U.S. locations, and even today can be found, thanks to the dedicated Chili Cheese Burrito locator on the Living Más website. 

Unfortunately, aside from a few Taco Bells between Washington and Oregon (and two in California), West Coasters will have to travel east to experience this chain classic. Fortunately, Taco Bell has a hack that lets you recreate the Chili Cheese Burrito — or at least, something similar. If none of the locations nearby carry chili, order the beef burrito without rice and sauce, with extra beef, cheddar cheese and red sauce. Otherwise, if you have any upcoming travel plans, check the Living Más site for cities that you plan to visit.

Diary Queen put a sweet spin on traditional pizza with the introduction of Treatzza Pizza in 1995. The dessert-style pies featured 8 slices, made of fudge cookie crunch and available in four flavors: M&M's, Strawberry Banana, Heath Bar, and Peanut Butter Fudge, and if ordered in advance, standard vanilla soft serve, chocolate, or both could be added as fillings. Indulgent, customizable, and simply fun, dessert pizza is just as crave-worthy as any featured in our pizza ranking. 

For reasons unknown, Dairy Queen decided to discontinue the Treatzza series in 2008, confirming it in a 2013 blog post, and also that it remained available in Canada. Treatzza Pizzas re-emerged in May of 2017, in Choco Brownie, Reese's, M&M's and Heath flavors, along with DQ's signature vanilla soft serve filling; however, the comeback was cut short in 2022, and that was the last time it was widely available. You'll have to take a road trip up to Canada to experience this bygone menu item, or try one of these sweet tricks for making the best dessert pizza.

During the '90s, Wendy's tested various menu items, aiming to distinguish itself from the competition. If you recall the fast food landscape around this time, you may remember that Wendy's was somewhat like an underdog with unique offerings like square-shaped hamburger patties. The Monterey ranch crispy chicken sandwich was a 1993 release, made with melty Monterey Jack stretched over a fried chicken breast filet, layered with bacon strips, fresh lettuce and ranch dressing. In 1999, it was still considered "Wendy's best sandwich yet" by The Atlanta Constitution.

It was discontinued at some point in the early 2000s, but left a lasting impression. So much so that Wendy's continued to reissue it throughout the 2010s — in 2013 and 2014, and possibly in 2011. Wendy's usually releases it as part of its value menu and prices it at just 99 cents. Back then, it was called the Right Price Right Size Menu, which some say was renamed the "4 for $4 menu." It's about time Wendy's makes permanent menu space for this classic chicken sandwich.

Not much information remains on the French fry crust pizza released by Little Caesars in 1993, but according to Money Inc., that's because it came and went. Whatever caused its removal from the menu, the concept alone demands a revisit. Two of America's favorite foods combined? Count us seated and ready. It joined a string of unique releases during the '90s that included the Big! Big! Bucket of spaghetti and the Pretzel crust pizza, a returning favorite that Little Caesars brought back as recently as 2025.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find an official picture of this discontinued artifact, so you'll just have to imagine its savory glory. However, we're curious to know how Little Caesar's pulled off the French fry crust. Were the French fries baked atop regular crust, into the ingredient mix or was it made of literal potatoes? It sounds delicious either way. If you've ever experienced cheeseburger-inspired pizza, just imagine if Little Caesars gave its French fry crust pizza cheeseburger toppings, and reintroduced it.