✔ Updated · new lost menu collection
These are the 25 discontinued fast food items people miss most, counted down from the Hula Burger to the fried apple pie, with a Comeback Check for each. Every recipe I've made is linked right on its card.
Some of the most-missed discontinued fast food items are McDonald's fried apple pie (baked in most of the US since 1992), KFC Potato Wedges, McDonald's Szechuan Sauce, the original beef tallow fries, Taco Bell's Caramel Apple Empanada and the Arch Deluxe. Many return for short limited-time runs, and a few, like the Mexican Pizza and the Snack Wrap, came back for good.
The Lost Menu, by Brand
Want one chain at a time? I have a full page of discontinued McDonald's items, from the Hula Burger to the Snack Wrap comeback, and another of discontinued Taco Bell items, from the Bell Beefer to the Volcano Taco.
Round 1: Numbers 25 to 21
25. Hula Burger (McDonald's)
A slice of grilled pineapple with cheese on a bun, tested in 1963 as a meatless option for Fridays in Lent. The way the story is usually told, it went head to head with a franchisee's fish sandwich, and the fish sandwich became the Filet-O-Fish.
Off the menu
24. Onion Nuggets (McDonald's)
Chopped onion, breaded and deep fried, sold in only a few US markets around 1978 and 1979. A few years later McDonald's tried the nugget idea again with chicken.
Off the menu
23. McDLT (McDonald's)
A two-sided foam box with the hot patty on one side and the cool lettuce and tomato on the other, so you put it together yourself. By the early 1990s it was gone, and the foam box went with it.
Off the menu
22. SuperBar (Wendy's)
From the late 1980s to 1998, many Wendy's restaurants had the SuperBar: salad and fruit, a pasta bar and a Mexican bar, all you could eat for about three dollars in most places.
Off the menu
21. Cini Minis (Burger King)
Tiny, soft cinnamon rolls sold with a cup of sweet icing for dunking. They first showed up in 1998, faded off the menu in the early 2010s, and have had short comebacks since, including a national run in August 2025.
Back for short runs
Round 2: Numbers 20 to 16
20. Bell Beefer (Taco Bell)
A sloppy joe made with taco meat: seasoned beef and taco toppings on a hamburger bun. It arrived in the mid-1970s, faded out by the mid-1990s and came back for a short run in 2012.
Off the menu
19. Volcano Taco (Taco Bell)
A bright red taco shell, seasoned beef and a spicy cheese sauce. It launched in 2008, the Volcano menu disappeared in 2013, and it has popped back up a couple of times since, usually for just a few weeks.
Back for short runs
18. McPizza (McDonald's)
In the late 1980s McDonald's bet big on pizza. Most restaurants had dropped it within a few years, and it was largely gone by 2000.
Off the menu
17. Chick-fil-A Coleslaw
Chick-fil-A took its coleslaw off the menu in January 2016, and then did something chains almost never do: it shared the recipe. Our own version is here.
Off the menu (recipe released by the chain)
16. Enchirito (Taco Bell)
Half enchilada, half burrito, eaten with a fork. Taco Bell dropped it in 1993, brought it back, dropped it again in 2013, and it has had short runs in 2022, in 2023 and again more recently.
Back for short runs
Round 3: Numbers 15 to 11
15. Stacker Sauce (Burger King)
Beef patties, cheese and bacon stacked as high as you dared, with a tangy, peppery Stacker sauce. The line faded out in the early 2010s, with a brief comeback since. The sauce was always the reason to order it.
Back for short runs
14. Double Down (KFC)
No bun at all: two fried chicken fillets were the bun, with bacon, cheese and sauce in between. It launched in the US in 2010 and has returned for short runs, most recently for a few weeks in 2023 in the US.
Back for short runs
13. Twister (KFC)
Crispy chicken strips rolled in a soft tortilla with lettuce, tomato and a creamy, peppery sauce. It left US menus in 2014, KFC later sold a different line of wraps, and the Twister has come back for a limited run since.
Back for short runs
12. 7-Layer Burrito (Taco Bell)
Beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and cheese, with no meat in sight. It ran from 1993 to 2020 and has had one short comeback since.
Back for short runs
11. Meximelt (Taco Bell)
Seasoned beef, pico de gallo and a three-cheese blend in a warm, soft flour tortilla. It dates back to the late 1980s and stayed for decades until it was cut in 2019. It has come back as a limited-time item more than once since, so you might catch it, but you can't count on it.
Back for short runs
Round 4: Numbers 10 to 6
10. Chicken Po'Boy (Popeyes)
Crispy chicken on a soft roll with lettuce, pickles and mayo. It was on the menu from 2003 until 2019, when it made way for the chicken sandwich that caused all those lines.
Off the menu
9. Hot Mustard (McDonald's)
Sharp, a little sweet, and perfect with nuggets. It was dropped nationally around 2014, though a few restaurants kept stocking it.
