# 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:** 4
**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 5, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/61 "2017-05-05T03:51:52Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I had a pot roast sandwich at Arby’s that was vile. I believe it had ranch sauce AND cheese. On pot roast. It was completely disgusting. I have no idea how it could have made it past a taste-test. That does, indeed, sound thoroughly disgusting. On the other, beef, cheese, and ranch dressing are like the three American food groups, aren’t they? You can put ranch and cheese on practically anything and it’ll pass a taste test. (God, I hate ranch.) ---
**Author:** ![Pilgrim\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Pilgrim\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pilgrim_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/62 "2017-05-05T05:53:30Z")
Back in 1993 when McDonald’s was pushing their Lobster Roll. I don’t know what it was. It tasted like real lobster (just not real good lobster). It was served on a hot dog roll. It was on the clammy side. But it wasn’t horrendous. It didn’t make me sick. And yet, it still bothers me… ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/63 "2017-05-05T06:25:50Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I just got a ‘grilled’ hot dog from Burger King. I was very anticipatory about it, Burger King usually has some pretty good stuff. OMFG it was the worst shit I’ve ever consumed. First of all, it was _tiny_, it was as skinny as a candy cane and barely filled out the bun. On top of that, it was rubbery as hell and just tasted like shit. So if anyone is thinking about getting a hot dog from BK: **don’t**. I don’t think I’ve ever had a fast food hot dog from a non-dedicated hot dog place that ever tasted good. Carls Jr/Hardees did the same thing with “chilidogs” where the hot dogs were tiny and tasted like they were microwaved, and the chili was the most obvious canned chili I ever tasted. At that point you might as well get a gas station hot dog because at least you can add as much fake chili sauce as you want. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/64 "2017-05-05T13:06:03Z")
Burger King Japan has launched some pretty bizarre concoctions, including [the Berry Whopper, the Black Whopper, the Apple Whopper, and the Angry Whopper](https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=burger+king+japan+whoppers&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw-sv059jTAhVME7wKHd-sA4gQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=954), but none of them have been all that bad (ok, the Black Whopper wasn’t good). But the only fast food item that got tossed in the garbage after the first couple of tastes was McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. Tasted like frozen toothpaste. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/65 "2017-05-05T13:30:02Z")
Anyone else remember McDonald’s experimenting with pizza in the early 90s? At the time I lived near a location that was testing them but I never tried it. Apparently there are at least 2 locations that still make it, possibly 3. . ---
**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 5, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/66 "2017-05-05T14:03:01Z")
The Black Whopper occasionally shows up in the US (like, around Halloween), and you can find the Angry Whopper here too. And don’t go dissing the Shamrock Shake! ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/67 "2017-05-05T14:53:00Z")
It’s not the ‘worst’, but the most disappointing was the Dorito-shell taco from Taco Bell. It seemed like it would be such a super junk food item, but it just tasted like a regular taco with some Dorito dust on the outside, it didn’t make me think “Doritos AND a taco together at last!” > [@JohnGalt](#): > > I remember the Burger King table service. I seem to remember that they had had popcorn for you until your food was brought to your table. And tablecloths. I remember that too, and it really didn’t make much sense. The popcorn was completely out of the blue, it’s not something I associate with fast food or sit down places, just theaters and occasionally department stores. The sort-of table service didn’t really improve the experience and was just kind of confusing, and it didn’t fit with the ‘fast’ that most people are going for with fast food. It was odd, but I got free popcorn from it so it’s not really the worst. I think they were trying for the ‘high end fast food’ thing that chains like Chipotle are really good at, but tried to go high end on the service instead of the food, which doesn’t really work. ---
**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 5, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/68 "2017-05-05T15:16:11Z")
\*\*Pantastic \*\*. . . is that the name of a pizza gimmick?😛 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/69 "2017-05-05T17:47:00Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Anyone else remember McDonald’s experimenting with pizza in the early 90s? At the time I lived near a location that was testing them but I never tried it. Apparently there are at least 2 locations that still make it, possibly 3. McDonald’s Pizza was rolled out in Kingston, Ontario back in the early 90s. For reasons I don’t know, Kingston was commonly a test bed for new McDonald’s products; they also tried delivery there. Anyway, it was okay, as I recall. It was like a common discount pizza, like, say, Domino’s, but not good enough you’d go out of your way to get some, as opposed to some other pizza joint. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/70 "2017-05-05T21:08:00Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Anyone else remember McDonald’s experimenting with pizza in the early 90s? At the time I lived near a location that was testing them but I never tried it. Apparently there are at least 2 locations that still make it, possibly 3. McDonalds gloms on to whatever’s popular. When Taco Bell was on the rise with their “Run For The Border” campaign, they sold tacos. When Domino’s Pizza was hitting peak expansion, they tried pizza. More recently, they started the McCafe campaign in response to Starbucks, and don’t forget their jumping on the smoothie bandwagon to counter Jamba Juice. Their menu is pretty much the detritus of attempts to keep you going to other chains. As far as menu gimmicks, around here Hardees is currently serving a cheeseburger with a slab of boneless ribs on top. