Entertainment
Top 10 Discontinued Burger King Products We Miss
Since its founding in 1953, Burger King has evolved into the multi-billion-dollar enterprise we know and love today. Classic meals like the Whopper have made it into homes across North America and beyond, and our taste buds continue to be amazed by every new creation they add. But what about the awesome menu items we’ve lost to time? Let’s not allow them to be forgotten—here is the list of 10 discontinued Burger King products we miss.
10. Fiery Chicken Fries
These zesty chicken treats hit Burger King’s menu in early 2015 following the original “Chicken Fries” craze introduced to BK’s menu the year before. Customers loved the crossover between traditional potato fries and chicken tenders so much that a spicy version was never far off on the horizon. When the restaurant came out with Fiery Chicken Fries, the public went wild, and the item quickly rose in the ranks as one of the most popular orders. The snack was described as looking like thick mozza sticks with the red-hot color of hot Cheetos. The chicken fries were also packaged the same as the original potato version. According to Burger King, the intent was to create a fry so hot it would, “actually offend you,” as their catchy slogan put it. Many other fast food restaurants were coming out with spicy versions of foods in order to satisfy the hot chili-seeking millennial customers. Places like Wendy’s came up with their version, “Ghost Pepper Fries,” and Carl’s Jr. introduced their “El Diablo” burgers. But none managed to create the same kind of cult-following as the chicken fries, and many of these spicy creations were lost to history. Unfortunately, Fiery Chicken Fries were no exception, and they came off the market not long after their release. Hopefully the chain restaurant will bring them back one day, at least as a specialty item.
9. Western Whopper
Like the Fiery Chicken Fries, Burger King’s Western Whopper was targeted towards a specific demographic and made most of its sales through younger men. It was first introduced to the menu in the early 90’s and shares many similarities with the Original Whopper burger. Adding bacon and barbeque sauce, it operated under the tag line “feed your mustache” and was also wildly popular to begin with. In ads, the funny tagline was used literally, granting every person who ate the burger a long, curly mustache! The burger itself boasted a huge sesame seed bun topped with one of the restaurant’s famous flame-grilled beef patties, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. Adding the extra “western” items to the burger made it an irresistible lunch item. Around the same time, other variants of the Whopper brand were being created like the Chicken Whopper which was designed to branch out the company from strictly beef patties. It too has been discontinued. Despite rave reviews of the Western Whopper, it was pulled from the menu in 1997 and has since been replaced with a few other variants of the original sandwich. To this day, many fans of the meal still put bacon and barbeque sauce on their sandwiches, hoping it will taste the same as Burger King’s hit. So far, no success. We can only hope that one day the Western Whopper will return to town.
8. Bacon Cheesy Tots
Based on their original tater tots, Burger King’s Bacon Cheesy Tots made their debut in October of 2018, hitting the market with irresistible cheesy goodness. The tots were pretty simple in their construction—a regular fried tater tot filled with cheese and bacon bits and packaged similarly to the common chicken nugget. In each pack there were eight tots, and they came with a handy side of ranch sauce for all your dipping needs. It was also widely advertised that the company used “real hickory bacon” in their filling. The snack became a popular late-night order and was instantly a fan favorite among those who already loved the original potato version. Over the years, Burger King came up with a few other iterations of the meal like Cheesy Tater Tots and most recently, Bacon Tater Tots. Every couple of years or so, they bring out another one of their new creations and the public eats it up. In terms of advertisement, Burger King likes to keep their cards hidden as to when they will release another version of the tots, but they often post on Twitter hinting at new releases. In March of 2019, they tweeted a message to their fans hinting at the new menu item by circling the date of April 12th, with a set of emojis and the caption, “hope this works.” Well, it’s safe to say that it did, because the hype over Bacon Cheesy Tots was instantaneous. Now that their release period is over, it’s just a matter of time before we’re gifted another amazing snack.
7. Burger King Ribs
If you’re a fan of ribs, this next item will surely make your mouth water. The Burger King Ribs were added to the menu in 2010 and gained a tentative, but quickly enthusiastic following. After the largely unpopular release of McDonald’s McRibs, fast food die-hards were unsure about spending money on a similar product, even if it was created by a different company. In the end though, the temptation to try the Burger King Ribs was too much and the public ended up quickly becoming obsessed with them. Advertised as a limited-edition item, the ribs actually sold out in their first week, sending nearly 10 million of them out into the world before their time was up. That week, a headline ran on MSN: “BK ribs so hot they’re nearly sold out.” Some foodies suspect their wild success came about because the ribs were one of the fresher, unfrozen items available. You’ve got to hand it to the fans—they know what’s good. Even Burger King was slightly surprised by how popular the ribs became. Selling at a slightly higher price than their usual products, the company figured they might make a bit more money with fewer sales, but the public was actually happy to pay more for a non-processed food item. Ribs are also notoriously more difficult to cook than say, a chicken nugget, so it was not only the quality of the food that had changed, but the time it took to make it. But the sales kept coming in, and the Burger King Ribs went down in history as one of the first rib meals to be a fast-food success.
6. Chicken Tenders
Chicken has been sold in so many different ways in fast food that it’s hard to keep track. Chicken nuggets, tenders, strips, and sandwiches have all made their claim to fame with varying degrees of success, but it’s Burger King’s Chicken Tenders that we’re here to discuss. Sold in packs of about five, they took over customer’s taste buds almost immediately with their light, flaky texture and taste, offering just a little kick of pepper with every bite. These tenders rivaled McDonald’s own nuggets as they were reported to taste much less processed and more flavorful. For a side, the tenders were served with honey which complimented the taste of the tenders well according to customers. For a while, they were also cut into the shape of crowns to go with the “King” brand. As McDonald’s nuggets rose in popularity for their cheap prices and wide availability, Burger King’s Chicken Tenders seemed to take a hit and decided to review their formula. In the end, they replaced the wholesome goodness with more bland versions which left some fans of the original snack dissatisfied. According to them, the change came about in order to push a new line of sauces which would require a slightly blander chicken to dip into, and although the sauces were just as delicious, there was a hole in the stomachs of many that could only be filled with the real thing. Hopefully one day they’ll decide to bring back the original recipe.
