Fast Food restaurants have come up with some iconic food items, and others that had no business gracing a menu board. Here are the 25 worst.
We often think of fast food restaurants as a place to grab a quick burger and fries and go on about our day.
It’s instant food, and while it may not be good for our health, we simply can’t resist the taste, or the price, of fast food. The concept of “fast food” evolved way back in the 1860s, when the British staple of “fish and chips” was developed, and by the 1900s, there were over 25,000 fish and chip spots in Britain.
With its growth, fish and chips became an iconic staple of UK diets, and when the concept spread to America, many fast food items entered into our lexicon, such as McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King’s Whopper, and the Original Recipe Chicken at KFC. These menu items allowed the companies that bred them to become classics, but, there were times when these same fast food outlets bred menu items that were so utterly forgettable, that we just had to make a slideshow out of it to refresh your memory.
So, with that in mind, let’s dive into the 25 worst fast food menu items of all time.
25. The Arch Deluxe Burger from McDonald’s
I remember my mom taking me and my brother to McDonald’s one time, and I, being a teenager at the time, was intrigued by the new burger on the menu — the Arch Deluxe Burger.
So, I asked my mom to order it, I got it, and, low and behold, it was the blandest burger I’ve ever tasted in my entire life, and I’ve eaten a lot of burgers, mind you! It wasn’t that it was disgusting, it had a decent taste to it; but, it was a burger that one wouldn’t normally associate with McDonald’s.
The Arch Deluxe was born out of McDonald’s test kitchen in October of 1995, and, at the time, McDonald’s was more associated with kids than adults. So, the chain wanted to find a way to “re-connect” with adults, and with that came the Arch Deluxe.
The burger even had its own slogan: “The Burger with the Grown-Up Taste.” Looking back on that, the slogan could have given us a huge clue into how this burger would taste.
The Arch Deluxe was the one burger that McDonald’s almost exclusively promoted for adults, and it was, actually, the first in the chain’s new “Deluxe” line, one that would include a Fish Filet Deluxe, Grilled Chicken Deluxe, Crispy Chicken Deluxe, and the flagship burger.
Five years after its launch, all of the “Deluxe” line, including the Arch Deluxe, was pulled off the menu. It was reported that McDonald’s spent over $300 million in research, production, and marketing for this burger, which is simply mind-boggling for such a bland line of burgers.
Though the Arch Deluxe is now firmly in the history book, it lives on, somewhat, in their line of salads, which are basically a re-tooling of their “Deluxe” line research.
What a small food world.
24. Seafood Sensation Sub from Subway
There are certain food items that have no business, once so ever, of going together. Seafood and subs rank near the top.
Subway, the largest sub chain in the world, decided to ignore this hidden rule and create, what could possibly, one of the worst, diabolical subs ever created. I’m talking about the infamous Seafood Sensation sub. Eh, just thinking about this horrific creation makes my stomach queasy.
The Seafood Sensation’s main ingredients were crabmeat and deli meat, and, as with all Subway sandwiches, you could add your own ingredients to make the sub taste however you wanted it to taste. For a lot of people, it really didn’t matter how many veggies, sauces, or even oil and vinegar you threw on it, it still didn’t make the Seafood Sensation taste even remotely like it was a sane idea.
Thankfully, for the mercy of everyone, Subway decided to pull the Seafood Sensation from its menu, and for most of us who tried it, and was repulsed by it, it was a time for celebration, for joy to run rampant in the streets, for parades to be launched…
OK, it wasn’t like that, but it was a happy time for us Subway eaters.
Remarkably, when doing the research for this project, I discovered that there were, indeed, Seafood Sensation fans out there, and they decided to create a Facebook page that argued for Subway to bring back the Seafood Sensation sub.
Legit, there are over 2,000 people who liked this page, all of whom were Seafood Sensation fans. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but it was right there, fans of one of the worst subs ever created, begging Subway to bring it back. The latest post on the page was on July 27, 2017, so I guess the folks just gave up. Thank goodness.
23. Priazzo from Pizza Hut
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza is a taste that has become legendary in the pizza world. When Pizza hut tried to replicate this iconic pizza for the masses, their faces landed right in the middle of the tomato sauce.
Say hello to Priazzo, Pizza Hut’s infamous take on the Chicago Deep-Dish.
Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut started as sort of a niche company serving up piping hot pizzas. By the time the 80s rolled around, however, Pizza Hut was growing, both physically and brand-wise, to the point where the chain was openly experimenting with its menu.
