# What was the worst "gimmick" fast food item you ever consumed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076 "2019-06-26T00:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/21 "2019-06-26T14:57:13Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I don’t know where you’re located, but we’re close enough to Maine so that the lobster was fresh. Which is exactly why they’re only sold in the NE now. It doesn’t take much time for frozen lobster to get mushy and nasty. Which I found out. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/22 "2019-06-26T15:02:22Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Arbys Curly Fries. Horrible things, and they replaced what were excellent skin-on fast food french fries. Right? Those things should be awesome but they’re pretty meh. Adding salt should help but then it’s just salt sitting on top of meh. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/23 "2019-06-26T15:12:16Z")
About 25 years ago McD’s introduced a “veggie burger” to the UK market that turned out to basically be a carrot-and-pea fritter. It was revolting. Fortunately, veggie burgers in general have greatly improved in quality in the interim. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/24 "2019-06-26T15:28:39Z")
Domino’s ‘specialty chicken’ which is cubes of chicken breast coated with a few sauces (bbq, ranch, buffalo), with bacon thrown in, of course, and baked. It’s a good idea in theory, but the chicken we ordered was kind of dry and WAY too salty. Almost inedible. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/25 "2019-06-26T15:38:40Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > The McLobster Roll. McD’s rolled this thing out sometime in the early to mid 1990s. For reasons I probably don’t need to list here, that failed. I’ve heard that they are still available for a few months a year in the Northeastern states. If there are gas stations in the NE selling lobster rolls, I bet those are better. I agree, underwhelming. I have never really like the [McRib](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McRib) … I actually liked the [McDLT](https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/02/blast-from-the-past-the-mcdlt-mcdonalds-1980s-jason-alexander.html) … _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/26 "2019-06-26T15:47:18Z")
Ooh, another one: Pizza Hut had a special extra-spicy pizza on offer. I like extra spicy food so I thought I’d give it a try. What it had on it (from what I can remember): pepperoni, spicy sausage, jalapenos, green peppers, onions, hot sauce, yellow mustard. What it tasted like: yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard, yellow mustard and yellow mustard. Mustard pizza should not be a thing, ever. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/27 "2019-06-26T16:23:13Z")
Had to be some abomination from Subway they called the grilled chicken club, or something similar. The “grilled chicken breasts” had a foam rubber like texture I’ve never experienced before. It could not have been actual chicken. Truly vile. A close second was a Wendy’s triple burger. Never has so much grey meat been piled so high and wide. It has been years and years since I’ve given up eating fast food of any kind, but those experiences in particular stick out in my mind to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/28 "2019-06-26T16:37:49Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Nacho Fries from Taco Bell. They are nasty.IMO But their commercials are great. I’d see the movie those commercials are a trailer for. I can’t contribute to this thread, because I never trust any of the gimmick concoctions. It’s like alternative medicine - when it gets accepted, and is no longer “alternative”, I’ll try it. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/29 "2019-06-26T17:01:56Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Nacho Fries from Taco Bell. They are nasty.IMO Emphatically disagree. They aren’t close to McDonalds Fries since they aren’t even fried, but they taste just fine. Reminiscent of Arby’s Curly Fries and the nacho cheese sauce is pleasant. Sometimes I just want fries with my fast food, and the Bell always fell short there, so this is a winner in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/30 "2019-06-26T17:07:01Z")
Wendy’s Poutine. Admittedly, I’m not Canadian, so I don’t know what good poutine is supposed to be or even if there is good poutine. But this stuff was a disgusting mess. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/31 "2019-06-26T17:09:22Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Domino’s ‘specialty chicken’ which is cubes of chicken breast coated with a few sauces (bbq, ranch, buffalo), with bacon thrown in, of course, and baked. It’s a good idea in theory, but the chicken we ordered was kind of dry and WAY too salty. Almost inedible. I fell like this is pretty mainstream these days. Just about every chain pizza joint has various chicken pizza combinations as a standard non-red meat option and the chicken is universally mediocre. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/32 "2019-06-26T17:16:00Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > About 25 years ago McD’s introduced a “veggie burger” to the UK market that turned out to basically be a carrot-and-pea fritter. It was revolting. > > Fortunately, veggie burgers in general have greatly improved in quality in the interim. In Sarasota around the turn of the 90s, I worked in a BK and if you ordered a “Veggie Burger” at least at that BK you got a regular burger but without the meat . Maybe they added tomatoes and lettuce on burgers that don’t normally come with them but the idea of eating patties, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and ketchup and mustard with nothing else sounds even grosser to me than just eating mustard on a regular burger. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/33 "2019-06-26T17:41:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > That’s what made them great, the freshness. Worth the wait, IMHO. Why are we talking about potato cakes like they were a limited run thing that died? They’ve been a mainstay at Arbys since I was a kid in the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/34 "2019-06-26T17:55:44Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Why are we talking about potato cakes like they were a limited run thing that died? They’ve been a mainstay at Arbys since I was a kid in the '80s. Yeah, but they hardly push 'em. They’re a tiny byline on the menu, you’re always told none are ready and you’ll need to wait for 'em. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/35 "2019-06-26T18:20:14Z")
I agree with others on the McRib. I tried one once and was at best meh about it. I don’t understand all the hype about them (although I suspect much of that hype is manufactured by McDonald’s ad agency). ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/36 "2019-06-26T18:49:13Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > In Sarasota around the turn of the 90s, I worked in a BK and if you ordered a “Veggie Burger” at least at that BK you got a regular burger but without the meat . Maybe they added tomatoes and lettuce on burgers that don’t normally come with them but the idea of eating patties, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and ketchup and mustard with nothing else sounds even grosser to me than just eating mustard on a regular burger. I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, so maybe I’m missing something, but your description seems to be a burger without a bun, rather than without meat. Did you mean a bun instead of of patties? I can assure you vegetarians do eat buns. Frequently. Occasionally without any contents as that’s the only vegetarian thing available… And no, it doesn’t magically taste better to us. I would be more than a bit annoyed at being sold one as a ‘burger’. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/37 "2019-06-26T18:54:32Z")
> [@UnwittingAmericans](#): > > McRib is McRidiculous. Yep, but oddly, when KFC did ribs, they were excellent. IMHO. Of course that was back in the days they had the Colonels \*real \*gravy, not the library paste they use now. I have had a few “cheesy” things at Taco Bell where they used that "nacho cheese’ lubricating oil crap. Nasty. Of course, ymmv. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/38 "2019-06-26T19:00:20Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Jack in the Box tacos were so gross. Part of my issue with them was the shell. Half soft and greasy, half burnt and sharp. > > I miss the Encherito. They still make them. Yeah, that wasnt bad at all. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/39 "2019-06-26T19:33:29Z")
The [Whopperito!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whopperito) Ground taco meat with Whopper fixings inside a tortilla. A soggy mess that just fell apart as you tried to eat it and spicy taco meat just tastes gross with dill pickles. So gross. I ate a few bites and threw it away. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076/40 "2019-06-26T19:35:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They still make them. > > Yeah, that wasnt bad at all. But it’s a special request and the kids usually don’t know what you’re talking about. And if it doesn’t have the three olive slices on top, forget about it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-worst-gimmick-fast-food-item-you-ever-consumed/836076.md?page=3)