Gone but never forgotten.
Don’t you just miss the good ‘ol days? Don’t you just wish you could drop by your nearest McDonald’s and order a McRib only to realize that it has been discontinued?
Unfortunately for us, this isn’t the only beloved discontinued food item that we’d all love to see back on the menu. There’s just so much good food out there that it’s crazy to think why they were even discontinued in the first place.
So, get your taste buds ready and let’s take a trip down memory lane. Here are 15 discontinued food items that need to make a comeback.
15. McRib – McDonald’s
Ah, the ever elusive McRib. First introduced in 1981, McDonald’s tasty barbecue sandwich developed a cult fan base that goes wild whenever the McRib is mentioned. This is probably the most well-known limited time offering of all time in the history of fast food. Despite having several “Farewell Tours” over the years, the McRib manages to constantly show up on McDonald’s menu. It’s like a really persistent ghost that seemingly reappears out of nowhere then promptly disappears. It was available as recently as last year. This year, it was even available for the first time in over 10 years on select locations in Canada. At this point, why doesn’t just McDonald’s make this a permanent part of their menu?
14. Meximelt – Taco Bell
Taco Bell has its own fair share of beloved discontinued meals and the Meximelt is one of them. It had a pretty iconic run; being a mainstay on their menu for over 30 years! It was billed as a cross between a Fresco Soft Taco and a quesadilla. It was made with a flour tortilla, seasoned ground beef, and fiesta salsa plus Taco Bell’s signature melted three cheese blend to make it a full fledged quesadilla.
13. Onion Nuggets – McDonald’s
Now this is something that’s truly a relic from the past. Back in the 70s, McDonald’s came out with the Onion Nuggets which are basically deep fried breaded onion bits. It was originally part of their dollar menu back when a dollar can actually buy you a full meal. Apparently, it didn’t sell well enough so they had to remove it and replace it with the more famous Chicken McNuggets.
12. McPizza – McDonald’s
Who would’ve thought that McDonald’s actually made and served its own pizza? Back in the 1980s, McDonald’s came out with a family-sized pizza, dubbed the McPizza. It actually stayed around for quite a while until being discontinued sometime in the 2000s because it took too long to prepare.
11. P’Zone – Pizza Hut
Speaking of Pizza’s, Pizza Hut has their own set of items no longer available on their menu that are well-beloved by customers. The P’zone is definitely one of them. It’s essentially a mix between a pizza and a calzone hence the name. It was first introduced back in the early 2000s and was an instant favorite. It was discontinued in 2011 and we aren’t holding out hope for it to return.
10. Double Down – KFC
KFC came out with this monstrosity back in 2010 and it took the world by storm. Everyone just had to have a taste of this meat-filled madness made of two pieces of chicken filet with cheese, bacon, and its signature sauce down the middle. It’s definitely one of the unhealthiest sandwiches ever made but its outrageousness made it all the more better. Think the Double Down is way too over the top? Obviously, you haven’t seen our list of most over the top fast food items.
9. Fire-Grilled Ribs – Burger King
This has to be one of the most successful limited-run fast food items of all time. You wanna know how good Burger King’s Ribs were? They sold over 10 million of them and ran out of supply a week before its run was supposed to end. Despite costing around $8, people still flocked to buy these tender pork ribs glazed with a sweet and smokey barbecue sauce. Considering its success, it boggles my mind why Burger King never made this a staple on their menu lineup.
8. Taco Pizza – Pizza Hut
Can’t decide between having a taco or a pizza? Why not have both? When Pizza Hut’s Taco Pizza first came out in the late 70s, people were quick to point out that this might possibly be the best pizza ever made. Customers loved it so much that a couple actually got engaged while eating this very pizza in 1979. That alone should be enough to make a case for it actually being the best pizza ever. Sadly, the Taco Pizza was discontinued but it forever remains in the hearts of everyone who tried it.
7. Whopperito – Burger King
What do you get when you combine a Whopper with a burrito? Why, you get a Whopperito of course. Mixing two food items together can be hit or miss, but this fast food item from Burger King was a guaranteed hit. Or so they thought. It looks and tastes like how it sounds; like a Whopper stuffed into a burrito. While it may have flopped during its release, it’s actually ahead of its time. The Whopperito set the stage for burger wraps to be a thing.
6. Pickle Juice Slush – Sonic Drive-In
With all the greasy and meaty fast food items we’ve been talking about, we’ll need something to wash it all down. What better way to do so than with Sonic’s very own Pickle Juice Slush? This sweet yet tangy green drink is a perfect complement to salty and savory dishes. According to Sonic themselves, it tastes like you’re sipping straight out of the pickle jar. Yum.
5. French Toaster – Sonic Drive-In
Ask anyone if they could bring back any discontinued food item from Sonic Drive-In and I’m sure most of them will tell you it’s the French Toaster. Sonic came out with this amazing sandwich in 2015 combining sweet and savory flavors tied together by the delicate crunch of the french toast. It was truly the pinnacle of comfort breakfast food. For some weird reason, Sonic decided to replace it with Texas Toast, which is still pretty okay but it can never compare to the French Toaster.
4. Mighty Wings – McDonald’s
Boy, does McDonald’s have a lot of beloved discontinued menu items. We’re back yet again to the golden arches and this time we’re gonna talk about their Mighty Wings. These crispy spicy chicken wings were certified delicious and fans just couldn’t get enough of them. McDonald’s discontinued them simply because they weren’t cost efficient. Here’s hoping that they bring back their classic wings in the future.
3. Bacon Sundae – Burger King
When it first came out, customers were quick to judge Burger King’s Bacon Sundae thinking that it has a disgusting mix of flavors. Those people turned out to be wrong. Anyone who’s ever had a taste of this 500-calorie dessert knows that the flavors and textures of the Bacon Sundae perfectly complement each other resulting in one of the most underrated desserts of all time.
2. Seafood Salad – Taco Bell
Back when fish-based meals in fast food were considered a healthy option, Taco Bell came out with their own thing except they tried to take things up a notch. Instead of just having fish meat on their tacos, they decided to put the entire ocean. Well, not exactly. But they did include shrimp, crab, whitefish, black olives, salad leaves and nestled it all together in a crunchy taco bowl.
1. Szechuan Sauce – McDonald’s
Could it have been anything else? First released in 1998, it caused a stir on the internet when Rick and Morty, a popular animated show, mentioned the iconic sauce on its season 3 premiere. Fans of the show forced McDonald’s to bring the sauce back despite it being off the menu for nearly 20 years. When it was re-released, fans went absolutely wild with some of them even staging mini-riots just so they could have a taste of the sweet yet savory Szechuan Sauce. The craziness doesn’t end there. One customer even managed to sell her limited edition packet of Szechuan Sauce for a car! Some customers even put up their sauces for sale and managed to rack up bids of over $20,000! That’s insane. But I get it. The Szechuan Sauce was absolutely delicious.