While we have to admit there's nothing overly appealing offered at fast-food restaurants (they are fast-food, after all, not five-star dining establishments), there are some menu items that are honestly just downright disgusting.
Here are some of the grossest options (many of which no longer exist, thankfully) that we don't dare waste our money on and wouldn't even dream of choking down.
Listen, Burger King doesn't exactly have a reputation for being the King of Fast Food, despite its name. But one thing that is in the chain's name that needs to be revered is the word "burger." Adding tacos to the menu (even among the technicality that they contained a form of burger) was bold, rash, and the cause of many "What the ..." musings of confusion in the drive-thru. Here's an appealing description, courtesy of The Takeout, "The beef is deep-fried to the point you can dislodge meat from the tortilla in a continuous peel."
Introduced in 2002, we weren't surprised when these fell of the menu roughly six months later, but we sure were relieved. They were reintroduced in 2019, but thankfully for a limited time.
Related: 'Absolutely Abhorrent': 7 Items You Should Never Order at Burger King
If we wanted to spend our hard-earned money to jeopardize the well-being of our cholesterol levels, we wouldn't choose KFC's Double Down monstrosity as the worthy option. Plus, the mere thought of how a bite of this bad boy would feel as we sunk our teeth into it sends a shiver down our spines. The bunless beast first emerged in 2010 and has since made mercifully brief periodic returns.
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These little guys might look like crunchy dumplings, but inside, they contain a nauseating mixture of hamburger, melted American cheese, dill pickle pieces, and ketchup. The very thought of the warm pickles and ketchup sends our stomachs somersaulting.
Related: The Worst Burger Chains in America
Generally speaking, grilled pineapple is tasty. "Grilled" pineapple from Mickey D's, sandwiched between two pieces of American cheese and a bun, on the other hand, is entirely unappealing. Introduced in 1963, the Hula Burger didn't make it out of its birth year, and not many mourned it.
When it comes to fast-food drinks, Taco Bell's Mtn Dew Baja Blast is one of the most beloved. The fast-food chain recently teased an impending unveiling of a pie iteration of the drink along with a variety of other new creations, and we have to say, the possibility of bringing back churros (which apparently can still be found in the UK, Australia, and India) is exponentially more enticing. Key lime pie? Delicious. Lemon meringue? To swoon over. Nuclear waste-colored, artificial citrus-flavored gelatin on a graham cracker crust? Pass.
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This is goo slopped into a tortilla and rolled up. You can't change our minds. You can't make us think this looks delicious. It's gross. End of story.
Related: I Tried All 9 Taco Bell Burritos – This Is the Winner
Jack-in-the-Box's variety is truly commendable, we will give them that. But sometimes the chain just goes too far, especially on the late-night menu. This sandwich is a prime example. The toasted bread, nacho cheese, fried chicken slab, jalapeños ... there was way too much going on with this sandwich and the promise of heartburn was evident.
Related: The Best (and Worst) Fast-Food Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
Somewhere along the road, Burger King clearly welcomed someone who was just tickled pink at the idea of marrying traditional burger joint cuisine with tortillas. Or maybe tortillas were just a lot cheaper and the King wanted to cut costs. Whatever the supposed rationale was, it was anything but rational and instead totally disgusting.
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Everyone loves a loaded baked potato, but during the early '90s, Wendy's took things a step too far with its Italian and Mexican Hot Stuffed Potatoes. The Italian version was loaded with sausage, mozzarella, and tomato sauce while the Mexican one had taco meat, cheese sauce, picante sauce, and sour cream. Both smelled and sounded like they would probably taste like vomit, and you couldn't pay us to eat them.