# Which fast food items still taste the same as they used to, let's say 20 years ago or longer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 8, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328 "2024-02-08T21:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/41 "2024-02-10T00:07:38Z")
In 1970 KFC changed its fantastic original Coronel’s gravy to “sludge” as Sanders put it. But that is well more than 20 years ago… ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Lovecraft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mc_lovecraft/32/16062_2.png) [@MC\_Lovecraft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Lovecraft)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/42 "2024-02-10T00:19:26Z")
That’s the one. I’ve been eating the Longhorn Special for decades now and it’s as good as it ever was. Dan’s is good too, and every time I pass by I hear the Lounge Lizards singing “Wendell the Un-Cola Man went to Dan’s for Breakfast…” in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/43 "2024-02-10T00:28:43Z")
Most of it, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/44 "2024-02-10T01:37:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But, doggoneit, White Castle tastes _exactly_ the same as I remember it from not just twenty, but ever years ago. Same here. I go 20 years between visits and am confident there’s no discernable change. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/45 "2024-02-10T04:16:42Z")
Dairy Queen cones, milkshakes and burgers are exactly as I remember them as a kid. A&W Mama burger, Teen burger, Papa burger, and an icy root beer. Still the same as far back as I can recall. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/46 "2024-02-10T05:01:17Z")
Whataburger and Chick-fil-a taste the same as they did 40 years ago, at least. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2024, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/47 "2024-02-10T16:02:34Z")
Chick-fil-a hasn’t tasted the same since 2010 or thereabouts. Or maybe it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/48 "2024-02-10T16:41:43Z")
Chick-fil-a has made numerous changes to their menu items for health reasons over the years, although they tend not to advertise it much. In the mid-2010s they removed trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup from their foods. They also went to antibiotic-free chicken in 2019. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/49 "2024-02-10T17:19:35Z")
2010 was roughly the time they started donating to anti-LGBTQ+ groups as well. Their food lost all taste to me around then. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/50 "2024-02-10T22:43:51Z")
As I understand it, Subway changed their meatball recipe in the last year and it’s now a beef & pork mix. I’ve always been an on and off fan of their Meatball Marinara and am awfully curious to give these new ones a try. Even though I haven’t been to Subway in a while (maybe 18 months), it would be disappointing to find an ol’ fave dipped below a C grade. And I hear they’re like 50% more expensive now. I don’t expect … ♫ Five dollar foot-loooongs ♫ … ahem, anymore but I also won’t be spending $15 too often. And they’ve started to hide the prep tables for totally not gross or selfish reasons. [Thanks subway I hate this : subway](https://old.reddit.com/r/subway/comments/19d4m6u/thanks_subway_i_hate_this/) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/51 "2024-02-10T22:48:01Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > And I hear they’re like 50% more expensive now. The McChicken I used to get for under $2 pre-pandemic was $4.69 last week. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/52 "2024-02-10T22:57:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > The McChicken I used to get for under $2 pre-pandemic was $4.69 last week. Wait. The old McChicken? That was $1-$1.29 at one point. I’ll check my app. It has gone up. It’s $2.59 for just the sandwich now. Yikes, that is one crappy little item for that price. I mean, I used to eat them, but that is clearly a $1.29 level item. It’s really small. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/53 "2024-02-10T23:02:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Wait. The old McChicken? That was $1-$1.29 at one point. > > I’ll check my app. > > It has gone up. It’s $2.59 for just the sandwich now. Yikes, that is one crappy little item for that price. I mean, I used to eat them, but that is clearly a $1.29 level item. It’s really small. I thought it used to be on the dollar menu, but wasn’t sure anymore. Yeah, it was $4.69 last week here. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/54 "2024-02-10T23:35:37Z")
Weird. I’m in Chicago and the McChicken is $2.69 on the value menu on my app. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/55 "2024-02-10T23:43:11Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m in Chicago and the McChicken is $2.69 on the value menu on my app. Is it less on the app than in person? I only ate from one McD’s out here. They all seem to have different pricing. Oops, my bad. I just checked my credit card. $ **3**.69, not $4.69. Still a lot more than Chicagoland. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/56 "2024-02-11T00:18:30Z")
It’s $2.69 here at a place where they have a sign saying they are paying $18/hour. I can get a McChicken, Small Fries and any size fountain drink for $4.79. The McChicken and Small Fries are 2/3.50. Plus I can’t remember the last time I paid full price at McDonald’s that wasn’t at an airport or turnpike rest area. There are always deals on my app. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/57 "2024-02-11T01:17:23Z")
So I just installed the McDonald’s app. The closest location to me (in Seattle, fwiw) has the McChicken for $3.59, but the snooty suburb where I got one last week is $3.69. Probably not worth keeping the app as I only go there every 6 months or so. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/58 "2024-02-11T01:27:44Z")
As far as I can tell (since I generally only get it every other year or so) [Blake’s Lotaburger](https://www.lotaburger.com/) (regional fast food burger chain) green chili cheeseburgers are fundamentally unchanged: griddle cooked never frozen beef, green chiles, American cheese. Now if only the -price- was unchanged, and I could eat them at any hour, but, well, that’s not the thread. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/59 "2024-02-11T01:52:13Z")
The only fast food items I’ve eaten with any regularity over the last two decades are bean burritos and tacos from Taco Bell and McDonald’s Big Macs and fries. Except for the fries they taste pretty much the same to me. One variable I don’t think has been mentioned is how much your sense of taste changes as you get older. I would think your taste buds would lose some of their sensitivity over a span of twenty years and things would naturally taste “different”. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328/60 "2024-02-11T02:01:26Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > One variable I don’t think has been mentioned is how much your sense of taste changes as you get older. I would think your taste buds would lose some of their sensitivity over a span of twenty years and things would naturally taste “different”. If it’s been twenty years since I last ate a particular dish from a restaurant, I couldn’t honesty say whether the taste of the food has changed or my tastes have changed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-items-still-taste-the-same-as-they-used-to-lets-say-20-years-ago-or-longer/997328.md?page=4)