Discontinued Fast-Food Menu Items Fans Still Crave

Fast food moves fast — it’s built on constant change, and that applies to the menu too. But that doesn’t sit right with fans who get attached to a certain menu item, because hey, the heart wants what it wants. And every time a fan-favorite gets nixed some just roll with it while others are left in a state of deep, irrational longing — searching, petitioning, and reminiscing.

To find out which retired fast-food items people miss the most, Spin Genie analyzed Google searches from June 2023 to July 2024, tracking how often people still look up their long-gone favorites. 

Here are 10 menu items that fans still have a hankering for. 

54,400 searches 

Few things in life are as disappointing as ordering your usual and realizing it's … not usual anymore. Which is exactly what happened when KFC swapped out their thick, crispy potato wedges for basic fries in 2020 — because, you know, that year wasn’t hard enough without axing beloved menu items. And not even for great fries — just fries.  

The wedges had a perfectly seasoned, crunchy exterior and a mashed potato-like center. 

Fans are still bitter, years later, airing their grudges all over the internet. “It’s the biggest fast-food crime ever. They’ve never had anything better,” declares one outraged Redditor. “I get genuinely sad when I think about how they removed them for stupid fries,”adds another. 

There’s also a Change.org petition called “Bring Back KFC Potato Wedges,” now just 200 signatures away from hitting its 5,000-signature goal. So, you never know. 

65,200 searches 

Taco Bell isn’t exactly the first place people think of when they crave a salad, but for those who wanted to pretend they were making a healthier fast-food choice, this was their pick. And it wasn’t just some sad side salad — Taco Bell’s version had taco meat, cheese, sour cream, and crunchy tortilla strips all packed into an edible tortilla bowl. 

But for reasons unknown, Taco Bell pulled it, and fans are still shedding a tear or two every time they see lettuce. (And there are plenty of other discontinued Taco Bell items that fans miss.)

70,600 searches 

Part taco, part quesadilla, the Meximelt was one of Taco Bell’s longest-running hidden gems before the chain axed it in cold blood from the menu in 2019. But after years of pleading and praying to the tex-mex gods, Taco Bell listened and as of November 2024, the Meximelt is officially back.  

However, whether it’s here to stay is still a mystery as Taco Bell hasn’t announced if the Meximelt is making a permanent comeback or just another limited-time tease. 

87,300 searches

In 2021, Arby’s made the highly unhinged decision to get rid of their crispy potato cakes in favor of crinkle-cut fries. And no one was thrilled. In fact, tens of thousands of grieving potato-loving fans begged for their return. And just like Taco Bell, Arby’s listened.  

In July 2024, the chain announced the big resurrection of the potato cakes, promoted by Twin Peaks alum Kyle MacLachlan, who introduced the chain’s “Order of Potato Cakes” to honor their return. 

But you should not get used to them just yet, as the item is back for a limited time.  

105,000 searches 

Fast-food salads have always had an on-again, off-again relationship with menus, but Burger King’s version stuck on for a surprisingly long time before disappearing.  

It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was good enough for people to grieve when it was quietly nixed nationwide in 2022. And to the great disappointment of the health-conscious patrons of BK, salads are not coming back anytime soon, and water would be the healthiest thing on the menu. 

106,800 searches 

For a brief moment, McDonald’s almost tricked people into thinking it was a health-conscious brand. The Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait wasn’t just good for fast food — it was actually good, with layers of creamy vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit, and granola.  

But nothing made sense in 2020, around the time McDonald's quietly discontinued this kind of healthy item from the menu. There are various copycat recipes online, but no news about its great return. 

110,600 searches

The great thing about the Enchirito was that it brought enchilada lovers and burrito fans together. But Taco Bell played its game of divide and conquer and has been yanking it on and off the menu for years. The fan-favorite enchilada-burrito hybrid was first introduced in 1970, discontinued in 1993, revived in 2000, and pulled again in 2013. In 2022, after a fan vote, it briefly returned from November 17 to November 30. The most recent limited-time comeback was May 25, 2023, but as of April 2024, it’s off the menu once more. 

127,600 searches 

Domino’s ruffled a lot of feathers — especially among Brooklyn’s local pizzerias—when they tried to play the 'authenticity game' and launched the Brooklyn Style Pizza in 2006. What made it worse was that people actually loved Domino’s version of the iconic foldable slice. It wasn’t the best pizza, per se, but for chain delivery, it delivered.  

In fact, many grew to love it, so when Domino’s replaced it with a thicker, more generic 'New York Style' pizza in 2024, fans weren’t having it.

As one outraged  Redditor noted, "Just tried the New York Style and was NOT a fan. No crispness to the crust so you can't pick it up; drowning in sauce, soggy, just yuck."  

The new version uses a medium dough stretched to a large, which results in a thicker crust that doesn’t allow the fan-favorite folding bit. 

132,680 searches 

Chipotle doesn’t change their menu much, so when they introduced Carne Asada in 2019, it was something to celebrate. The thinner, more tender with a garlicky-citrus marinade that actually made it taste like something you’d get from a real taqueria. But then, like all good things, it went the way of the dodo. Chipotle brought it back briefly in 2020 and 2023, but it’s never been a permanent fixture. 

327,100 searches 

Few fast-food menu items have reached the legendary status and near-holiness of the McRib. When the BBQ boneless rib sandwich slathered in tangy sauce and served on a hoagie-style bun was first introduced in 1981 it wasn’t an instant hit. In fact, it was pulled from national menus in 1985 due to low sales. But then it started developing a cult following. 

Over the years, McDonald’s would bring it back in limited-time releases — a sly way to fuel demand with the now you see it, now you don’t availability. It became an event. It returned in November 2023, when McDonald’s called it a “farewell tour” — a phrase fans have learned not to take seriously. The McRib has “fared well” and came back more times than anyone can count, including last holiday season when McDonald's also sold jugs of the McRib sauce as well.