# Worst Fast Food Menu Gimmick Item You Ever Tried? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2017, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701 "2017-05-02T08:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/21 "2017-05-02T17:22:21Z")
I worked at McD’s during the Arch Deluxe era, and I was a fan. I was 16 at the time, if that makes any difference. Not sure if it was designed to appeal to me or not, but it was the first time I had peppered bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/22 "2017-05-02T17:30:51Z")
Pizza Hut has a couple I can think of. First, the “Twisted Crust” pizza. The meeting must’ve gone something like, “I know! Let’s convince people to pay _more_ for a pizza that’s mostly bread!” Much harrumphing no doubt ensued. And talk about crimes against pizza: [what the hell is this thing?](https://consumerist.com/2013/09/18/pizza-huts-cheeseburger-stuffed-crust-menace-spreads-to-united-kingdom/) And a ketchup dipping sauce as well! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/23 "2017-05-02T17:35:08Z")
Aw man, I miss the Arch Deluxe. Loved the McDLT, too. Burger King’s Whopperito: Had all the taste & consistency of a Whopper that had been regurgitated by someone. Disgusting. Burger King’s A1 Ultimate Cheeseburger: Dry as a hockey puck, and the A1 sauce overwhelmed any other taste the burger may have had. Utterly disgusting. Come to think, everything at Burger King aside from the Whopper itself has sucked. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/24 "2017-05-02T17:38:45Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Pizza Hut has a couple I can think of. First, the “Twisted Crust” pizza. The meeting must’ve gone something like, “I know! Let’s convince people to pay _more_ for a pizza that’s mostly bread!” Much harrumphing no doubt ensued. > > And talk about crimes against pizza: [what the hell is this thing?](https://consumerist.com/2013/09/18/pizza-huts-cheeseburger-stuffed-crust-menace-spreads-to-united-kingdom/) And a ketchup dipping sauce as well! I think my parents had an ashtray that looked like that, circa 1970. What is the purpose of a pizza / burger hybrid anyway? ---
**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:** [May 2, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/25 "2017-05-02T17:45:22Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Aw man, I miss the Arch Deluxe. Loved the McDLT, too. > > Burger King’s Whopperito: Had all the taste & consistency of a Whopper that had been regurgitated by someone. Disgusting. > > Burger King’s A1 Ultimate Cheeseburger: Dry as a hockey puck, and the A1 sauce overwhelmed any other taste the burger may have had. Utterly disgusting. > > Come to think, everything at Burger King aside from the Whopper itself has sucked. Loved the McDLT and Arch Deluxe, too. The first was just kind of impractical and bulky. The second, I have no idea what went wrong with it. As for the Whopperito, that was the only burger meat product I enjoyed at BK. Are they gone already? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/26 "2017-05-02T18:28:29Z")
> [@davey77](#): > > Turns out, we were all young at heart. This is an awesome stealth dis. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/27 "2017-05-02T19:38:43Z")
**Max Torque** , my first thought there was “Ketchup dipping sauce!?”. But I clicked on the link and thought "Hm, cheeseburger pizza. I guess if you’re going to make a cheeseburger pizza, then I suppose ketchup dipping sauce makes sense. But then I saw what was actually at the link. It’s not a cheeseburger pizza. It’s an ordinary marinara-mozzarella-pepperoni pizza, with tiny cheeseburgers embedded around its edges like some sort of mutant parasitic growths. No. Just, no. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/28 "2017-05-02T19:40:34Z")
Burger King’s Mac n’ Cheetos. Deep fried mac n’ cheese in the shape of a giant cheeto and dusted with cheeto powder. Was not nearly as good as it minght sound. First bite was a “okay, this is different… interesting.” but soon followed by “okay, these are rather disgusting” and not finishing them. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/29 "2017-05-02T19:49:09Z")
Thinking of pizza, I tried one of Little Caesar’s “Pretzel Crust Pizzas” when they had 'em. I am generally in favor of the pretzel bread; a pretzel-bun hot dog, for example, is a very nice thing indeed. What I didn’t know, however, was that in addition to having the special crust, they removed the tomato sauce from the pizza and replaced it with a layer of thin, cheesy, awfulness. I didn’t expect the flavor, and I found it very off-putting. About a week into the promotion I heard that they would put the regular sauce on the pizza if you requested it, but I was too traumatized to try it again. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/30 "2017-05-02T19:59:22Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > Mentioned above, but the first thing that came to mind was the Mc D.L.T. > > It was basically a quarter pounder with cheese, but they put it in a special “two sided” container, with a tag line, “so the hot side stays hot and the cool side stays cool.” > > They even had Aretha Franklin doing the commercials. :smack: … and then placed the entire tray under the same hot lamps. 😃 Third, fourth, the McRib. I did like their wings, though, but even when they were introduced I knew they were not long for this world. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/31 "2017-05-02T20:02:39Z")
