In our lifetime, lots of things come and go.
Just when you’re not looking, your favorite thing just vanishes and is quickly replaced
with the next new thing. The same goes for our favorite fast food items. However, there
is usually a good explanation for their disappearance, so here are the 10 Biggest Fast Food Failures
of All Time - part 2 McDonald’s - McRib Approximately 38 years ago, before anyone
ever heard of pulled pork sandwiches, McDonald’s created the McRib, a barbecue-flavored pork
sandwich that consisted of boneless pork patty made from pork shoulder meat that was molded
to resembled a miniature rack of ribs. The sandwich, which consisted of a patty slathered
in barbecue sauce, came topped with onions and pickles, served on a 5-and-a-half-inch
submarine roll. It was first introduced to the menu in 1981. After poor sales, it was
removed from the menu in 1985 and reintroduced a few years later. It stayed on the menu until
2005 in many countries. From 2006 to 2018, the McRib made an occasional reappearance
on the menu for a short period of time every year during the fall; but only in markets
where sales were good. Nonetheless, McDonald’s executives decided that pork was not eaten
as often in most parts of the US for it to stay on the menu long term. In case you are
really dying to try the McRib, a short trip abroad is in order to Germany or Luxemburg
where a McRib can be had at McDonald’s anytime. Burger King - Veal Parmigiana The Burger King’s Veal Parmigiana sounded
like a sure thing in the ’80s. Everyone loved this Italian favorite; it tasted like
Nonna’s homemade veal sandwich, slathered with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella on
a panini shaped bread. It was delicious, but the introduction of this veal-based sandwich
in 1980 did not come without controversy. It caught the eye of many animal rights activists
in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. A few years later, several groups were alleging
that the veal being sourced to Burger King was inhumane toward the treatment of these
animals. They wanted Burger King to stop serving the sandwich, which Burger King refused to
do. In protest, a boycott of the sandwiches resulted, and Burger King eventually announced
that it intended to pull the sandwich from the market, stating that it was not because
of the boycotts, but because there was a lack of consumer demand. In fact, the chain said
the sandwich sold best in the markets where the majority of the protests were occurring.
The old adage is true: no such thing as bad publicity. Pizza Hut - Taco Pizza This one is for all those kids in the 80’s
who will remember Pizza Hut’s Taco Pizza. Who can forget it, it was the best thing to
be invented since sliced bread! Introduced in the late ’70s and popular until the ’80s,
Pizza Hut’s Taco Pizza came served on their original pizza crust, topped with seasoned
ground beef, taco sauce, and a mix of cheddar and melted mozzarella cheese. The lettuce
and tomatoes were added on top after it had been cooked. “It was a pizza-looking taco-tasting
pizza”, as the commercial says. For those who missed the chance at eating this delicious
pizza, it actually looked good and tasted decent. A cross between Mexican and Italian
food, it was really popular for a while trying to emulate both food genres.But unfortunately,
it was more of a gimmick, something people wanted to try one time, then never returned
to. Some chains still make a taco pizza or a variation of it, and all of them are better
then the original Pizza Hut Taco Pizza, which was, if we're being honest, a bit of a monstrosity.
We applauded Pizza Hut for thinking out of the box, but the execution left a lot to be
desired. Wendy’s - Frescata Deli Sandwich Wendy’s is best known for its square hamburger
patties, but in 2006 they came out with a new item, deli sandwiches. Wendy decided to
cut in on Subway’s action and also increase their profit margin in that market and began
offering their own line of freshly prepared deli sandwiches. Sold under the name Frescata,
the sandwiches offered multiple variations on the ham and cheese sandwich; they served
it on an artisanal bread and even got all fancy by offering dabs of pesto. The sandwiches
in the Frescata line up included the Frescata Club, Roasted Turkey with pesto & Swiss, Black
Forest Ham & Swiss, and Chunky Chicken Salad Frescata. The word Frescata in Italian means
fresh, the sandwiches were freshly prepared and initially welcomed as a lower-calorie
and healthier alternative to Wendy’s burgers and fries. However, the idea never really
caught on due to poor sales. The other major glitch was that it took too long to prepare
the sandwiches, and people were waiting awhile in line to receive them. Wendy’s discontinued
the sandwiches a year later. Burger King - Burger Bundles Burger King has had no shortage of epic food
failures, none more evident than their Burger Bundles which were released in 1987. Presented
as a slider, a very small hamburger meant obviously for massive consumption. Burger
King figured they were so small, that people would have to order two or more at a time
to really get their fill. Therefore, doubling their sales and resulting in more money in
their pockets. The Burger Bundles were popular with teens and the late-night crowd, who did
not have too much money to spend after an evening of partying. Despite their popularity,
the burger bundles had their issues as well. Preparation was tedious and difficult as they
had to assemble so many more, because of their size. The cooks also had issues with the cooking
process as they would fall through the grills on the stoves. Sometimes they were losing
more patties that ended in the garbage at the end of the night, than those that actually
made it out of the kitchen and were sold. Ultimately, the technical demands required to make them
proved too much, and they were discontinued just months after they were introduced. Greediness
came back to bite them in the buns. McDonald’s - Hula Burger McDonald’s has also had its share of failures.
It is normal for the marketing team to think up new ideas to please its customers, following
the trends of the day. But nothing was more inane than the invention of this burger from
McDonald’s. The Hula Burger was a meatless burger introduced in the 1960s by Ray Kroc.