5. Cupcake Shake
Moving into some desserts, the Cupcake Shake came about in 2009 and was designed to resemble the McDonalds McFlurry. Marketed as a milkshake, the shake really did taste like blended cupcake mix and was topped with heavy whipped cream and multicolored sprinkles. The ice-cream mixed into the bottom of the shake was yellow and reminded customers of eating cake batter out of the bowl before it went into the oven. Some even speculated that cake batter was somehow a part of the recipe! For lovers of cupcake and ice-cream treats, this shake was an amazing crossover between both. While the cake flavor was undeniable, some customers even added that the dessert tasted like eggnog, offering all the sweetness of the wintry treat. Although desserts weren’t the restaurant’s main focus, the Cupcake Shake was considered a great success for the company in terms of ice-cream. Around the same time, Burger King came out with Funnel Cake Sticks with icing dipping sauce which also had a huge effect on its customers. With all these desserts being added to the menu, how could fans of the brand choose between them? Unfortunately, the Cupcake Shake didn’t last long on the permanent menu and was later usurped by simpler treats like the soft-serve cone. Still, the shake seems to have a cult following and may one day return to stores.
4. Burger Bundles
Aside from the restaurant’s other well-known burgers, Burger Bundles made a splash in the company’s repertoire simply by being mini. These tiny burgers were first introduced to the Burger King menu in 1987, coming in packs of three and rivalling the similar efforts of enterprises like White Castle, one of Burger King’s heavier competitors at the time. When customers opened the box, they found that all three of the mini meals were attached, probably for ease of production. Everything about these mini burgers is the same as the regular-sized meals—the company didn’t like to cut corners even when the product became smaller. The burgers used the same flame-broiled beef patties and were topped with ketchup, mustard, and pickles, at the customer’s discretion of course. The public loved the novelty of the smaller bites and the fun quality they brought to mealtime, as well as the reduced prices. When considering what meal to get when they went to Burger King, three mini burgers for much less than the price of a Whopper seemed a logical choice. At the time of their marketing, the slogan “the best food for fast times” was used, probably to encourage the smaller portions, and although they were a total hit, making these tiny burgers turned out to be more of a hassle than the company originally thought as the patties would often get stuck on the grill. While being extremely popular with teens, the burgers were later discontinued. Hopefully these tiny patties will be back someday.
3. Cini Minis
Circling back around to some sweet snacks, Burger King’s Cini Minis were introduced to their breakfast menu in 1998. Essentially just much smaller cinnamon rolls, they were packaged in groups of four and came hot and ready to eat with an icing dipping sauce. They were advertised as being “delicious bite-sized cinnamon rolls from the heart of the bun,” meaning that only the best part—the middle—was included. Customers seemed to love this idea, and these amazing treats became some of Burger King’s best-selling baked goods until the early 2000s when they were discontinued. Since its last hurrah, fans of the Cini Minis have created a petition to bring them back to BK and gained an astonishing 2,352 signatures. Well, Burger King seems to have heard their voices because a version of the Cini Minis was reintroduced as a specialty item only available through delivery. As a novelty item, customers could gain access to this special treat by spending ten dollars or more through Grubhub which would unveil the opportunity to add a $4 pack of Cini Minis to their order. A little more expensive than the original 99 cent version in ’98, but still the same cinnamon goodness. Although they are no longer part of the permanent menu, at least we got one last taste of them before they were gone forever!
2. The Loaded Steakhouse
Originally named the “Angus Steak Burger,” The Loaded Steakhouse was Burger King’s attempt at creating a burger as popular as the Whopper. It had a five-ounce angus patty and many similar toppings as the other burgers on the menu but didn’t seem to fly out of restaurants right away. With its slightly higher quality patty, the company was hoping it would outshine some of the other frozen products. The name of the burger was then changed to the “Angus Steakhouse,” which ended up becoming the burger we know today, The Loaded Steakhouse. This final version had most of the regular toppings but added mashed potatoes, fried onion, and A1 sauce which gave the burger its signature “loaded” flavor. The meal was quickly vetted as one of the weirder items on the menu, but it became popular among Burger King fans who loved the strange and novel idea of putting mashed potatoes on a burger. Since being discontinued, there have been no signs of the burger coming back to the menu, but it was an interesting creation that will go down in Burger King history.
1. The Angry Whopper
At number one, we have the Angry Whopper. Based on the most popular BK burger, the Angry Whopper contained all the same toppings as the Whopper but added a bun infused with hot sauce, onion petals, jalapenos, and a secret spicy sauce. A burger clearly made for thrill-seeking spice lovers, the Angry Whopper seemed to some customers like a little too much spice for the regular fast-food fiend, but it still managed to become a popular novelty item. It unfortunately came off the menu almost as fast as it was added but made a short comeback in 2019 without the hot sauce bun. This second version did a lot better in terms of sales, but it was discontinued in most restaurants across the US and Canada although it’s still being sold in Mexico. Despite its intense flavor, the Angry Whopper gained many fans in its short run and carved out a spicy burger-shaped hole in the hearts of fans when it was removed from the menu. We’ll just have to cross our fingers for its return one day.