In 1985, Pizza Hut unleashed Priazzo on a pizza-eating public that clearly wasn’t ready for it. The Priazzo was a deep-dish pizza that was jammed pack with almost every single pork product you could imagine. On top of that, the pizza had another layer of crust, sauce, and cheese, making the Priazzo less like a respectable replica of Chicago’s Deep-Dish, and more like an unmitigated nightmare of food.
Despite the obvious dietary concerns, Pizza Hut was well-convinced that the Priazzo would be a winner, so much so that, according to a CNBC article on the pizza, the company spent $15 million — yes, million — on the ad campaign surrounding it.
Check out this ad for the Priazzo:
No amount of soft music in the world could convince me to eat this pizza.
Anyhoo, the vice president of Pizza Hut at the time, David Ropes, was so confident in the Priazzo, that he predicted that the pizza would generate over $250 million — yes, million — in sales.
It did not.
For starters, it was a nightmare to make in the stores, taking up a lot of time just to bake one of these Priazzos. Add that to the weird look of it, and the Priazzo, which was predicted to be a bold new step for Pizza Hut, was gone by the dawn of the 90s.
22. Frings from Jack In The Box
You have to give Jack In The Box credit, it takes a lot of mojos to combine an onion ring and a french fry together to make one, tasty menu item.
Alas, as Jack In The Box knows all too well, some inventions sound better on paper than they do in real life. The short-lived Frings are yet more proof of this. Now, it’s not that the Frings idea was a bad one, I mean, somebody would have thought this up sooner or later.
The one thing I’m getting at with the Frings is that, one has to be intoxicated to think of something like this, which I’m pretty sure, was the case in the Jack In The Box meeting that birthed it. Jack In The Box has a long history of inventing new and exciting menu items, so the Frings weren’t out of their league.
But while most of their inventions turn out to hit, others can land on the ground in a dud, which is what happened to Frings.
In the late 70s, a member of the Jack In The Box team decided that, in order to please those customers who wanted both fries and onion rings, they would have a separate menu item that had both fries and onion rings packaged together.
Viola! Frings were born, and the problem was solved, right? Well, it wasn’t.
The Frings turned out not to be a hit, and by the early 80s, the Frings were off the chain’s menu boards. One could still make their own custom Frings today, as all you have to do is order both fries and onion rings, combine them, and BAM!, you have Frings.
Come to think of it, you could have done that in the 70s, which is why Frings never really took off.
21. Bell Beefer from Taco Bell
This bad menu item is proof-positive that Taco Bell should stick with what they know — tacos.
Sometime in the mid-70s, Taco Bell came up with the brilliant idea of putting their processed taco meat in burger form, creating the Bell Beefer, another product that sounded great on paper, but came out horrible in real life. The Taco Bell Bell Beefer resembles somewhat of a glorified sloppy joe, at least in its appearance and feel.
In addition to the taco beef, the Bell Beefer also contained diced onions, shredded lettuce, and a mild border sauce, creating a truly unique sandwich that, in a lot of ways, was doomed to failure.
In fact, what sunk the Bell Beefer was the way the sandwich felt. According to an article on Business Insider, customers constantly complained about the sandwich falling apart when they held it, making for a truly messy experience.
Despite the fact the unmitigated mess of the sandwich, the Bell Beefer was a standard item on Taco Bell’s menu boards for nearly 20 years, when new menu offerings finally put the Bell Beefer in fast food heaven.
It was amazing that the Bell Beefer lasted that long despite its problems, proving that even a bad sandwich can live out its fruitful life.
20. Satisfries from Burger King
I’ve had always had mixed feelings when it came to Burger King’s french fries.
When cooked hot and doused with the right amount of salt, their fries can compete with the best of them. When they’ve been sitting underneath the glow of the heat warmer, withering away the taste, Burger King’s fries can be some of the most repulsive food items ever to grace the Earth.
Some time ago, Burger King decided to try to rectify this and created a menu item that, sounded good on paper but failed miserably in real life.
Let me introduce you to the Satisfries.
Back in 2014, Burger King rolled out the Satisfries, which went away from their traditional, restaurant-style cut and adopted crinkle-cut fries. At the time, there was a lot of noise being made about the health of fast food, a debate that’s still playing out to this day. So, Burger King’s solution to healthier eating, while retaining its “iconic” taste, was to roll out the Satisfries, which had a less porous batter that drained out more of the oil within the fries.
