Discontinued Fast Food Items People Still Miss

Sad breaking news: Klondike has announced they're officially pulling the plug on the beloved Chaco Taco, which was originally invented in 1983.

“Over the past two years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide,” a Klondike representative announced via email. “A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco.”

The Mexican Pizza was a Taco Bell staple for decades. It made its national debut in 1985, and quickly became one of the most popular items on the menu. Though it was simple—two tortilla shells, beans, beef, cheese, and pizza sauce—people couldn't get enough of it. That's why it was such a shock that Taco Bell discontinued the item in 2020. 

Fans of the Mexican Pizza were so shocked and outraged by this development that they managed to get 168,000 signatures on a petition to bring it back. Taco Bell was keeping things quiet for a while until they hired Doja Cat to announce the return of the beloved Mexican Pizza. Now, it's back on the shelves — so to speak — but good luck finding it. It's almost always sold out!

Taco Bell took lots of heat in 2020 when they axed numerous beloved items from their menu. However, this was not the first time Taco Bell has killed a fan favorite, and it probably won't be the last. In 2013, Taco Bell axed the Volcano Burrito, and, predictably, people lost their minds. 

There was nothing particularly special or complex about the Volcano Burrito--it was basically a typical beef burrito with extra-spicy "volcano" sauce. However, die-hard fans were sad to see it go. If you absolutely must get your Volcano Burrito fix, be prepared to travel. It allegedly is still for sale in some locations in South Korea and Europe. 

This is an unusual discontinued product because you can still technically buy handheld apple pies from McDonald's. However, ask any die-hard fan and they'll tell you McDonald's pies just aren't what they used to be. And to be honest, they're right. You might not have noticed, but McDonald's apple pies underwent a major cooking change in the 1990s. 

Low-fat dieting was a major fad in the '90s, which led McDonald's to start baking their apple pies in the oven instead of deep-frying them in oil, as they had traditionally done. It might have been a healthy move, but it didn't win them any fans. To this day, people still try to petition McDonald's to bring back the fried pies. 

Burger King quietly sold cheesy tater tots for a while without much fanfare. However, that all changed in 2004 when they were featured in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Despite the renewed popularity in the side item, Burger King eventually cut cheesy tots from their menu. 

However, fans of the tots were clearly upset, and Burger King realized it. To appease the die-hards, Burger King brought back the tots for a limited time in 2016, with a promotional campaign featuring actors from Napoleon Dynamite. Cheesy tots had another limited run in 2019, but apart from these instances, they remain missing on the menu. 

In the early 1990s, McDonald's was seen mostly as a Happy Meal factory without many decent options for adults. Obviously, McDonald's needed to do something about this! So, in 1996, they introduced the Arch Deluxe, which was billed as a more "adult" option. That being said, except for the addition of pepper bacon, the Arch Deluxe looked like most of the other burgers at the restaurant. 

Because the Arch Deluxe wasn't anything to write home about, it obviously lost the company money--$150 million, to be exact. So, it was eventually cut from the menu. Fans of the Arch Deluxe continued to sing its praises, but it seemed like we would never see it again. However, in 2018, McDonald's gave the burger another try at limited locations, but it didn't take off this time, either. 

At one point in time, popcorn chicken was the hottest item on the KFC menu, and guests particularly loved the hot and spicy variety. Unfortunately, near the end of the '90s the poppable treats mysteriously disappeared without a word. While KFC has never given an explanation, some people believe that it was because hand breading the popcorn chicken was too much work. 

Over the years, popcorn chicken has made periodic reappearances on the KFC menu, but it never seems to stick around for long. Plus, it doesn't seem to be of the same high quality as the popcorn chicken they served in the '90s. It might be a replacement, but, for die-hard fans, it's not a very good one. 

Pizza Hut introduced its take on a calzone in 2002 with the P'Zone. The name might be awkward, but people quickly fell in love with its meaty and cheesy baked goodness. It might not have been the end of the world, but fans of the P'Zone were crushed when it was quietly removed from menus. 