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/71 "2017-05-06T01:56:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > My younger sibs worked at an independent movie theater when they were much younger. This theater used real butter on their popcorn, not butter-flavored oil, and more than once, customers would come back and ask, “What’s this stuff all over my popcorn?” > > :smack: > > Does anyone remember when Pizza Hut had the Priazzo in the mid 1980s? I worked there at the time, and they were GOOD! > > [I Didn't Imagine It! The Pizza Hut Priazzo Pizza Was a Real Thing](http://hot1047.com/i-didnt-imagine-it-the-pizza-hut-priazzo-was-real/) I managed a PH when they rolled out. They were an expensive and time-consuming disaster. They we’re trying to go “upscale” to counter the cheaper delivery places. Fail. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/72 "2017-05-06T21:54:20Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > You know, Jack in the Box doesn’t get enough credit for doing the Taco Bell “Let’s throw anything onto the menu” thing well before Taco Bell did it. I liked the Deli Trio sandwich, too… sure, I could make a sandwich like that at home, but I wouldn’t be likely to keep all those ingredients on hand; I think I’d actually be MORE likely to have the makings for a cheeseburger before I’d happen to have panini bread, the italian dressing, and long-sliced pickles all in the fridge at the same time. And then I don’t have a panini press. I liked the pannido version also, but the plain Deli Trio was ever better, I thought. After years of avoiding Jack in the Box, I actually ate there fairly often when they had those. I was sad when they discontinued them. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/73 "2017-05-07T16:49:47Z")
I don’t remember what they called it, or if they still have it, but the KFC meals where they just loaded a bunch of gloppy shit into a bucket and fed it to you were some of the most unappetizing commercials I’ve ever seen, and I’m including anti-diarrheal ads in that. ---
**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 7, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/74 "2017-05-07T17:35:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I don’t remember what they called it, or if they still have it, but the KFC meals where they just loaded a bunch of gloppy shit into a bucket and fed it to you were some of the most unappetizing commercials I’ve ever seen, and I’m including anti-diarrheal ads in that. KFC Famous Bowl. I’ve never had one, as I haven’t been to KFC in a couple decades, but I was oddly intrigued by it, and looked like something I might like, as I used to like eating something like that as a kid. (I liked to mix my potatoes, gravy, and peas and carrots or corn together, load it on a fork, and stab some meat with it, combining everything in one bite. Heck, what am I saying as a kid. I still do it in the privacy of my own home.) ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/75 "2017-05-08T16:14:56Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > I managed a PH when they rolled out. They were an expensive and time-consuming disaster. They we’re trying to go “upscale” to counter the cheaper delivery places. Fail. Was that different than Pzones? Are Pzones still a thing? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/76 "2017-05-08T16:21:58Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Was that different than Pzones? Are Pzones still a thing? > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The Prizarro looks like their attempt at a Chicago deep dish pizza. The Pzone was just a Calzone. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/77 "2017-05-08T16:34:35Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I don’t remember what they called it, or if they still have it, but the KFC meals where they just loaded a bunch of gloppy shit into a bucket and fed it to you were some of the most unappetizing commercials I’ve ever seen, and I’m including anti-diarrheal ads in that. They aren’t too bad. Just like a Thanksgiving dinner with chicken instead of turkey. After a bit all the neat piles of turkey, potatoes and veggies tend to mingle a bit. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/78 "2017-05-08T17:22:27Z")
Sometime during the late 70’s McDonald’s introduced a shamrock shake for St. Patrick’s. I drank that and ate my burger and fries, then went to the order counter and threw it all up in front of several full order lines. Mom got us out of the there pretty quick. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/79 "2017-05-08T17:33:33Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > The McRib. Blech. We were in the test market for those back in '80-'81. They were good! But, I can’t be sure whether they were actually better, or whether my 20-year-old’s sense of taste just wasn’t fully developed. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > I just got a ‘grilled’ hot dog from Burger King. I was very anticipatory about it, Burger King usually has some pretty good stuff. OMFG it was the worst shit I’ve ever consumed. First of all, it was _tiny_, it was as skinny as a candy cane and barely filled out the bun. On top of that, it was rubbery as hell and just tasted like shit. So if anyone is thinking about getting a hot dog from BK: **don’t**. Just had one Friday, and I disagree. Maybe it’s dependent on the franchise, but the one I had was a pretty good dog. Probably the only time I ever ate at Jack in The Crack was when they had that monstrosity burger with what? five patties, 8 strips of bacon and ten slices of cheese (or so it seemed). Whatever it was, I called it the DeathBurger. I’m sure each one took a year off my life. I think they soaked the bun in burger drippings, too. It tasted awesome! And I plan on never eating another one. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701/80 "2017-05-08T18:19:36Z")
I’ve tried a lot of the gimmicks, most I can’t remember but the Burger King Mac and Cheetos was horrid. I try to like the Burger King classic dog but they never seem to get it right when I ask for no ketchup and LIGHT condiments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-fast-food-menu-gimmick-item-you-ever-tried/785701.md?page=5)