Off the menu (a few franchisees)
8. Cheesy Tots (Burger King)
Little potato bites with melted cheddar in the middle. They first left the menu in 2009 and have come back for short runs several times since.
Back for short runs
7. Potato Cakes (Arby's)
Crisp, flat, golden hash brown patties. In 2021 Arby's made its crinkle fries permanent and said the potato cakes were off the menu “for now”. They've popped back in some places since, but in a lot of towns they're still a memory.
Back in some places
6. Arch Deluxe (McDonald's)
The burger McDonald's built for grown-ups, launched nationally in 1996 with peppered bacon, leaf lettuce, a potato bun and a Dijon and mayo sauce. By 2000, it was gone.
Off the menu
Round 5: Numbers 5 to 1
5. Caramel Apple Empanada (Taco Bell)
A golden, crunchy pastry pocket with warm apple and caramel inside. It left the menu in 2019 and has had a short comeback since, so watch for it, but don't count on it.
Back for short runs
4. The Original Beef Tallow Fries (McDonald's)
You can still buy McDonald's fries, just not these ones. Up to 1990 the frying fat was mostly beef tallow; then it switched to vegetable oil with beef flavoring. My recipe has a 1980s-style tallow pot.
Changed
3. Szechuan Sauce (McDonald's)
It started as a 1998 movie promotion. When it returned in 2017, demand far outran supply, and it has come back a few times since, always for a limited time.
Back for short runs
2. Potato Wedges (KFC)
Thick, seasoned, crispy outside and soft in the middle. In 2020 KFC replaced them with fries, and fans were furious. They came back nationwide for a limited time in August 2025.
Back for short runs
1. Fried Apple Pie (McDonald's)
On the menu since 1968, the same year as the Big Mac, and fried. In 1992, in most of the US, McDonald's switched to a baked pie. The fried version has had short US comebacks since, and some countries still fry theirs.
Back for short runs (US); fried in some countries
The Ones We Got Back
Lost menu items don't always stay lost. When enough people ask, chains sometimes really do listen.
Mexican Pizza (Taco Bell)
Taco Bell took it off the menu in November 2020. Fans made so much noise that it came back in 2022, and by that September Taco Bell said it was back for good.
Back for good
Snack Wrap (McDonald's)
It disappeared from US menus, people kept asking, and in July 2025 McDonald's brought it back as a permanent item.
Back for good
Popcorn Chicken (KFC)
Off the US menu from 2023, then back on July 13 as part of KFC's comeback push. It's sold as a limited-time offer, so prices and availability vary.
Back for now
How the Comeback Check Works
Every card has a status: Off the menu, Back for short runs, Back in some places, Changed or Back for good. Each one links the dated news report or company announcement I used. Limited-time items come and go fast, so if you spot one of these back near you, check the chain's app before you drive over.
The order is my own ranking, built from what people still search for and still ask about. It isn't sales data.
More Copycat Recipes
Hungry for more? Browse my McDonald's copycat recipes, the KFC copycat recipes, the Burger King copycat recipes and every restaurant favorite in our copycat recipes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fast food items have been discontinued?
Well-known discontinued fast food items include McDonald's Hula Burger, McDLT, McPizza and Arch Deluxe, Wendy's SuperBar, Taco Bell's Bell Beefer and 7-Layer Burrito, the Popeyes chicken po'boy and Chick-fil-A coleslaw. Others, like KFC Potato Wedges and the Meximelt, come back for short limited-time runs.
Which discontinued fast food items came back?
The Taco Bell Mexican Pizza came back for good in 2022, and McDonald's brought the Snack Wrap back as a permanent item in July 2025. KFC Popcorn Chicken returned on July 13 as a limited-time offer, and many others return for a few weeks at a time.
Why do fast food chains discontinue menu items?
The usual reasons are slow prep at drive-thru speed, weak sales, packaging or ingredient changes, and simpler menus. Some items, like Szechuan Sauce, are built as limited runs from the start, because scarcity drives excitement.
Can I still make discontinued fast food at home?
Yes. Every card here with a linked name has a full copycat recipe on Recipe Fairy, including the Arch Deluxe, Meximelt, Enchirito, Cini Minis, fried apple pie, Szechuan Sauce and 1980s-style beef tallow fries.
When did McDonald's stop frying in beef tallow?
McDonald's announced in 1990 that it would stop frying its fries in a blend that was mostly beef tallow and switch to vegetable oil, adding beef flavoring to keep some of the taste. My fries recipe includes a 1980s-style tallow version.
Is the fried McDonald's apple pie coming back?
The everyday US pie is baked, as it has been in most of the US since 1992. The fried version has had short US comebacks since, and some countries still fry theirs. My copycat makes the fried style at home.
