12 Discontinued Fast Food Sides That Deserve A Comeback

Fast food sides have come a long way, and here's a fun fact: The original hamburger chain didn't even offer any sides when it first opened. (That was White Castle, which was founded in 1921 and had a menu that only included burgers, apple pie, soda, and coffee.) There are a ton of options out there today, and honestly, some fast food chains have sides that are better than the mains. All good things must come to an end, though, and it's the sad truth that menus are always changing. Sometimes, that means saying goodbye to some fan-favorite sides that we think deserve a second chance.

And we're not the only ones who would like to see these former fast food stars returning to the mainstream. You'll find Reddit users waxing poetic about the good old days when their favorite go-to sides were a reality instead of a bittersweet memory, while others feel so strongly that they've started petitions to bring back some of these items. 

And we totally understand, agree, and stand with you, the enterprising petition writers, forum users, and preservers of the memory of menus past. Let's take a walk down memory lane and remember the reasons lunchtime used to be just a little bit better, and late-night snacking felt just a little more rewarding. These might be gone, but they're definitely not forgotten — and given that some discontinued fast food items have made a comeback, we can still be hopeful.

French fries are fine, but tater tots are where it's at. And when it comes to cheesy tots? Well, we're not going to say if we had to choose one fast food side to have for the rest of eternity, it would be this one, but we're not saying it's completely out of the question, either. Back in 2009, Burger King made an incredibly questionable life decision when it removed the fan-favorite cheesy tots from the menu.

Backlash was swift, and forums were filled with people pondering the rationale behind such a decision. For some, they were so good that an order of cheesy tots was worth skipping school for, and they were celebrated for being the perfect bite of crispy potatoes and sharp cheesiness that made for the ideal side.

Burger King noticed — kind of — and has brought them back repeatedly and temporarily ... just often enough to remind us of what we're missing. As of 2026, BK is still toying with our emotions with a now-you-see-them, now-you-don't sort of game, and honestly, it's just kind of cruel at this point. Bring them back for real!

A fast food lunch from McDonald's can get pretty heavy, especially if you're hurrying through a Big Mac on your too-short lunch break. That's what makes a side salad a great option, but salads are messy and tend not to be as portable as we'd like them to be. Enter: the McSalad Shaker, a salad served in a lidded cup that allowed you to mix in the dressing while staying on the go. They were tested in 1999, went nationwide in 2000, and disappeared in 2003. 

And we're honestly still salty about it, because they were replaced by salads that were definitely less portable. We're all busy here, McD's, you know? Reddit users have also taken to the forum to post about how they miss a salad that's easy to eat when you've just got to make the most of what little time you've got; others fondly remember the very tasty Caesar dressing, and some credit this as teaching them the tricks of proper dressing dispersal. Perhaps it's time to bring these back for a whole new generation.

We love to see fast food chains offering sides that are completely unique, and the Cajun rice at Popeyes checked all the boxes. It wasn't just unique to the chain, but it brought some seriously fun flavors that added just a little bit extra to the already outstanding fried chicken. Alas, the Cajun rice was cast to the wayside back in 2021, and it was actually friends over at our sister site, The Takeout, who confirmed the terrible, horrible no-good news and made things official.

The heartbreak was real, with some heading to Reddit to say that the Cajun rice was the side that got them through some dark times. One Reddit user wrote, "I ain't going to lie, this one hurts. I have not been back to Popeyes in a while, but a lot of times when I did, I just got an order of Cajun rice." The disappearance of the side took away the only reason some had to go to Popeyes, and years later, there's still a vocal population that is determined to make it clear just how badly we would all like to see this one return.

Wendy's has kept baked potatoes on the menu for a long time: specifically, since 1983. Some of the 1980s-era sides we don't really miss — and right now, we're actually side-eyeing the tuna-stuffed tomato we just learned about while researching and writing this article. We do miss some of the OG baked potato options, however, which include the broccoli and cheese.

