Top 10 Fast Food Items That Totally FAILED in America (Part 2)

America’s love affair with fast food is like a long and romantic nightmare. Just as with most relationships, there have been some rough patches along the way, and given that Americans love their fast food so much, it only makes sense that there would be some menu items that didn’t quite hit the spot. You loved the first list so we’re giving you more of the Top 10 Fast Food Items That Totally Failed in America (Part 2).

10. Mighty Wings – McDonald’s

Many would expect McDonald’s to be able to succeed at anything it sets its mind to, and that includes the very big chicken wing market, a rising star in the U.S. Considering that McDonald’s has been extremely successful with chicken items in the past, how could wings go so wrong? Just think about those delicious McNuggets, yummm. Unfortunately, the Mighty Wings did not join their fellow chicken comrades at the McD’s Hall of Fame. It may have been because of McDonald’s overconfidence in their product, but they simply did not take off as well as was hoped. To begin, the wings were not in line with McDonald’s classic value meals. The wings averaged around a dollar apiece, which put them at a significantly higher price point than their competitors. This was also intensified by the fact that other chains often offer half-price wing nights that are incredibly popular – especially at sports bars – and McDonald’s did not follow the trend. The price point was did not go unnoticed by customers, especially considering that, at the time, one could get almost two full McChicken sandwiches for around the same price as three wings. Although the wings were reportedly juicy and had a nice flavor – if not a little too spicy for some – it was not enough to make this promotional item a success and they quickly disappeared, lasting less than a year on menu boards. It appears that the McNugget will always reign supreme in the McDonald’s chicken world and we can’t say that we’re complaining!

9. Pickle O’s – Sonic

It seems strange that Sonic was unable to make a success out of its version of deep-fried pickles. After launching the product to relative success and positive reviews in 2003, Sonic decided to bring back the Pickle O’s for an encore – sort of. The deep-fried pickles were served sliced rather than speared, which may have had something to do with why they failed so bad. Many restaurants in 2020 choose to serve their deep-fried pickles in spears, which makes a significant difference. One of the major effects is the consistency factor. The spear shape allows the pickle to remain crispy throughout every bite, while the slices tend to turn the pickle soggy, which would leave customers with more of a hot vinegary pickle instead of a salty tangy snack. It seemed that one of the biggest issues was a lack of unanimity among customers. While some parts of America seemed pleased with the new menu item, others were insulted by its presence. Despite the sad fact that these little beauties were removed from the menu shortly after their launch, some Sonic super fans claim not all is lost! Supposedly, Pickle O’s are still available on the Sonic secret menu and many locations are still willing to whip up a batch!

8. McHotDog – McDonald’s

The two most classic dishes to serve at a BBQ are hamburgers and hot dogs. Since McDonald’s had easily mastered the burger half of this iconic duo, it seemed like a logical next step for the company to introduce their own version of  hot dog. One of the McDonald’s founders, Ray Kroc, vowed to never allow hot dogs to be sold at McD’s locations due to their lack of quality control. McDonald’s prided itself on its high-quality ingredients and it was viewed as a down step to offer such low-quality food despite demands. Fast forward to the late 1980s – commercialism had fully swept the fast-food market and it seemed that the valued sentiment of Ray Kroc was suddenly an outlandish idea of the past. The McHotdog has had some long-standing history at locations outside the United States, such as the Toronto Zoo & Rogers Centre, a major sports center in the city. Although the hot dogs were relatively popular, supposedly they were only ever brought to the United States in small promotional settings and for a brief stint at a few quiet Midwestern locations. Since then, the McHotdog has traversed the planet making its way to location after location, including in Japan and Germany. Despite this item never truly finding a home on the McDonald’s menu in America, considering the country’s obsession with hot dogs, maybe the McHotdog will once again make an appearance in the USA.

7. Enormous Omelet Sandwich – Burger King

Although Burger King has a less than stellar reputation in terms of health standards when it comes to their menu items, this next product’s nutrition facts are easily some of the most difficult to digest, so to speak. This monstrosity was released to help conquer serious morning hunger. You know, for the days when an entire OMELET is not enough to satisfy your morning hunger craving. Burger King was prepared to offer an omelet that had been taken to the next level! The Enormous Omelet Sandwich was an entire egg omelet turned into a breakfast sandwich! The sandwich started with a fluffy two-egg omelet. From there, Burger King staff added gooey melty American cheese, bacon slices, and an entire sausage patty! The ingredients were then loaded into a toasted bun. What? No room to stuffed a hashbrown in there too? Unfortunately, despite a huge love affair between customers and this sandwich, American nutritionists realized that this sandwich was a serious concern. After multiple reports came out indicating the insanely high sodium levels, and high calorie and fat count, Burger King had to make a difficult choice and it was eventually removed out of concern for consumers health. Despite issues in the United States, this menu item is still a popular option on the Canadian Burger King menu – meaning that our neighbors to the north may still be able to snag one of these tasty treats! It’s curious how some menu items seem to find a life north of the American border and failure within!

6. Grilled Cheese Burger Melt – Friendly’s

This next item seems less like a classic menu item from Friendly’s and more like a dish – as was pointed out on an episode of YouTube’s Epic Meal Time. Every once and awhile, in the pursuit of new customers and increasing sales, restaurants seem to sign a deal with the devil to offer up some of the biggest caloric foods on the planet. Items like the Double Down from KFC and the Priazzo from Pizza Hut were nothing when compared to this absolute beast of a burger! In 2010, Friendly’s unleashed upon America the Grilled Cheese Burger Melt. This sandwich was just as intense as the name that preceded it. For a limited time, customers were able to partake in eating one of the most phenomenal sandwiches ever conceived. The burger melt was just like a standard burger with a beef patty and classic hamburger toppings, but instead of using burger buns, it was stuffed between two massive grilled cheese sandwiches! This sandwich was a sight to behold! The calorie count was as astounding as the sandwich at over 1500 for only one sandwich! In addition, it also guaranteed customers nearly one hundred grams of fat! Adding on a side order of fries would have only increased the calorie content of this insane meal, but anyone hungry enough to take down an entire Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger Melt should probably win a prize just for their effort! What a meal!

