Which (discontinued) fast food chain meal items got a cult status?

29 comments

1. mcrib keeps getting discontinued and recontinued and it’s a deliberate cyclical release and a meme at this point

   crystal pepsi, not that it’s fast food

   is the kfc double-down still being sold? that looked like a monstrosity

2. [McDonald’s foray into pizza](https://www.mashed.com/253077/the-untold-truth-of-mcdonalds-pizza/) was interesting and has a [meme culture](https://twitter.com/PizzaAtMcDs?s=20) around it.

3. McRib, no contest

4. All I can think of was the McDonalds szechuan sauce fad when Rick & Morty was trending. Yeah, McRib too.

5. The only one I really miss is the Gordita from Taco Bell. The chalupa isn’t as good, too greasy.

   But I’m also kind of past the age where I get fast food outside of road trips.

6. McRib most likely.

7. Taco bell cinnamon churros

8. Lava sauce from Taco Bell. Arch Deluxe from McDonalds. Arby Q from Arby’s. Crown nuggets from Burger King. Spicy Chicken Go Wrap from Wendy’s. Original Recipe Chicken Tenders and the Twister wrap from KFC.

9. I wouldn’t called these cult status but I miss how certain Chick-fil-A restaurants had sweet potatoes pies and how Chick-fil-A in general used to serve ice cream cups in cups about the same size as their small drinks. Now the only ice cream cup size they have is an Itty bitty cup for kids.

   Also, miss Fuddruckers burgers. They’re still around but the ones near me all closed.

10. Not really a food item but its hard to beat Szechuan Sauce, as far as cult status/craze go.

    And TIL McDonalds has its own wiki:

    **https://mcdonalds.fandom.com/wiki/Szechuan_Sauce**

11. Wendy’s spicy nugs. They eventually had to bring them back because of the shit storm they received for pulling them.

    Taco Bell also seems to have a lot of these items because they tend to do unique items for a few months then ditch them forever

12. I doubt it has any kind of cult status but I know there’s only one I miss. Wendy’s Asian Cashew Chicken salad(?). It’s been gone for a few years and it remains hard to find a fast food salad that isn’t topped with cheese and made up largely of iceberg lettuce. This one had a nice mix of greens, some nice edamame, I don’t even remember what all, but it was a genuinely good salad.

13. For me anyway, it’s the old school chicken littles at KFC. They had a little fried chicken patty, the new ones are just a chicken tender in a bun.

14. Idk about cult status since I’ve hardly met anyone who remembers it and none with much fondness, but Hardee’s used to have a really wide menu variety. I remember liking the fried chicken there as a kid. At some point in the late 90s or early 2000s they were about to go out of business and managed to turn it around with a huge campaign to rebrand themselves as a mid range burger place. Whole menu changed entirely. It’s better for sure, but it has zero resemblance to the old Hardee’s.

    Domino’s had a similar rebranding phase because public opinion of their pizza was abysmally low. They did a massive “give us another chance” ad campaign to tell people they’d completely redone their recipes. They were really, really pushing to get people to try it, so there was a glorious couple years where you could get three large pizzas for $15. I was in college with two roommates at the time and we ordered so. Much. Pizza.

15. The McRib, for sure.

    To a certain extent, people get really excited when pumpkin-spice stuff comes back in the fall.

16. It’s not discontinued as far as I know, but the Chilito/Chili Cheese Burrito from Taco Bell needs a nationwide release. Apparently it’s up to franchisees to sell it and many don’t.

    Also, pretty much anything on r/livingmas.

17. The Double Down, although maybe that is more meme status

18. For those of us who remember, the *old* fruit pies at McDonald’s… the ones that were deep fried and crispy and were about the same temperature as the surface of the sun.

19. While it is not currently discontinued, the Mexican pizza at Taco Bell has been an on/off item on the menu, and seems to have a pretty strong cult following, especially among the South Asian community.

20. I miss the fiery dorritos locos tacos from taco bell. I wish they bring it back because i used to eat them regularly.

21. I’m probably the only member of the McDonald’s Big ‘n Tasty cult.

    ( ._.)

22. McRib

23. I dunno if it has a cult following but I do miss the meximelt from TB

24. I can’t say cult status but I miss the shaker salads as well as the snack wraps from McDonalds

25. Whopper

26. McWrap fans assemble here!

27. Hardee’s roast beef and hot dogs
    Taco Bell Mexican pizza
    McRib

28. Chili Cheese Burrito from Taco Bell. I think there is a website that tracks which restaurants still have them.

29. While it technically never got discontinued the OG fried apple/cherry pies from McDonalds are one of my most missed fast foods. They were replaced by baked versions to appear healthier (though they were basically just as unhealthy).