Today meatless burgers, like Beyond Meat, are popular because of the introduction of
vegan lifestyles. This burger was invented as a substitute for American Catholics who
could not eat meat on Fridays. The burger consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple
with cheese on a bun. It was designed to go up against the Filet-O-Fish, which was created
by a Catholic McDonald's Franchisee Lou Groen. McDonald's killed the Hula Burger early on,
as it became quickly evident that its alternative, the Filet-O-Fish, was getting much better
traction. McDonald’s - Fish McBites McDonald’s Fish McBites were small pieces
of flaky white fish dipped in batter and deep-fried until they were golden brown and served with
tartar sauce for dipping. They were offered in three sizes; snack (10 pieces), regular
(15 pieces) and shareable (30 pieces). The Fish McBites were a welcome change and the
first new addition to the Happy Meal menu in a decade. Again, they mostly were marketed
and catered to Catholics during Lent and were specifically meant to have a short run. But
Fish McBites failed to hook enough diners to get the fast-food chain's U.S. sales any
growth for one clear reason: they were marketed to the wrong demographic. Happy Meals cater
to children and not many kids like fish, even if they look like nuggets. The launch marked
the start of what McDonald's said was a bigger pipeline of new limited-time offers. By adding
more variety to its menu, the company was hoping to fend off competition and tempt customers
to eat out more. The Filet-O fish remains a popular contender for fish during Lent,
and the McBites did not really catch on. But battered, deep-fried fish isn’t an unusual
menu item, and given that Lent happens every year, maybe these could one day return. Pizza Hut - Bigfoot Pizza Pizza Hut’s Bigfoot Pizza was a big thing
in the ’90s, named so because of its size. It was one of their more popular pizzas. The
pizza measured 12 inches by 24 inches (or 2 square feet) and was cut into twenty-one
slices. Ideal for parties, big groups, or a very hungry family with lots of leftovers
for breakfast the next morning. With the Bigfoot, you could choose up to three toppings of your
liking for under $11.00. There were all kinds of extra promotional things surrounding
the Bigfoot Pizza. In 1993, Pizza Hut put in a free trial month of HBO or a free video
rental from Blockbuster with a purchase of the Bigfoot as a limited-time offer. There
was also the "Bigfoot Big Six", which was a variation with six different toppings and
sold for the same price as the standard Bigfoot. Throughout the ’90s, Pizza Hut offered and
combined all kinds of promo stuff like free admission to theme parks, extra pizza toppings
and much more. This pizza competed with the likes of Little Caesars' Big! Big! Cheese and
the Dominator from Domino's Pizza. The Bigfoot won over big time. So we know what you're
thinking, this sounds like hit! Why is it on our failures list? The fail is on Pizza
Hut's part for retiring this beloved pizza for no apparent reason. It was one of their
more popular items, came in at a great price, and people still clamor for its comeback to
this day! Come on Pizza Hut, we love you, make your wrong a right and bring back the
Bigfoot! McDonald’s - McDLT Even though McDonald’s has a dominant position
in the US marketplace, they still have to attract customers. Marketing departments and
research teams are constantly on the lookout for new ways to attract customers with new
and better ideas. However, not all of the ideas can be successful all the time. But
we have to give it to McDonald’s for trying. In the ’80s, the decade of excess, McDonald’s
introduced the McDLT. It was a simple idea, nothing more than a hamburger with lettuce,
tomato, and mayo, packaged in a double-sided Styrofoam container that kept “the hot side
and the cold side separate”. It was the customer’s job to put the two sides together,
ensuring a balanced burger and evenly distributed heat. It was sold on the premise that it was
more appetizing this way. McDonald’s was already facing public relations issues because
of its environmental unfriendly standards concerning too much packaging, the McDLT only
emphasized their problems. The burger was discontinued in 1990, because of the backlash
it received regarding the container, which was its signature feature. The Styrofoam
containers fell out of favor because of environmental concerns, and some stores were still serving
up the cold ingredients warm anyways, defying the whole purpose. The product was withdrawn
and never made an appearance again. Taco Bell - XXL Chalupa Taco Bell is another fast-food chain that
tries very hard with different concepts to please their customers. In 2010, they came
out with the XXL Chalupa. The XXL Chalupa was 57% larger than the original Chalupa and
contained more seasoned ground beef, crispy lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and nacho
cheese sauce, topped with sour cream all rolled up in one big Chalupa flatbread. When Taco
Bell announced the debut of its new Oversized Chalupa the customers were ecstatic, now they
could have double their favorite meal. The chain generated an insane amount of hype among
fans with a fake magazine type advertisement. The double-stuffed fried tortilla looked pretty
awesome, and over the top. The problem arose when the customers ordered the meal but it
did not look anything like the pictures. Apparently, the restaurant was not delivering twice the
amount of meat filling and toppings as promised in their ads. Customers were very disappointed
and took to the internet. The complaints were that they were being duped into paying more
for almost the same thing as a regular chalupa. The XXL Chalupa was removed from the menu a few
short months after it was launched. In 2011, they tried to bring back a version of the
large Chalupa, calling it The Double, but it failed again. Taco Bell does not give up
easily when they know they have a good thing; they keep trying to bring this one back from
the dead. Order up more by staying right here. Just
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