More than a decade later, Pizza Hut finally rectified the major mistake they made and reintroduced the P'Zone in 2019. But, like many of these revivals, it appears this was only a limited-time offer. Who knows when we'll get to experience the goodness of the delicious P'Zone again! Only for a limited time because it's back off the menu. Stop playing with our emotions, Pizza Hut!

Taco Bell does two things better than other fast-food restaurants--creating unusual hybrid food items and removing fan favorites from the menu. They managed to do both with the Enchirito, which is a mash of up an enchilada and burrito. It was first introduced all the way back in the 1960s and got the axe for the first time in 1993. 

People complained about missing the Enchirito so much that Taco Bell finally relented and brought it back to restaurants 1999. It stayed on the menu until 2013, but, once again, Taco Bell gave it the axe. People say that you can still make an Enchirito if you heavily modify a burrito, but it's just not the same as the real thing!

Things generally go terribly wrong when you try to improve on a fan favorite, and that's exactly what happened recently with KFC when they did away with their iconic potato wedges. In 2019, they were replaced with regular fries that allegedly have the same herbs and spices as the potato wedges, but fans hated the change. 

Unfortunately, it appears that the potato wedges may be gone for good and the fries are here to stay. Overall, KFC says that customers responded much better to the fries, but that's no consolation for the die-hards who want nothing but potato wedges. We feel your pain. 

McDonald's shot itself in the foot multiple times in the '90s due to health fads surrounding the avoidance of saturated fat. Up until that point, their iconic fries were fried in beef tallow, but, starting in the 1990s, that was replaced with vegetable oil--which is not exactly healthy itself. But some people still remember the glory days of McDonald's beef fat fries. 

Naturally, this injustice inspired a petition, and one enthusiastic signer hilariously described the problems with McDonald's change--"Say goodbye to delicious, crispy, golden french fries and hello to the limp, pale, disappointing impostor. For those of you who are not fortunate enough to have ever tasted the original, I weep for you."

While the internet has made complaining about discontinued fast-food items easier than ever, it's not a new phenomenon. Case in point: Pizza Hut's Triple Decker Pizza, which made its debut in the 1990s during the era of gimmicky food products. However, gimmick or not, people actually loved this gargantuan pizza. 

While it's clear at this point that Pizza Hut won't be bringing back the Triple Decker Pizza anytime soon, there are some fans out there who still carry a torch for their fallen favorite. There's actually a Facebook fan page for this creation, and while it only has a few hundred members, it's crazy to think that there's anyone who still cares about this pizza. 

You would think that a restaurant called Whataburger would be exclusively in the business of selling amazing hamburgers. However, Whataburger found unexpected success with their steak fajitas. When they were discontinued in the 2000s, they probably thought no one would miss them, considering that they're in the burger business, but that wasn't the case. 

While the outcry about missing steak fajitas might not be as big as the outcries for some other items on this list, there were definitely some people who were very unhappy with Whataburger. However, it's been almost two decades since they were axed, so it's not likely they'll be coming back at this point. 

Taco Bell clearly has no shortage of strange names for their new inventions, and the Cheesarito was no exception. Despite its silly name, it was basically a regular burrito with a thick layer of cheese between the tortilla and the contents of the burrito. Delicious? Yes. Groundbreaking? Not really. 

Despite it being a simple staple, people loved the Cheesarito, and more than a few were upset to see it cruelly phased out by Taco Bell. This is another Taco Bell option that technically lives on if you know the right modifications to tell the employees, but it probably would just be easier for them to bring back the real thing!

Sonic threw everyone for loop when they announced they would start serving breakfast, but it was unexpectedly delicious, and it appears that a Sonic breakfast menu is here to stay for good. However, not all of their breakfast offerings have stuck around over the years, including the much-missed French Toaster. 

