Not every fast food idea is a winner. For every burger or viral snack, there’s a menu item that completely misses the mark due to a bizarre flavor mashup, a marketing misfire, or just something nobody asked for. From strange sandwiches to short-lived sides, we’re bringing you the 12 epic fast food fails that had customers scratching their heads and chains pulling the plug fast.
12. Wendy’s T-Rex Burger
We all know that a craveable burger is also unhealthy when consumed too much. Well, someone from Wendy’s didn’t think so, so the T-Rex Burger was created. It features ten quarter-pound patties, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. The burger alone boasts around 3,000 calories! That’s a major heart attack waiting to happen for those who dared to finish the burger, which is why it was considered a flop by many fans.
11. McDonald’s McAfrika
Early in 2002, McDonald’s created one really random fast food item on their menu called the McAfrika. The release was at a bad time and a poor PR strategy since Southern Africa was experiencing a widespread famine and threatened the lives of more than 12 million people. With the controversy, McDonald’s issued a statement acknowledging their mistake and offered protest groups donation boxes with every McAfrika sold.
10. Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger Melt
Another unhealthy, big-calorie burger that made it to the list is this one from Friendly’s. The burger alone weighs 1,500 calories as it’s filled with mayo, lettuce, and tomato, sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. After a short run, they were silently removed from Friendly’s menu.
9. Dunkin’s Free Iced Coffee Day
If you’re a Dunkin’ fan, then you know that Dunkin’ is popular for its Free Iced Coffee Day. In May 2010, the donut chain announced a Free Iced Coffee Day to celebrate their 60th anniversary. The ad stated that the free iced coffee would only be available at participating locations in five states. However, other customers didn’t get the memo, leaving many fans disappointed after leaving a Dunkin’ shop near them.
8. Taco Bell’s Bell Beefer
When you say fast food, your burger game must be strong, which is why Taco Bell decided to develop their own. They came up with the Bell Beefer, which features taco meat, sauce, cheese, onions, and shredded lettuce. Just think of Sloppy Joes kind of burger. The chain tried their best to make the menu item popular, but people would rather get their burger elsewhere and order a taco at Taco Bell.
7. Pizza Hut’s Priazzo
Remember the Priazzo? It’s a pie with two crusts that resembles the popular Chicago deep-dish pizza. Pizza Hut spent $15 million on an ad campaign since the vice president of the chain, David Ropes, predicted its success. And assumed that it would generate $250 million during its first year. Wrong! The Priazzo failed to meet expectations since they were difficult to make, so the chain had to pull them out.
6. McDonald’s Super Sizing
Back in 1993, McDonald’s had sizes for small, medium, large, and even Supersize, which is the largest of all. The Supersize offered customers 7 ounces of French Fries and 42 ounces of soda with a Big Mac. However, it was phased out by 2004, with the company explaining that they wanted to offer healthier options. People speculated that it was because of a lawsuit claiming that McDonald’s made two girls obese, and a documentary called “Super Size Me.”
5. Long John Silver’s Big Catch Meal
Fish will always be the better option than any other fast food meal. However, this wasn’t the case for Long John Silver’s Big Catch Meal. Why? It has a hidden content of 33 grams of trans fat, which has more fat than 20 Big Macs combined! The fish wasn’t the problem; it was the oil. In 2013, they were pulled out of the menus after it was voted as “Worst Restaurant Meal in America.”
4. McDonald’s Arch Deluxe
Who could ever forget McDonald’s Arch Deluxe of 1996? It appeals to grown-ups since it’s a Quarter Pounder with cheese on a different bun. It has peppered bacon and top-secret mustard and mayonnaise. A burger headed for success as McDonald’s spent $100 million on an ad campaign alone. However, the ingredients made the prices higher compared with other menu items available, which didn’t sit right with consumers.
3. Dairy Queen’s Breeze
Dairy Queen is another chain that brought healthier options to consumers, yet miserably failed. Back in 1990, they offered Breeze, which is a blizzard but in a frozen yogurt format. However, Dairy Queen couldn’t sell enough of these to use up all of the yogurt before it went bad or spoiled.
2. In-N-Out’s 100×100
Remember the good old days when you could order bigger burgers upon request at In-N-Out? Well, we’re not allowed to do so again after the Halloween 2004 stint of Will Young and his friends, who ordered a 100×100. Yup, that means 100 burger patties and 100 slices of cheese, sandwiched between a single bun. When the word spread, In-N-Out had to do major damage control by making 4×4 the biggest count.
1. Burger King’s Enormous Omelet Sandwich
Who would think of grabbing an enormous breakfast sandwich in the morning? Well, Burger King used to serve them back in 2005. It features eggs, cheese, bacon, and sausage, packed with 330 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,940 milligrams of sodium. At first, it showed a 20% increase in Burger King’s breakfast sales, but eventually, it overwhelmed consumers because of its high cholesterol and sodium content.