Top 10 Major Fast Food Failures

Burger King

When you think of the main food available at fast food places, fries will be at the top of that list alongside the humble burger. Well, Burger King decided to reinvent the crispy potato with a pun called Satisfries. It was promoted as a “healthy” alternative to the standard option. However, the advertising wasn’t great. Also, the Satisfries weren’t that healthy and more expensive, which meant the product didn’t last long. So, Burger King phased them out in 2014. Since we mentioned B.K.’s burgers, they tried to reinvent the classic again with sliders known as Burger Bundles back in 1987. Within the year, they were gone. The sliders were a problem for the cooks since they fell through the grill.

Wendy’s

Everyone likes an all-can-eat buffet. Just piling your plate like the Tower of Pisa with all the delights on offer. Then filling your bag and pockets to keep you fed for a week… kidding!.. kinda. Anywho, Wendy’s had a go in this department with the Superbar. But it wasn’t exactly on-brand, like a section for Mexican food and a pasta-filled Italian area. There was also a salad bar that contained leafy things and desserts. Of course, there were hamburgers involved too. Brought in during the late ‘80s, the Superbar only cost $2.99. But staff struggled to keep it clean and stocked while customers took advantage of refills. So, by 1998, it was gone.

McDonald’s

There’s already a big debate on whether a pizza should include pineapple. But what about pineapple in a burger INSTEAD of a pattie? Well, that was what McDonald’s created back in 1963 with the Hula Burger. Contained between a bun and slices of cheese, the item was introduced for Catholics during the Lenten season against Filet-O-Fish. And, considering only one of those is still around, you can probably imagine what happened. The Hula was discontinued shortly after its arrival. But that hasn’t stopped the chain from trying to sneak pineapple into their burgers over the years. McDonald’s also tried changing their game in the ‘70s with McSpaghetti. It didn’t last long but can be found in Florida and the Philippines.

Burger King

In 1992, Burger King wanted to mix things up at their restaurants. Well, at least between 4 to 8 p.m, as then the table service came into play! B.K. fans could turn up, order their meals at the counter, like usual, but then sit and wait at a table while munching on free popcorn. Taking as much time as it would be when just waiting at the counter, the order is delivered to the table along with cutlery, condiments, and so on. B.K. then added the Dinner Baskets to appeal to a family clientele. The commercials had an edgy ‘90s style and featured actor Dan Cortese from “Veronica's Closet.” But by 1994, the experiment was over, and usual service returned.

Taco Bell

With McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish taking the fast food industry by storm, Taco Bell decided to jump into the ocean and offer the Seafood Salad in 1986. Advertised as a “fresh” product, it was essentially a large tortilla bowl that contained taco salad, shrimp, whitefish, and snow crab. But instead of hitting the sweet spot of the collective consciousness of consumers, the product ended up leaving customers salty, as if something fishy was going on. Sorry for the sea puns. According to reports, there were many incidents of food poisoning from the new Taco Bell product. So, the item was discontinued before more damage could be done to customers and Taco Bell’s image.

Burger King

Looking to get in on the spooky action, Burger King decided to create the Halloween Whopper in 2015. And, just from its appearance, they nailed the theme with the black bun, while the burger itself was essentially the standard Whopper. Instead of using squid ink to get the mysterious color, B.K. decided that A.1. Steak Sauce was the best choice. But it wasn’t. Especially as it was suspected that they used a concentrated form. Consumers soon found that when they saw the burger again -- if you catch our meaning -- it was neon green. Yep, their poop was visibly more vibrant than before. With all that bizarre publicity, B.K. decided not to have the spooky burger back the following season.

In-N-Out Burger

Looking for a product to separate themselves from the competition, In-N-Out Burger decided on the 3x3 and 4x4. That latter contains 4 patties and 4 lots of toppings. Well, back in 2004, the chain was a lot more lenient with its menu as people could request higher numbers. Will Young – not the U.K. singer – went the extra mile in Las Vegas with a 100x100. Yep, 100 patties with 100 toppings. It was a monster. The restaurant fulfilled the order, complete with a makeshift container. It took 8 people to get through the mammoth burger. Young was charged for a Double-Double with 98 extra patties, coming to $97.66. After this bonkers order, In-N-Out Burger restricted the biggest size to 4x4.

Pizza Hut

Looking to boost sales, Pizza Hut decided to create the Priazzo line in 1985. It spent $15 million on the commercials that advertised it as being quintessentially Italian. The pie consisted of multiple dough bases, a lasagna-like sauce, and a cheese blend with toppings from the four flavors, the standard Roma, the meat-heavy Milano, the cheesy Florentine, and the vegetarian Napoli. It was essentially a mad scientist mix of a quiche, a deep-dish pizza, and lasagna. After a strong start and seemingly a success, Pizza Hut quietly removed the product in the early ‘90s. The reasons are believed to have been due to the expensive equipment needed to make Priazzo and the long cooking and prep time making it not worth it.

Domino’s Pizza

In the 80s, The Noid was a thorn in the side of Domino's Pizza commercials. The unsettling rabbit-human hybrid tried his best to ruin the chain. But in real life, in 1989, Kenneth Lamar Noid took two Domino employees hostage as he believed the character was about him. After the hostages escaped, Noid was admitted to a mental institution. He sadly passed away in 1995. Shortly after, the character of The Noid vanished, only appearing years later in commercials. Speaking of pizza, in 2015, Pizza Hut took its stuffed crust concept up a notch with Hot Dog Bites. And it wasn’t great. It was described as overly “salty” and a “tombstone” by some. Uh-oh.

McDonald’s

Ah, the ‘80s, where bad hair and bad choices ran riot. And in 1987, one such choice was McDonald’s adding the far bigger Supersize option for their meals with the drinks and fries. But all that came crashing down in 2004 with the release of Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, “Super Size Me.” For this experiment, Spurlock had McDonald’s for every meal over 30 days. He also had to Supersize if an employee asked. And they did several times. It didn't take long for Spurlock’s health to decline rapidly, with massive weight gain, headaches, and heart palpitations, among some of the symptoms. With all the negativity around McDonald’s and their Supersize option, they binned the sizing option within weeks of the film coming out.