Boy, did this fail, miserably.
For starters, no one who tried the Satisfries could taste the difference between these fries and their regular batch. And, as for that “healthier” bent, well, according to Motley Fool, the calories in the Satisfries were 270, 40 more calories than McDonald’s small order of fries.
So with fries that were no better than the regular ones, and, to add insult to injury, more expensive (they costs a whopping $1.89, compared to the $1.59 for their regular fries), customers began to give the Satisfries a nickname — The “Saddest Fries.”
By the end of the year, the Saddest Fries were no longer on their menu, and Burger King has yet to revive them.
19. Shake Shack Sausage Egg N’ Cheese from Shake Shack
I almost feel bad for having to include Shake Shack on this list, because it’s one of my favorite restaurants.
But, it is my solemn duty to inform you of the worst fast food items of all time, and, let me tell you, the Shake Shack Sausage Egg N’ Cheese definitely deserves to be on this list.
It’s not that it tastes bad. In fact, it’s a bit more appealing than the traditional sausage egg and cheese sandwich. However, one just can’t look at Shake Shack and think to yourself, “Man, this is a great breakfast spot!”
No, Shake Shack is famous for their burgers, and it should remain that way. Shake Shack’s Sausage Egg N’ Cheese has a thick sausage pattie, combined with processed egg and cheese melted on the egg. If that sounds appealing, then pat yourself on the back, as you’re one of the few who actually found the sandwich worth paying a nice penny to obtain.
Speaking of the cost, that’s one of the main reasons why the sandwich is on the list.
For those who have eaten at Shake Shack (and if you don’t have one in your city, my prayers go out to you), you know that it can cost quite a bit to have a Shake Shack meal, and that goes to their breakfast menu as well. So, while the sandwich itself may not be so bad, the price of the sandwich is really not worth it. You could go to Hardee’s or McDonald’s and get a sausage egg and cheese for half the price.
At the end of the day, the Sausage Egg N’ Cheese from Shake Shack just isn’t worth the cost. Just stick to the burgers.
18. Crispy Buffalo Chicken Melt from Burger King
In 2017, Burger King rolled out the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Melt. Now, it’s gone from the menu. There is a good reason why it’s no longer sold.
In theory, the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Melt should have been a hit. I mean, who doesn’t love crispy chicken with melted mozzarella cheese topped with Ken’s tangy buffalo sauce? Who would ever pass up this fiesta of taste to their taste buds? Apparently, most did after they tried it.
When looking at the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Melt, it looks as if it belongs on a late night menu, where people who’ve had way too much to drink would devour this sandwich, and wake up in the morning wishing that they didn’t.
Sounds a lot like Denny’s entire “Late Night Menu,” doesn’t it?
This was a sandwich in which the taste of the sandwich really depended on which location you got it from. If you got the sandwich from a Burger King where the cooks cared about their jobs, it was pretty tasty. But, if you visited one where no one really cared, it would be the worst sandwich you’ve ever eaten in your life.
When I first tried it, I ate it at one of the later BKs.
And there lies the true failure of the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Melt. Burger King has been struggling to get an identity for their crispy chicken line, and the Buffalo Melt was just a sad casualty of the chain trying to find the magic touch for its premium chicken sandwich.
17. Green Beans from KFC
Now, I think I’ve written about the KFC Green Beans before in a previous post, but for those who haven’t read that story, let me take some time to explain why the KFC Green Beans are the worst things on earth.
Before I dive into these horrific, tasteless green beans, let me just say, that I do not intend to smear the good name of KFC. I think their chicken is some of the best, and their mashed potatoes and gravy are addictive.
But those Green Beans need to get some life into them.
Maybe I’m biased about these Green Beans, I don’t know, but in order to explain why this item belongs on the list, you need to know a little bit about my background.
I grew up in the south, and in these parts, soul food cooking is a way of life. My love for green beans came from my late grandmother, and she passed her cooking traditions down to my mother, and my mom can sure cook a pot of green beans.
My family’s beans are cooked with flavor, something that lacks in KFC’s version. Without that flavor, green beans can taste lifeless, and lifeless doesn’t equal delicious. Over the years, I don’t think KFC really got that message, and they have, routinely, screwed up the green beans time and time again.
I’m now under the impression that green beans in a fast food restaurant just aren’t meant to be; and, I know it’s KFC, where they attempt to recreate the Sunday dinner seven days a week. But, if the chain is going to continue in this direction, please get some cooks that know how to season green beans.