I phoned to order a pizza once, and he guy asked if I wanted an order of bead sticks with that. I said No, there are plenty of bread sticks all the way around the edge of the pizza. He actually laughed. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/32 "2017-05-02T20:12:26Z")
BK’s Chicken Fries are pretty awful. I finally broke down and ordered some once and expected small, zesty chicken nugget/fingers (like KFC’s popcorn chicken, maybe); they’re oversalted and kind of an unpleasant chewy/rubbery texture. Bleah. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/33 "2017-05-02T20:38:12Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > Mentioned above, but the first thing that came to mind was the Mc D.L.T. > > It was basically a quarter pounder with cheese, but they put it in a special “two sided” container, with a tag line, “so the hot side stays hot and the cool side stays cool.” > > They even had Aretha Franklin doing the commercials. :smack: And a young [George Costanza](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh1kmVwS4Hw) singing and dancing :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/34 "2017-05-02T20:48:51Z")
Remember when Burger King tried to get in on the White Castle business by offering tiny burgers? I think they were called “Burger Buddies” and might have actually been relaunched with a new name a couple years after that. They were terrible, although I like White Castle more than the average person, so maybe I was biased. I also once tried a McLean Deluxe, which I did not think tasted all that bad, but my body strongly disagreed about 30 minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/35 "2017-05-02T21:46:45Z")
Hardee’s used to serve this double quater pounder topped with bacon + steak and cheese. I have partaken of them on a couple of occasions. I am a first generation immigrant you see. It was part of my attempt to integrate better into my new homeland. It was pretty good for a physical manifestation of a heart attack. Tasted like animal suffering with a hint of freedom. But even back in those reckless days I didn’t feel comfortable driving for a little bit after eating one, the grease coma that came with it was much too strong. Definitely best of the worst as gimmicks go. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/36 "2017-05-02T22:00:07Z")
A McDonald’s menu in India is basically all gimmick. I tried the Maharaja Mac, a lamb and chicken hybrid… No, just no. Here an (old) article about Indian Maccy Ds: [Give me a Big Mac - but hold the beef | Globalisation | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/dec/28/globalisation.lukeharding) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**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:** [May 2, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/37 "2017-05-02T22:35:04Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > BK’s Chicken Fries are pretty awful. I finally broke down and ordered some once and expected small, zesty chicken nugget/fingers (like KFC’s popcorn chicken, maybe); they’re oversalted and kind of an unpleasant chewy/rubbery texture. Bleah. They really are super variable. Sometimes, they’re cooked just right, to the perfect texture. Other times, they are like you describe. I’ve more-or-less given up on them because they seem to be so variable quality-wise. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/38 "2017-05-03T00:05:51Z")
BK’s HA1loween burger, with the black buns and the A1 sauce baked in. It tasted so-so, but it turned my poop green for a week. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/39 "2017-05-03T00:15:13Z")
White Castle’s crabcake sliders. Crabcakes made of floor sweepings. Okay, all crabcakes seem to be made of floor sweepings, but they usually taste like there was some crab on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/40 "2017-05-03T02:48:50Z")
> [@davey77](#): > > The Arch Deluxe sandwich from McDonald’s. They promoted it by insinuating that their customer base i.e. children would hate it. Turns out, we were all young at heart. Hey, I liked the Arch DeLuxe! I remember when Burger King had table service in the early 1990s. That didn’t last long either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701.md?page=3)