And here's the thing. If you were a kid in the 1980s, chances were good that you either gave this one a miss, or your parents appreciated the fact that a baked potato smothered with that sweet, sweet cheese was a way to get you to eat your broccoli. These days, those '80s kids have grown into adults who absolutely get on board with this option. Some employees of the era have chimed in to Reddit conversations to say that they were actually pretty popular, while others remember it as a true taste of the 2000s. The only thing better than a baked potato is the option for more types of baked potatoes, and this needs to be one of them. 

We couldn't find concrete information on when or why this option was discontinued, although one Reddit post suggested it happened in 2018. We can tell you that it's still available in areas like the Bahamas, so it's not completely off the table; you'll just have to look for it.

Outside-the-box and creative sides are one of the things that can keep people going back to a fast food chain again and again, and there was a time when Chick-fil-A seemed to have the market cornered on that. Few sides were as unique as the carrot and raisin salad in that it just doesn't seem like it would work at all. We're not sure how or why it was decided that what carrots and raisins really needed was some crushed pineapple and mayonnaise, but we can't argue with success.

Unfortunately for fans, this oddly iconic salad disappeared back in 2013. Years later, some Reddit users ask whether or not this was some sort of strange, barely-remembered fever dream, while others are quick to confirm that it was the best fast food side to be found. The fact that some spent those final months of the gradual phase-out searching for Chick-fil-A locations that still carried it speaks volumes, but there's a little bit of good news here.

Die-hard fans can still get the real deal at Chick-fil-A adjacent restaurants Truett's Grill and the Dwarf House, while the rest of us will have to settle for making our own. The chain posted the recipe on its Customer Support page, and it looks like it'll just have to do.

Sometimes, restaurant history is a strange place. Those of a certain age will certainly agree that the McDonald's fries of today are definitely not the same as the fries of the 1970s and '80s, and that's because ye-olde-timey fries were cooked in beef tallow. The reason for that was affordability, but they also were delicious. Then, one man had a heart attack in 1966. That man was Phil Sokolof, an Omaha native who had amassed a fortune in construction and stock market trading. He spent millions lobbying against McDonald's — along with other fast food companies and manufacturers — and in 1990, McD's changed its fries.

Things didn't really go as planned. New fries were not great, the new hydrogenated vegetable oils weren't healthier, and fries changed again in 2007. Gone were the perfectly crispy, extra-flavorful fries with the pillowy centers, slightly buttery and pleasantly meaty. Today, Reddit users reminisce about the days that McDonald's fries were simply above and beyond, while some note it's the ones who don't know what they're missing that are the lucky ones. 

While some of the sides we're talking about here can be recreated at home, this one's a bit of a pain. Some have tried, but we'd suggest that the best thing here is simply for McD's to go back to the old way of doing things. Please?

We can always appreciate when a fast food chain mixes up its fry game, and that's what Culver's did for a long time — at least on a seasonal basis. Sadly, this one-time premium side will probably never make a comeback, and fans already know we're talking about the sweet potato fries.

Sweet potato fries can be a pretty wonderful way to change things up from the standard, and there are still regular inquiries from customers wanting to know if they're going to be back on the menu. Employees are a little less enthusiastic about these, with some posting to Reddit to explain that since they had a different cooking time from regular fries, they were disruptive to the flow of things. It's also been pointed out that they're easier to burn, while others suggest that they were eliminated to help keep employees from being overwhelmed with options. Still, they were pretty delish, and there's no denying that they're a fun change to see even on a seasonal basis. Fingers crossed!

Did you know that McDonald's nearly went in a wildly different direction with McNuggets? It might be impossible to imagine a world without Chicken McNuggets today, but back in 1978, the nuggie concept debuted with Onion Nuggets. They were basically breaded and fried chunks of onion, and to be honest, it sounds pretty amazing.