It’s not that freaking hard.
16. Mighty Wings from McDonald’s
Remember the time when McDonald’s decided to go into the chicken arena?
Yeah, that was a complete failure.
It wasn’t that long ago when the brain trust at McDonald’s wanted to try to do battle with the KFCs and the Popeyes of the world, and serve up their own creation to the chicken-eating public,
They called it Mighty Wings.
It was 2013 when McDonald’s decided to roll out the Mighty Wings, which were bone-in chicken wings that were fried with spicy breading. I guess the thinking within McDonald’s was that, if they could do chicken nuggets, then why not go all out and after some bomb chicken wings?
It was not a good idea.
Fans come to McDonald’s for burgers, not for chicken wings. Sure, they had the nuggets and the chicken sandwiches, but no one was coming to Mickey D’s for no chicken wings. Sales of the Mighty Wings were a lot less than impressive, and the chain suddenly found itself with a surplus of frozen wings they needed to get rid of.
So, by late 2013, they dropped the price of the Mighty Wings, and it moved somewhat, but by the beginning of 2014, the Mighty Wings were put out of their misery. Believe it or not, this wasn’t McDonald’s first attempt at selling chicken wings. Remember the McWings? Yea, they faced a similar fate, which should have told McDonald’s execs that the Mighty Wings were a bad idea.
Sometimes, folks have to learn the hard way, twice.
15. The Waffle Taco from Taco Bell
Sometime in 2014, Taco Bell was tired of just being a taco chain. So, they decided to open their restaurants and served breakfast.
All-in-all, Taco Bell’s breakfast menu wasn’t that bad, but it didn’t turn out to be the money-maker that they thought it would be, and there were some items that sunk Taco Bell’s breakfast dreams, with one of them being the Waffle Taco.
It was naturally, in a way, for Taco Bell to roll out a Waffle Taco, which was a taco shell made out of a waffle, and had sausage, egg, and cheese as the fillings. Pretty basic, right?
Well, that’s what was wrong with it.
The Waffle Taco could have been a hit, but it was too basic, especially since Taco Bell was marketing the Waffle Taco as its flagship breakfast item, kind of like the McMuffin is to McDonald’s. When you make a certain item a centerpiece, it has to stand out above the rest, and the Waffle Taco isn’t that. It doesn’t taste bad, and when you add syrup to it, there’s a certain taste that does pop out. But, overall, the Waffle Taco was just too generic to be a centerpiece of the menu.
From what I can see on their breakfast menu, the Waffle Taco is no longer offered, and now they have a new centerpiece item, the Breakfast Crunchwrap, which is much, much better.
As I said earlier, sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes, and Taco Bell definitely learned from their mistake with the Waffle Taco.
14. Baconator Triple from Wendy’s
As a person who loves bacon, it really, really pained me to put the Baconator Triple on this list.
Duty has to be done, though, and the Baconator Triple is a monstrosity that is a heart attack lying in wait. For starters, do you know how many calories this sandwich has? Well, let me fill you in on all of the doozy details:
The Baconator Triple has a whopping 1350 Calories, with 810 of that coming from fat. The burger contains a hellish 138% fat, with 115% Cholesterol, and 116% Sodium. Simply put, the Baconator Triple is one of the unhealthiest burgers out there, and it’s only for the hearty.
Why would Wendy’s put out such a whopper of a burger? For the competition, you know?
Wendy’s is an iconic chain, but it has long lacked the signature burger that its competitors have. The Dave Burgers come close, but it isn’t as well-known as the Big Mac or the Whopper. So, Wendy’s needed a burger that would grab some attention, and not so long ago, they introduced the Baconator line, which included the Baconator Triple.
It was a daunting mover, and it sold well, but the calorie count is simply out-of-this-world. The Baconator Triple is no longer on the menu, but the Baconator lives on, and to replace it, Wendy’s has introduced the Son of Baconator, which has a more manageable 630-calorie count. While the Baconator Triple is no more, let us take the time to remember one of the unhealthiest burgers ever to grace a fast food menu board.
13. McLobster from McDonald’s
Remember the time when McDonald’s decided to do a seafood sandwich, and everybody except New Englanders and Canadians hated it?
No? Well, let me take you back to the time of the McLobster, Mickey D’s attempt at one-upping Subway in putting things on a sub roll that shouldn’t belong. If the name of it sounds unappealing, then you didn’t actually take a bit into it.
