11 Iconic Fast-Food Menu Items From The 80s & 90s That Gen-Z Missed Out On Completely
Oxy Foxy | PexelsStudying fast food is a fairly fascinating hobby if you dig deep into it. Fast food is a mixture of culture, economics, and flavor. In other words, it’s yummy. It also tends to be a nexus point of culinary invention.
A lot of famous dishes started as fast food options or were popularized by them, including fried clam strips. Today, let’s dive into the world of fast food and some of the most delicious meals that have come from the minds of fast food gurus.
Here are the discontinued fast-food items from the 80s and 90s that Gen-Z will never get the chance to try:
1. The Taco Bell Enchirito
If you’re a Taco Bell fan, you probably have heard about the Enchirito. This was a blend between an enchilada (complete with drool-worthy sauce) and a burrito.
It was a smash hit when it was first introduced in the 1970s and used to be topped with black olives. However, the recipe eventually dropped the olives and turned into a streamlined, melty, delicious meal. It was discontinued after a while.
Enchiritos are still a popular secret menu item, according to Wikipedia, and for a short time, the dish was brought back in 2022. Unfortunately, the powers that be at Taco Bell decided to drop it since then.
2. The KFC Double Down
For a brief period of time, fast food companies were bent on trying to outdo one another when it came to bizarre decadence, fatty foods, and crazy headline-grabbing recipes. The Double Down was the king of this movement.
This monstrosity of a meal involved a chicken sandwich that used breaded chicken pieces as the “bread” between two other pieces of chicken, along with cheese and bacon.
Some folks loved it; others hated it. Regardless, it was discontinued once the hype ran out. Like others on this list, the Double Down occasionally makes a return to meals as a limited-edition treat.
3. McDonald's Hula Burger
Perhaps one of the most famous misguided discontinued items to ever appear at McDonald’s is the Hula Burger. Founder Ray Kroc wanted to create a meatless burger that was ideal for people who skipped meat for religious reasons.
His idea of a good meat substitute was …*drumroll* a slice of grilled pineapple topped with cheese. The meal was available for a short time, though it flopped so terribly that it remains a cautionary tale against pineapples.
4. McDonald’s McHotDog
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Considering how popular McDonald’s grilled burgers are, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of the older menu items from the Golden Arches was the humble, all-American hot dog.
The McHotDog was a rare, briefly available menu item added to certain restaurants’ offerings during the 1990s, according to sources. The delectable dog did not fare as well as executives had hoped.
After a brief attempt at making it big, execs decided it just wasn’t a good fit for the brand. It was pulled, now only making occasional re-releases in select stores.
5. Wendy’s Big Classic
Wendy’s is not immune to discontinued items, though their menu has stayed a bit more stable than others. This was a mid-80s attempt at showing the world that Wendy’s can deliver more meat, more flavor, and more fun for a bargain price.
The concept was fairly straightforward. Rather than build “up,” the Big Classic built out — by using a slightly larger burger patty and an elongated Kaiser roll. It was delicious, but it never quite became the classic its name suggested.
6. A&W and Burger King's 1/3 Pound Burger
A&W and Burger King both had burgers that featured 1/3 a pound of meat. The idea was simple: more meat means more money. In theory, advertising a third-pounder would be wise. In practice, they forgot how bad people are with math.
The burgers kept flopping because people couldn’t figure out whether or not 1/3 pound was more than 1/4 pound. As it turns out, people couldn’t figure out whether it was a money saver.
7. Chipotle’s Queso
Chipotle is one of those fast-casual chains that everyone loves to hate these days, but it does have its perks. One of the biggest draws to the chain is the brand’s famous dislike of artificial ingredients.
Queso was one of those dishes that Chipotle fans kept clamoring for. So, Chipotle did it…but with a catch. The OG Queso recipe didn’t use too many additives, making it taste a little funky to those with sensitive taste buds.
The texture and taste were off, and Chipotle fans loathed it. The company redid the recipe with standard additives and called it Queso Blanco, to much fanfare. The original Queso, though? It’s gone with the wind.
8. Long John Silver’s Big Catch Meal
During the 2010s, two major battles were going on in fast food: the battle for the craziest recipes and the battle for health-conscious consumers. Bigger was better with some, but some just wanted a modest meal.
Long John Silver’s did not partake in the battle for the biggest, most extreme meal in America. This seafood fast food chain generally tried to keep things pretty mainstream, simple, and old-fashioned with generous portions.
The problem: the Big Catch was a bit too big. It was so calorie-laden, so fatty, it was named the “Worst Restaurant Meal in America,” and it was promptly wiped off the map.
9. McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce
Monika Grabkowska / Unsplash+
If you are a Rick and Morty fan, you might remember the episode where Rick Sanchez goes nuts about the Szechuan sauce released by McDonald’s. Shocker: it’s a real thing.
McDonald’s released the Szechuan sauce as part of a limited-time celebration for the release of the hit Disney film, Mulan. After it was mentioned in Rick and Morty, it came back for another brief period of time. Word has it that it was really, really good. Maybe it’s time for a round three?
10. McDonald’s Onion Nuggets
Onion rings are a fairly classic all-American staple, and McDonald’s is aware of this. For a short period in the 1970s, McDonald’s was experimenting with using onions in their fried foods. It was a trend at the time.
They created onion nuggets: a mixture of onion rings and McNuggets. They flopped, but the idea of deep-fried onions in a nugget shape lives on as a bit of fast food lore.
11. Wendy’s SuperBar
When you think of fast food restaurants, you don’t think of salads, do you? In the mid-80s, Wendy’s did something that would shock most of us: they installed an all-you-can-eat salad bar stocked with fresh vegetables.
It was called the SuperBar, and it was meant to help even out a full meal. Today, the SuperBar would be a major draw for health-conscious consumers who are okay with a little less food sanitation. It was a bargain.
Unfortunately, the SuperBar was not very popular with fast food fans. It eventually got pulled off the menus, proving once again that a burger in the hand is worth two in a salad bar.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