The French Toaster is similar to Sonic's Breakfast Toaster, which ultimately replaced it. However, this featured two giant slices of french toast and not plain ole Texas toast. Needless to say, people who were fans of the French Toaster find the Breakfast Toaster to be a completely inadequate alternative, and they're waiting for the day it will return to the menu with a vengeance!

Taco Bell is another fast-food restaurant you'd never expect to get into the breakfast business, but they did just that! One of their more popular breakfast offerings was a waffle taco stuffed with eggs, cheese, and sausage--all doused in pancake syrup. It's not the healthiest thing in the world, sure, but it is delicious. 

Or rather, it was delicious because, surprise, surprise, Taco Bell gave the waffle taco the boot in 2015. It was replaced with a biscuit taco that was filled with all the same ingredients, but it just wasn't the same. A biscuit just can't compete with the sweet, toasted goodness of a waffle. 

Burger restaurants don't always get dessert right, but that was not the case at all with Burger King and their delicious Cini Minis. Like the name implies, these were miniature cinnamon rolls complete with icing dipping sauce. They apparently released them to compete with Cinnabon, and the Cini Minis definitely gave them a run for their money!

However, like all delicious fast food items, Burger King's Cini Minis were not long for this world. After releasing them in the late '90s, the restaurant quietly removed them from the menu several years later. Judging from comments like these, this was a loss that really stung--"Cini-Minis were a large part of my childhood, and Burger King chicken-stripped them away from me like the jesters they are."

In 2010, KFC shocked the world with their Double Down--a sandwich that replaced buns with two fried chicken fillets. People were a little grossed out at first, but they eventually came around to the Double Down when they realized how delicious it actually was. But the good times wouldn't last for the Double Down. 

While the sandwich continued to sell through 2010, it was eventually phased out from the menu entirely. Thankfully, that wasn't the end of the Double Down! The meat monstrosity made a comeback in 2014, but only for a limited time. There's no word on whether we'll ever see the Double Down again. 

Fast-food salads can be really hit or miss, and the McSalad Shaker from McDonald's was honestly nothing to write home about taste wise. However, what really made people love it was its unusual packaging. It came in a clear, plastic cup that made it easy to dress your salad with a few simple shakes. 

The McSalad Shakers were introduced in 2000, but they were gone from McDonald's by 2003 and replaced with their Premium Salads. It doesn't look like these will ever be back again, but there's still a dedicated fan base that keeps the spirit of the McShaker alive in Facebook groups and other forums. 

When it comes to fast food, bigger is better--unless you're actually trying to be healthy. But it was clear that not many Taco Bell fans were trying to stay fit when the XXL Chalupa became a runaway hit for the restaurant. It was completely indistinguishable from Taco Bell's normal Chalupa, except for the fact that it was truly massive. 

The XXL Chalupa was introduced in 2010 but it didn't stay on the menu long, probably because it was just too similar to a normal Chalupa. But fans of the giant item still hold out hope that it will one day make its glorious return to Taco Bell. It's a long shot, but stranger things have happened!

If you walk into a Burger King today, you'll have no shortage of chicken-based options. From nuggets to fries to sandwiches, BK has the poultry market covered. But there is one thing you won't be able to enjoy in a modern-day Burger King--crown-shaped chicken nuggets. Who knew a simple shape change could cause such a stir? 

The crown-shaped nuggets were available from 2006 until their demise in 2011, but honestly, there was nothing different about them from traditional chicken nuggets except for their shape. This is yet another discontinued fast food item that has spawned petitions to bring them back, but it looks like they're probably gone for good at this point. 

Sometimes the best things on the menu at a fast-food restaurant are the side items, and that was exactly the case when Jack in the Box still offered their delicious cheesy macaroni bites. They were released in 2008 and were accompanied by a bizarre publicity campaign that claimed they were safe to eat while driving because they were triangle shaped. 