Launched in 1993, the McLobster was originally supposed to be a seasonal sandwich, appealing to seafood lovers who wanted some lobster on their sandwich. The McLobster was served in a roll, with McDonald’s advertising that the lobster served in the sandwich was “100% Atlantic Lobster.”
The sandwich was then topped with shredded lettuce and covered in “lobster sauce,” which, to this day, we still don’t know what it truly was. Simple, yet disappointing, the McLobster was one of McDonald’s highly touted new products at the time. Then, it flopped, terribly, with customers finding the look of lobster meat cobbled together in a sad display not worth the attempt to consume.
There were also some questions as to if the lobster meat served in the McLobster was truly “100% Atlantic Lobster” meat. Granted, it could have been, but you would be surprised at the sheer amount of imitation lobster meat out there, and I (nor most others) wouldn’t put it past McDonald’s if they used the imitation lobster meat from Wal-Mart.
The McLobster was short-lived, and the sandwich, reportedly, now lives on in New England and Atlantic Canada in the summer, because they saw something in the McLobster that many of us didn’t.
12. Bread Bowl Pastas from Domino’s
Before diving in, let me just say that Domino’s has come a long way with its pizzas.
Legit, the legacy pizza chain can now rival the best of them when it comes to pizza, and their non-pizza offerings have also come a long way, with a line of great wings, sandwiches, and desserts.
One item that they flubbed on, however, was the Bread Bowl Pasta.
Launched in 2009, the Bread Bowl Past was supposed to rival the Tuscani Pastas that Pizza Hut had just released as well. You see, back in those times, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s was dominating the pizza industry. The former had come up with the grand idea of offering their signature pizzas at any size for just $10, and Papa John’s was, well, Papa Johns.
Domino’s, which once had a clear handle on the pizza crown, suddenly found their menu stale and looking up at their former foils. So, Domino’s revamped, first with their pizzas, and then with their non-pizza offerings, which is where the story of the Bread Bowl Past comes in.
There were multiple bowls to choose from, and many were curious as to what Domino’s was cooking up. While some food critics liked the new Bread Bowl Pastas, others, not so much, especially since Domino’s already had a line of pasta that was better.
So, Domino’s pulled the plug on their Bread Bowl Pastas a few years later, finally admitting that their existing pasta could carry the day and that the “bread bowl” craze of their era was finally over.
11. The Hula Burger from McDonald’s
I know what some folks will say: “Why is McDonald’s so prevalent on this list?”
Well, there’s a reason why there are so many McDonald’s failures that deserved to be mentioned. As innovative as Micky D’s has been over the course of its life, there have been some items that sounded good in theory, but when passed out of the test kitchen and into restaurants, those items were downright horrible.
The Hula Burger was one of them, and there is a good argument that this should have been in the Top 10 on this list.
When one looks back on the failures of McDonald’s products, the Hula Burger often comes up. The burger was one of McDonald’s first “meatless” burgers, with the patty being replaced by a grilled pineapple. Topped both on the top and the bottom of the burger with cheese, it resembles the Filet-O-Fish, but except for the first, you have the pineapple.
The burger was released in the 1960s, a time when McDonald’s was experimenting with their menu, and, according to a McDonald’s fandom page, some Catholics opted for the Hula Burger instead of one of the chain’s traditional burgers on Fridays. The Hula Burger was designed to run up against the chain’s new Filet-O-Fish to see which one would have more staying power.
The Filet-O-Fish was the victor, by 10 miles.
Outside of those same Catholics, no one really got the Hula Burger. Maybe it was the sight of grilled pineapple with cheese? Who really knows? What we do know, however, is that the Hula Burger was yanked off the menu, and the Filet-O-Fish has lived a long, fruitful life as a cornerstone of Micky D’s legendary menu.
10. Enormous Omelet Sandwich from Burger King
If you were looking for a way to start off your day on an unhealthy note, the Enormous Omelet Sandwich was for you.
Now, on the surface, it looked like a dream come true for many of BK’s loyal breakfast eaters, but in reality, this sandwich was a heart attack ready to happen. The number of calories that were packed into this monstrosity was simply off the freaking charts, and the sandwich got a lot of hate from health advocates.
The Enormous Omelet Sandwich is basically a foot-long breakfast sandwich, which was packed with eggs, sausage, and cheese, all of the calories needed to make someone sleepy on their way to work.