5. Shake Em Up Fries – Burger King

It seems as though there is ample evidence that Burger King needs to stop messing with their fries recipe. Burger King’s fries are less than phenomenal, they’re good, yes, but not exactly the jaw-dropping kind of good. However, in attempts to increase buzz and add flavor to their fries, they have launched several failed products – which made things even worse. First, there were the Satisfries, Burger King’s disappointing and expensive take on healthy fries that never actually followed through on the nutritional benefits. This time, it’s Burger King’s Shake Em Up Fries that are the focus of one of BKs major no-nos from the past. These fries were mainly marketed towards children, which is a strange stance for a restaurant to take. Typically, they want to attract children but still impress parents – since they have the money. In the case of the Shake Em Up Fries though, both parents and kids were left disappointed by this distasteful side dish. The fries were served with an extra bag and a packet of cheese powder. Customers were then supposed to “shake Em up” in order to cover the fries in as much cheese powder as possible. Unfortunately, it seems that customers quickly realized the fries were much better without the Instant-Mac-and-cheese packet and the fries were soon pulled from the menu, just like many other Burger King products of the past.

4. McSpaghetti – McDonald’s

McDonald’s is well known in North America for its classic selection of burgers, fries, and assorted sandwiches. This really was the burger joint that started it all! That is why it is so surprising to learn that McDonald’s has taken a few major missteps in its history of serving the American public. One of the worst American menu disasters of all time was actually one of the most unexpected McDonald’s menu additions. McDonald’s McSpaghetti was released to the American market in the 1980s and was poorly received. Apparently, the spaghetti actually had quite a nice flavor and consistency, but, the interest just wasn’t there. McDonald’s quickly realized that its major mistake had not been with the product, but with its target audience! Americans were not buying in to the McD’s take on a classic Italian meal, but customers from the Philippines absolutely adored the concept. It was moved to the regular menu in the Philippines and is often served with other international favorites such as fried chicken! This is truly the definition of beauty being in the eye of the beholder!

3. Queso – Chipotle

Perhaps no other restaurant has swept up customers at such a speedy rate than Chipotle. Unlike the other restaurants listed, Chipotle is a relatively new competitor. It was founded in a renovated ice cream shack in Denver Colorado only 25 years ago. From the very beginning, Chipotle’s customers knew they had found something special. With fresh and delicious ingredients, Chipotle is akin to a more authentic Mexican experience, in comparison to the tycoon giant that is Taco Bell. Regardless of their fast track to success, even Chipotle has made a few major errors in regard to their menu options. One of the universally considered worst decisions in their history was the development of their custom queso sauce. It seems impossible that any cheese sauce could make a burrito worse, but Chipotle seemed to tackle the impossible. The Chipotle queso was widely hated by customers. The lengthy list of confusing ingredients involved in the queso didn’t exactly live up to Chipotle’s promise of natural and fresh ingredients. Besides that, the taste was just as disappointing as the ingredients – and appearance. The consistency was supposedly somehow grainy and watery all at once and was a complete let-down in terms of flavor. We’re probably better off without the queso anyway, so splurge for the extra guacamole instead!

2. Oreo Pizza – Domino’s

It’s rare that a fast food restaurant experiments with new dessert options. Unless the restaurant already has the required machinery for new items, like an ice cream machine, the restaurant usually focuses more on adding additional lunch or dinner options instead. Even though Domino’s has one of the best dessert options of all time with the Marbled Cookie Brownie, there have certainly been a few failures in their history of crafting the perfect end to a pizza night. Arguably the worst item ever served at any Domino’s location was the Oreo Pizza. In theory, this pizza sounds absolutely incredible. Almost everything that Oreo has ever been combined with would leave customers drooling and begging for more. In the case of the Oreo pizza however, one bite was more than enough. Considering it sold for around $4 bucks nationwide, the price point for a family dessert was certainly cheap enough. It seemed that the quality was reflective of the price. When this monstrous dessert was released in 2007, it seemed obvious that there were more than a few problems. If the flavorless crust wasn’t chewy, it was completely dry and it was topped in nothing but white vanilla icing and Oreo crumble pieces. If this dessert sounds far too sweet, customers agreed and it wasn’t long before the Oreo pizza disappeared from the Domino’s menu, hopefully, never to return!

1. Breeze – Dairy Queen

Sometimes, messing with the perfect recipe in the hopes of improving the original ends up being a catastrophic failure. One of Dairy Queen’s more memorable missteps over their time in the fast-food game was that of the Breeze. The Dairy Queen Breeze had a simple intention – to recreate the iconic and classic DQ Blizzard in a healthier way by using yogurt instead of the classic soft-serve ice cream, which honestly, doesn’t sound so bad. Unfortunately for the brand, it seemed that this was the farthest thing from what consumers were hoping for. The Breeze was largely considered to be a failure in many ways. Despite executives’ certainty that the frozen yogurt would be welcomed by the young 90’s generation who were obsessed with hopping on new trends, it seemed as though most people still ordered the classic option over the new healthier version. One of the biggest issues with the product was the waste. While many fast-food ingredients are shelf-stable, the frozen yogurt would often expire long before it had the opportunity to be consumed by customers. This was in part due to lack of sales as well as its shorter shelf life. Eventually, the item was removed from the menu boards and it faded into memories, just like mist in the breeze!

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