Top 10 Fast Food Burgers That Don't Exist Anymore
#10: Chop House Cheddar Burger
Whataburger
Whataburger is a beloved fast food restaurant in the south—especially in Texas. In 2009 they introduced the Chop House Cheddar Burger. This thing was a beast—with not one, but two beef patties, grilled onions, shredded cheddar cheese, two slices of bacon, and steak sauce, all on a five-inch bun. The burger dropped in early August, and by September it was gone. Although, that wasn’t because people didn’t like it. It was always meant to be a limited-time run—and even returned for a short time in 2010. In fact, the company called the burger a hit. OK Whataburger, so bring it back already!
#9: Mini Sirloin Burgers
Jack in the Box
Small hamburgers and sliders were all the rage back in the late 2000s. Jack in the Box dipped their toes into that yummy water with their Mini Sirloin Burgers. These sliders were straightforward burgers with American cheese, grilled onions, and ketchup—and you got three of them per order. In 2009, along with the new burgers, Jack in the Box did what they do best: made a really funny commercial. The little eats got a fair amount of hype and seemed to be a hit with customers. But when the company did a menu board revamp in 2011, the mini sirloin burgers didn’t make the cut.
#8: Bacon & Blue Burger
Wendy’s
Maybe you thought putting blue cheese on your hamburger was something they only did at fancy restaurants. Well, do you consider Wendy’s “fancy”? Because back in 2010 the company introduced its customers to the Bacon and Blue Burger—which had bacon, sauteed onions, steak sauce, and, yup, crumbled blue cheese—and don’t forget the brioche bun as well. It attracted a loyal following of Blue-lovin’ diners. However, it was also a little complicated to prepare, and very messy to eat—which isn’t ideal for those of us who like to eat our fast food burgers in the car. Perhaps that’s what led to its demise.
#7: McDLT
McDonald’s
Speaking of fancy, what could be more fancy than a hamburger served in a 2-part container with the warm ingredients on one side and the cool ingredients on the other? Sure, there was a little assembly required, but it was worth it to keep the hot and cold separate until the last possible moment prior to consumption. Or at least that was the theory. Did it really make for a better burger experience? Maaaybe. Was it worth all the extra Styrofoam needed to produce the containers? Nope. And when McDonald’s switched to more eco-friendly packaging, that was it for the McDLT.
#6: Beyond Famous Star with Cheese
Carl’s Jr.
In 2019, Carl’s Jr. was one of the very first fast-food chains to dive into the plant-based meat market—and it seemed like a good move at the time. The plant-based meat craze was hitting its stride and soon many other restaurants and fast food outlets would get in on the game as well. We assume sales of the Beyond Famous Star with Cheese were decent, given that it lasted for a solid 4 years on the menu. However, as of April 2024, the plant-based burger had been taken off menus at most Carl’s Jr. locations.
#5: Bell Beefer
Taco Bell
Taco Bell has made it their mission to “think outside the bun” for decades. But back in the early 1960s, when entrepreneur Glen Bell began his Taco Bell adventures, he thought right inside the bun for one of the restaurant’s menu items: a chili burger. More akin to a sloppy joe than a standard burger, it was ground beef between two buns topped with lettuce and onions—and, if you upgraded, cheese and tomatoes. It went by many names, but will always be remembered by fans as the Bell Beefer. The Beefer stuck around for decades, but by the middle of the 90s it was no more.
#4: Wagyu Deluxe Steakhouse Burger
Arby’s
While Arby’s has always had the meat, one thing they never had, until 2022, was a hamburger. But when they finally got into the burger game, they didn’t mess around with sliders or wimpy patties. They went with Wagyu beef—well, 52% Wagyu beef—and a burger cooked sous vide style that, they claimed, was 50% larger than a Quarter-Pounder from McDonald’s. We checked out some reviews from the time and people seemed to really enjoy it. Its popularity was also seen in the fact that the chain sold out of the item faster than expected. They did bring it back soon after, but it appears that the burger was always meant as a Limited Time Offer—and not a permanent menu item.
#3: Loaded Steakhouse
Burger King
In press releases back in 2008, Burger King touted steakhouse burgers as offering, “the indulgence of an entire steak dinner at a fraction of the cost.” Listen to this: an angus patty, topped with mashed potatoes, crispy fried onions and A1 steak sauce. Boom! We don’t know why it only lasted about a year, but now we kinda wish we had a time machine to go back to 2008 and try it. Burger King does have a “steakhouse” burger on some locations’ menus today—but without the mashed potatoes it sounds like an “unloaded” disappointment. And while we’re talking BK, let us also mention the discontinued Crown Jewels line of chicken-based and beef-based sandwiches—which were launched at New Zealand locations in 2005.
#2: Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger
Wendy’s
Few fast food chains have made bacon a priority like Wendy’s. We’re looking at you, Baconator. Never ones to rest on their pork-laurels, Wendy’s introduced the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger in 2021, calling it a “Cheesy, Bacon-Lover” dream come true. But those dreams turned into nightmares in 2022, when the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger was discontinued. Why, you ask? Well, the truth is, as part of the “Made to Crave” line, it was never meant to be a permanent menu item. And thus it was reportedly removed in order to make way for the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger. That’s the circle of fast food life, it seems.
#1: Arch Deluxe
McDonald’s
McDonald’s launched the Arch Deluxe in 1996 with an eye toward a specific target audience. This was a burger for grownups—or at least that is what the most expensive fast food marketing campaign ever at the time told us. What made it so adult? Was it the split-top potato flour sesame seed bun, the circular peppered bacon, or the Dijonnaise? Whatever it was, it wasn’t what grownups wanted. Or at least not enough grownups wanted it to make it a profitable venture for the company—and by 2000, the Golden Arches no longer sold the Arch Deluxe.
Do you miss any of these discontinued burgers? Let us know which ones still make your mouth water in the comments below.