The sandwich premiered with much fanfare and much criticism, but the sandwich performed under expectations – we guess people were scared off by the sheer size of the sandwich. With fast food eaters becoming a bit more health-conscious, it was clear that the Enormous Omelet Sandwich was not going to be a staple, and it was discontinued.
Under its previous name.
Yes, the Enormous Omelet Sandwich continues to live on to this very day under a new name, the Supreme Breakfast Sandwich, with the same amount of calories that would put a grown bull to sleep. Even though it has a different name, it still doesn’t change the fact that this sandwich is one of the worst. Not because it tastes bad, but because the calorie count is staggering.
9. Pickle O’s from Sonic
Sonic may not be as well-known as some of its competitors, but this chain has gathered a reputation for being a maverick with its menu.
While most of their food is pretty good, Sonic has rolled out some duds, chief among them, the Pickle O’s.
These days, it has been reported that you can find the Pickle O’s on their secret menu (yes, this chain has a secret menu). The Pickle O’s is pretty basic, as all it is are pickles coated in batter and then thrown in the deep fryer. Yep, Sonic took a perfectly good pickle and turned it into a state-fair-like food item.
Which, in a lot of ways, that’s where the Pickle O’s actually should be at.
A food item like the Pickle O’s, while tantalizing, is really a novelty food. Granted, one could argue that all fast food items are essentially novelty foods, but Pickle O’s definitely fits the list.
There was a time, though, that the Pickle O’s maintained a place on Sonic’s main menu. As mentioned earlier, Sonic is known for throwing crazy fast food concoctions out there, and when the Pickle O’s were released, there was some buzz around them.
Those babies, though, soon got discontinued, but it didn’t go away from Sonic’s menu altogether. No, the Pickle O’s found a new home on Sonic’s secret menu, All you got to do is throw a hint at the cashier, and bam! There you have them, Pickle O’s in all of their battered, unhealthy glory.
Straight out of the State Fair.
8. Frescata from Wendy’s
There was a time when Wendy’s was obsessed with the Frescata.
Don’t know what a Frescata is, then sit back and let me tell you a quick story. The Frescata is an Italian deli sandwich, and Wendy’s, a chain that is known for its burgers, decided that the Frescata would pull them in some new customers who didn’t want burgers, but still had a hankering for some Wendy’s.
The Frescata came in the regular club, the Roasted Turkey & Swiss, the Black Forest Ham & Swiss, and the Roasted Turkey Basil & Presto. Despite piling the sandwich high with cut meats, the Frescata was touted as a healthier alternative to their burgers.
This is a great time to remind you that, around the time Wendy’s introduced the Frescata, they got rid themselves of the “Biggie” option, their version of upsizing the fries and drink to their largest size.
So, did the Frescata work? Did it pull in new customers? The answer to both of those questions was no, it did not.
For starters, the healthier Frescata was negated if you got it as a value meal. The fries and the drink basically stripped you of that tagline. The second was the fact that the Frescata just looked out of place at Wendy’s. Sure, McDonald’s had its club sandwiches (which didn’t really go so well, either), and Wendy’s has always tried to one-up, Ronald McDonald.
However, the Frescata just wasn’t a good seller, nor a good fit for their menu. Today, the Frescata is a distant memory, and Wendy’s has now gone back to doing what it does best — make awesome burgers.
But we shouldn’t forget the time Wendy’s tried to go Italian on us and backfired.
7. McAfrika from McDonald’s
Believe it or not, there is a theme to this Hall of Fame of worst-of-the-worst.
The theme is that a good idea on paper doesn’t always translate into real-world success, and the McAfrika probably represents the best evidence for that theory. A combination of a bad name and bad timing, the McAfrika was actually made to not last long, but it still has earned its spot as one of the worst fast food items of all time.
The McAfrika was a simple burger, containing beef, cheese, and tomatoes. The difference with the McAfrika was that instead of a usual bun the McAfrika would be wrapped in pita bread, which was uncommon for a fast food joint in the early 2000s.
The high-ups at McDonald’s thought that this would be a game-changer for their menu, being branded as the lead item for their “Olympic Games Burger.” When it was released in 2002, however, a major famine struck in Africa, and many lobed heavy criticisms at Micky D’s for the burger’s name. McDonald’s remained unfazed, however, offering the McAfrika through its release schedule.
After the McAfrika was pulled off the menu, McDonald’s responded, saying that the release of the burger was ill-timed. That didn’t stop them from re-introducing the McAfrika for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, however, and can anyone guess what type of reaction the restaurant go then?