The problem was apparently twofold, and while sales were reportedly a little dismal — which is perhaps unsurprising considering they were only offered for a few hours in the evening — difficulty in securing an onion supply that would guarantee nationwide consistency presented a challenge, too. Some Reddit users have confirmed that they were indeed as good as you might think, with some even pointing out that since they're bite-sized, they're kind of better than onion rings as there's no chance of onion slippage. Ultimately, these were replaced by Chicken McNuggets, and to be clear, we're not complaining. But surely we can do better sourcing onions these days, and we'd love to see these back on the menu.

Burger King's Shake 'Em Up Fries were a side that added a little bit of fun to your meal. In a nutshell, early 2000s customers got their fries, a packet of cheese powder, then added the latter to the former, did some shaking (and dancing, if you channeled some of the energy from the commercials), and had fries that were suddenly a lot tastier than the ones with plain old salt on them. We're not alone in thinking these seriously nostalgic BK fries are long overdue for a revival, as there have even been petitions started in an attempt to get the attention of someone from corporate to fast-track these back on the menu. 

Some Reddit users admit to being more preoccupied with these than they probably should be, while coming up with all new moves for shaking the fries is still a fond memory for others. And today, we feel we need to add some food for thought here: this would be a super easy way to offer so many different kinds of fries. Bring back that cheese powder, and we could also see ranch, BBQ, chili spices, garlic and onion, Old Bay ... the sky's the limit. Are you listening, BK?

Most of the time, it's nostalgia that makes us yearn for discontinued fast food items, and when we say we want them back, that's in their OG form. This one's a little different, as we'd like to see McDonald's maybe give this one another shot. Mozzarella sticks are amazing, but McD's version was a bit of a swing and a miss. The chain announced the addition in 2015, but headlines in early 2016 were less than impressive. Plenty of people were reporting that they were finding their mozzarella sticks had a distinct lack of cheese, and by February, a glance at the ingredients led to a class action lawsuit claiming that the sticks weren't even made with legit mozzarella. 

So sure, the original attempt at mozzarella sticks may have been a tragedy that played out across several acts, but the idea has merit — and we're not the only ones to think so. What do you say, McDonald's? Everyone loves a redemption story, and this is one that's just waiting to happen. 

There are a number of items that have been discontinued from Chick-fil-A's menu, and honestly, it's the coleslaw that we just don't understand. It's one of those quintessential side dishes for a chicken dinner, so not having this one on offer seems like a massive oversight. Chick-fil-A ushered in 2016 by announcing that it was dropping the extra-sweet version of coleslaw, and it's entirely possible that's precisely when the 21st century started to go a little sideways. The official line was that the chain was going to be shifting to more creative and healthier sides, but more than a decade later, you'll still find fans lamenting the loss of this popular bite. 

You'll also find plenty of people who are of the opinion that the chain's chicken sandwiches just don't hit the way they used to, now that there's no longer the option to add some heaping spoonfuls of coleslaw as a topping. Some Reddit users say that the disappearance led to family members outright boycotting the chain. Chick-fil-A has published the recipe so customers can recreate it themselves, but that doesn't really help when you want to sit down in the restaurant and put it on one of those sandwiches.

It kind of goes without saying that 2020 was a bad year for all kinds of reasons, and the impact that global events had on the restaurant industry was nothing short of devastating. Over the course of the year, Taco Bell cut a whopping 13 menu items, including the Nachos Supreme. It disappeared — alongside the Mexican Pizza, steak soft tacos, and tostadas — much to the chagrin of customers who appreciated this option for a side that was just a little bit more than your ordinary tortilla chips and cheese.

That tray of nachos with cheese, beef, tomatoes, green onions, and a dollop of sour cream was ideal for those times when you wanted something just a little extra ... but not too much extra. The newer Chips and Nacho Supreme Dip — essentially a deconstructed version of the old classic — has both fans and detractors taking to Reddit to commend or complain, with some going as far as to call the new version a poorly-proportioned option that comes with a helping of questionable textures. Bummer.