Behind every classic fast food item is a tale waiting to be told, because here’s the truth: fast food is more than just a quick bite. It’s packed with fun, expected, and sometimes weird stories. Let’s dive into the backstories of 12 popular fast food items that you’ll want to pass on to your friends.
12. McDonald’s Fries
The original crispy fries that caught the attention of McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc, is now extinct. Yup, the original fries were fried in a blend of 93% beef tallow and 7% vegetable oil. The chain dropped the use of beef tallow due to growing health concerns about saturated fat. What you’re seeing now on the menu are fries version 3.0, cooked in vegetable oil with less trans fat.
11. Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Sandwich
Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich wasn’t really invented in the restaurant. Its birthplace was in a tiny dinner called Dwarf Grill (owned by Chick-fil-A’s former CEO). The first recipe involved serving a pressure-cooked, seasoned filet on a toasted, buttery bun with two pickle chips. Today? Nothing changed, because Chick-fil-A believes in serving great tasting food. Talk about consistency!
10. Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty
Frosty is in a league of its own. It’s not a milkshake or a soft serve, but perfectly spoonable. According to its creator, Fred Kappus, Frosty was inspired by frosted malts sold at a racetrack during the 60s. It’s basically a blend of chocolate and vanilla soft serve that creates a mellower and maltier flavor. The method for achieving that spoonable texture still remains a secret, though.
9. Dairy Queen’s Blizzard
Now, let’s talk about a frozen treat that’s so dependable it can be served upside down! Kidding aside, this treat was invented by one of DQ’s most successful franchisees, Samuel Temperato. He got the idea from a competitor that sells concrete frozen custard, whose owner didn’t see value in adding candy to custard. Samuel did and the blend of ice cream, cookies, and chocolate became an instant hit.
8. McDonald’s McFlurry
Fast food franchisees seem to have brilliant minds and we’re saying this because another McDonald’s frozen treat was invented by, you guessed it, a franchisee! That’s right, McFlurry wasn’t born in a test kitchen or McD’s headquarters. A Canadian franchisee thought that it would be nice to add a sweet topping to a cup of soft serve. The corporation took notice of this and the rest is history.
7. Arby’s Curly Fries
One of the best places to get your curly fries is at Arby’s. The surprising thing here is that Arby’s isn’t the first restaurant to offer this kind of fry. Clearly, they didn’t invent these potato spirals either. So what did Arby’s do? It’s possible that they’re the first to use Cajun-style seasoning for the curly fries, making this item a standout in the fast food scene.
6. In-N-Out’s Animal Style Burger
This burger is indulgent, savory, and messy in the best way, making it a popular secret menu item at In-N-Out. The phrase “Animal Style” was inspired by rowdy customers, and one night, an “animal” spotted a store manager making himself a burger. The “animal” requested for the same, loved it, and continued to order it. When the customer didn’t know what to call the burger, the manager said “Just call it Animal Style.“
5. White Castle’s Sliders
When White Castle first opened, their goal was to change the public’s negative perception of ground beef due to concerns about sanitation. White Castle didn’t just design their restaurants to look like clean white castles, they also made their burgers small and square, sold for just 5 cents. The brand won the people back, encouraged them to buy sliders “by the sack,” and American fast food was established.
4. Wendy’s Baconator
Wendy’s Baconator was created to appeal to a specific demographic: 18- to 34-year-old males. At that time (2007), they were the most common fast food consumers. As it turns out, the numbers regarding fast food and men didn’t lie. In the first two months of the launch, 25 million Baconators were sold! It was so good, Wendy’s released other variations like Son of Baconator and Breakfast Baconator.
3. McDonald’s Big Mac
Jim Delgatti, a McDonald’s franchisee, invented the Big Mac to compete with other chains offering bigger burgers. He pushed the company to let him offer a burger with two patties, and eventually he got the approval to test his creation. It was a success at the first location and one year later, the Big Mac was being sold everywhere. According to his son, Delgatti ate at least one Big Mac each week for most of his life.
2. Burger King’s Whopper
One of the chains that pushed Delgatti to create the Big Mac is Burger King. Yup, Burger King launched the Whopper back in 1957, so it was 10 years ahead of the Big Mac! Whopper was invented by BK’s co-founder Jim McLamore in order to give customers a bigger and meatier option. Whopper became wildly successful and it shows in other forms it has taken like Angry Whopper, Whopper Jr., and Whopperito.
1. McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets
McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets were born from a failed menu experiment. In 1970s, McDonald’s executive chef René Arend created a test item called Onion Nuggets, but it didn’t catch on with customers. However, its format did (small, breaded, and fried). The same concept was used for chicken and this creative evolution produced the now world-famous Chicken McNuggets.