If you guessed a bad reaction, then you would be right. Maybe McDonald’s will learn that launching a burger named after Africa is a bad idea, and they won’t re-release the McAfrika anymore.
We hope.
6. Strawberry Nachos from Denny’s
OK, so some years back, Denny’s decided to roll out a new menu just for those who were just getting out of the club and needed some drunk food.
They called it the “Late Night Menu,” and it featured some dishes that the chain wouldn’t dare serve during their daylight hours. One of the more interesting of the new Late Night Menu was the Strawberry Nachos, which would repulse a sober person, but may appeal to those who were clearly sauced.
So, I tried the Strawberry Nachos one time, and, let me tell you, it was an adventure.
I only wound up eating half of the plate, with one of my friends sharing the other half, and the next morning I had the aftertaste to end all aftertastes. It was truly disgusting, and realized, the hard way, that the Strawberry Nachos were not meant to be created.
These nachos were topped with strawberries (naturally) and whipped cream, and if you’re reading this thinking that corn tortilla chips and strawberries simply don’t go together, then, my friend, you would be right.
They don’t belong together.
Truthfully, I never got the whole Late Night Menu Denny’s was putting out. It was during a time when other restaurants were doing late night menus, primarily to cut down on the amount of food that they cook at night. Denny’s version was just weird, and the Strawberry Nachos sent the weirdness level to Defcon seven.
Fortunately for all of our taste buds, Denny’s came to their senses and realized that the Strawberry Nachos were, in fact, a bad idea, and yanked the monstrosity off of their menu. The whole Late Night Menu was scrapped soon after, and now, many Denny’s loyalists can enjoy their regular menu, sans the Strawberry Nachos.
5. McDLT from McDonald’s
If you thought I was done with McDonald’s, well, buckle up, because they’re about to appear a few more times on this list.
As mentioned earlier (I think?), McDonald’s has done quite a lot of innovating over the years. Sometimes their creations have succeeded, other times it has not, and their screw-ups are profoundly legendary.
Take the McDLT for instance.
The McDLT was a glorious part of 80s food culture. It was your basic McDonald’s burger, with a beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce. The difference here was that the McDLT didn’t come assembled. No, it was YOUR JOB to assemble the McDLT, and that wasn’t the only distinction with this burger.
Around the time the McDLT was released, higher-ups at McDonald’s were trying to figure out how to keep burgers warm on the car ride home. So, they came up with a special Styrofoam container that was able to keep the beef patty warm and the condiments cool.
It was a genius move, so they thought, to not only keep the burger at a temperature that would keep it edible but to also allow the customer to build their own, bland burger. Micky D’s fans would certainly flock to this new revolutionary product, right?
Yeah, they didn’t.
I guess people came up with the idea that when they visit McDonald’s, they expected the crew in the kitchen to create the burger, and fans just didn’t wrap their heads around a “build-your-own” burger from McDonald’s. Poor sales cause the chain to scrap the McDLT, but it came back, in a way, in the form of the Big N’ Tasty, which was essentially the McDLT already assembled.
Why couldn’t they have just done that the first time?
4. McSalad Shakers from McDonald’s
Around the turn of the millennium, folks were beginning to pile on McDonald’s for their unhealthy foods that were making kids obese.
So, McDonald’s decided to try to answer the critics, and make healthy eating fun, by coming up with a new, fun product. Enter the McSalad Shakers, which were a fun take on the traditional salad that McDonald’s usually serves up.
The McSalad Shakers came in three styles, the Chef, the Grilled Chicken Caesar, and the Garden. Along with the core ingredients, the McSalad Shakers also has green salad mix (usually romaine), ham, turkey, cheddar AND jack cheese (because, you can never, ever get enough cheese), chopped eggs, and chopped tomato and green onions.
What made the McSalad Shaker unique is that, once you add your choice of salad dressing, you would “shake up” the cup that it came in, and mix the dressing and all of the other ingredients inside. There you go, you have a McSalad Shaker!
Sounds generic, right? Well, that’s because it was.
The only thing that separated the McSalad Shakers from their traditional salads was that you could shake up the former, which was more aimed at kids than adults. If that was the case, why didn’t McDonald’s just come up with junior salads just for the kiddos? Also, what amount of condiments you got in your McSalad Shaker really depended on the person making them. One time, I went to my local McDonald’s to try the Shaker, and, no lie, most of the cup was filled with romaine lettuce. Like, I could actually count the amount of ham and cheese that was in it.