It's not clear exactly when these got booted from the menu, but they definitely didn't stick around long. However, in 2020, it was revealed that Jack in the Box was actually testing new and improved macaroni bites in select stores. Unfortunately, these don't seem to be in the iconic triangle shape like the originals. 

The Pizza Hut Big Flavors Dippers Pizza had a mouthful of a name, but customers loved it when it was introduced in the late '90s. This gargantuan pizza was two feet long and had a massive 24 pieces. It was definitely a quick and easy way to feed a large family. 

Unfortunately, the Big Flavors Dippers Pizza was not long for this world and eventually got cut from the menu. However, it was clear that it was dearly missed by Pizza Hut fans. So, in 2020 it was big news when Pizza Hut announced that their giant, two-foot pizza would be coming back...but only for a limited time!

We can almost understand being devastated when a restaurant stops carrying your favorite food item. But missing a drink? Now it's starting to get a little bit ridiculous. However, ridiculous or not, people lost their minds when McDonald's stopped carrying Hi-C Orange Lavaburst in their stores. Kids of the '80s and '90s were beside themselves. 

This fruity, sugar-laden drink had been a McDonald's staple for decades, but it finally got the axe in 2017 and was no longer available in stores. Thankfully, Hi-C Orange Lavaburst is still for sale from Hi-C themselves, but it's just not the same as getting it from McDonald's! 

In the 2000s and 2010s Wendy's did some experimenting with salads. They weren't a runaway success by any means, but people really did seem to love their Asian Cashew Chicken Salad. It was nothing new in the salad world, but it was a surprisingly decent salad offering for a fast-food restaurant. 

However, like all the items on this list, the Asian Cashew Chicken Salad wouldn't stick around for long, and there were some people who were generally sad to see it go. It didn't generate as much outrage as some food cancellations, but you'll still find people online reminiscing fondly about this salad. 

Around the turn of the millennium, fast food restaurants started trying their hand at healthier options. These food-conscious items were rarely ever good for you, but at least they were better than some of the stuff on the menu! Wendy's hopped on this bandwagon in the late '90s with their Chicken Caesar Pita. 

These pita sandwiches did well enough to stay on the menu for a good two or three years, but eventually, they fell out of favor and were removed forever. While some people might still miss this delicious item, it seems like it's probably dead and gone at this point. Don't expect a revival anytime soon!

Step aside Taco Bell because you're not the only ones who tried to fuse tacos and pizza! Way back in the late '70s Pizza Hut was hard at work on their own creation--the Taco Pizza. For a time, this hybrid dish was a fan favorite at the restaurant. While it's been gone for decades, it's definitely not forgotten. 

While you no longer can pop on down to your local Pizza Hut to pick up a Taco Pizza, hardcore fans have been trying to recreate the recipe at home for years. Despite the dedication, Pizza Hut doesn't seem to have any interest in reviving this retro pizza, so a home-cooked version is about all you've got these days!

Believe it or not, there was a time when Burger King tried their hand at barbeque. In the 2010s, they had a limited-time run of pork ribs that was overwhelmingly successful. They were such a hit, that BK sold more than 10 million ribs and ran out before the promotional period had ended. 

You'd think that this would be a sign to keep them on the menu long term, but that never happened. No one is sure exactly why they have never returned, but some think it has to do with the fact that they were fresh, not frozen, which led to preparation hassles that weren't worth it. Whatever the case, Burger King's pork ribs are sorely missed by many. 

Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets prove that sometimes a public outcry can actually cause a restaurant to change course. When Wendy's decided to nix their spicy nuggets in 2017, people lost their minds. The restaurant suggested purchasing a spicy chicken sandwich and cutting up the patty, but that just made people want the original even more. 

Things came to a head in 2019 when Chance the Rapper tweeted about missing the nuggets. Wendy's replied and said that if their tweet got 2 million likes, they would bring them back. That was quickly accomplished, and true to their word, Wendy's made spicy chicken nuggets a reality again.