All the McSalad Shakers were was a cup of salad. That’s it.
Fortunately, McDonald’s realized that they could just push their regular salads harder and make them better, without the shaking, so they discontinued it. Not long afterward, McDonald’s aimed to get kids to eat better by replacing the fries in Happy Meals with apple sticks.
3. McSpaghetti from McDonald’s
Well, we have arrived at the worst of the worst, and going for the Bronze is the famously terrible McSpaghetti.
There are certain food items that don’t belong in a fast food restaurant, and spaghetti is one of them. It is a classic dish that should only be served at home or in a casual restaurant setting, not ordered through a drive-thru window.
In the late-80s, McDonald’s broke this tradition, and they should have known better.
Around this time, McDonald’s was trying to add more variety to their menu, giving those who didn’t want a burger more options to choose from. Somehow, someone in the McDonald’s meeting room decided that introducing Italian food would be the trick, and, surprisingly, those folks agreed to break the long-held tradition of keeping casual food off fast food menu boards.
The chain’s first into the “fast Italian” world was the McSpaghetti, which was a mess of spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce. It was unappealing and looked downright messy, and those two combinations will tank any product. No one was interested in trying the
McSpaghetti. They wanted Big Macs and Quarter Pounders, not some lazy attempt at a dish they had no business selling in the first place.
As quickly as the McSpaghetti was put on the menu, it was taken right off in the early 90s; but that wouldn’t be McDonald’s only path into the fast Italian world. In the mid-90s, they introduced the McPizza, which was equally horrible. Today, the only place you can find spaghetti at McDonald’s is at their location in Orlando, Florida in the International Drive tourism corridor.
2. Unicorn Frappuccino from Starbucks
Starbucks makes a lot of things great, but this creation not only deserved to be on this list, but it deserves its Silver medal in the worst-of-the-worst.
To this very day, I can’t fathom why Starbucks thought that the Unicorn Frappuccino was a good idea. Sure, Starbucks is famous for its innovative drinks, but this one? Oh, this drink was a disaster from the moment it went out of their test kitchen. It’s so bad that it has its own Wikipedia page.
So, what went wrong with the Unicorn Frappuccino? Everything.
Created in the Spring of 2017, the Unicorn Frappuccino was made out of ice, milk, pink powder, sour blue powder, creme Frappuccino syrup, mango syrup, and blue drizzle. Soon after the drink was released, it was panned by health advocates. The Unicorn Frappuccino had a whopping 500 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 76 grams of sugar. That count, folks, could easily qualify this drink as a substitute for crack.
The Unicorn Frappuccino was available only for a limited time in April of that year, but it was quickly apparent that the drink was made more for Instagram photos than for actual drinking, as one hit of it would keep you up for about a week.
It was fun while it lasted, but the truth of the matter is that the Unicorn Frappuccino was one of the few mistakes (product-wise) taken by the famed coffee chain.
1. Mac N’ Cheetos from Burger King
There were many contenders for the title of “Worst Fast Food Menu Item Ever,” including the preceding 24 items on this list. Only one, however, could truly take the Gold home, and it was a tough choice to make.
The Gold went to the Mac N’ Cheetos.
Good Lord, wasn’t this a monstrosity? I am a lover of Cheetos and Macaroni N’ Cheese, so I can be the first one to tell you that these two food staples don’t go together, at all. Apparently, the folks at Burger King thought differently and decided to put mac n’ cheese inside Cheetos to create Mac N’ Cheetos.
From the moment anyone laid eyes on them, one could easily tell that this would be a bad idea, and, taste-wise, it was a truly horrific idea. Burger King rolled with the punches, though, and proudly advertised this disgusting menu item to a shocked public. They even brought out a new flavor of it, the Flamin’ Hot Mac N’ Cheetos, because why not?
First introduced in 2016, the Mac N’ Cheetos were a limited-time product, and by the end of the year, they disappeared, for the betterment of human society. Then, the very next year, Burger King brought back the Mac N’ Cheetos, showing the fast food world that they didn’t learn from their ungodly mistake.
Now, they’re gone, hopefully for good; but, we must never forget the time when Burger King, a well-respected innovator of fast food, decided it was a good idea to put mac n’ cheese and Cheetos together.
This product is proof that even smart people are prone to bouts of insanity.
What is the worst fast food menu item in your opinion? Were you a fan of any of the 25 fast food items which made our list?