The global coronavirus pandemic caused many fast food restaurants to make menu
changes to stay competitive in a changing world. From Taco Bell's Nachos Supreme and
Mexican Pizza to KFC's potato wedges and McDonald's fruity yogurt parfait,
here's what disappeared from fast food menus in 2020.
Fries are a fast food staple, but for decades, Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't
have them. KFC's top competitor, Popeyes, has them on offer, but for so many years,
KFC's available sides were mashed potatoes, cole slaw, green beans, corn, biscuits, mac and cheese,
and potato wedges. That changed in 2020 when the company introduced Secret Recipe Fries.
While many fast food items removed from menus in 2020 were a result of COVID-related streamlining,
potato wedges got cut for other reasons. KFC was ahead of the curve,
announcing in December 2019 that the potato wedges would be removed from the menu. By June of 2020,
they were gone, and the Kentucky Fried Chicken Secret Recipe Fries took their place.
KFC doesn't give potatoes a whole lot of room on their menu, as the chain only had mashed potatoes.
But perfecting the recipe for the new fries was 60 years in the making. The potato wedge
replacement fries are in fact seasoned with KFC's secret blend of herbs and spices, then fried.
If you're a late riser or just crave breakfast food all day,
getting the timing right for McDonald's used to be a little stressful. You'd have to hit
the drive-thru in enough time to grab a McGriddle before the restaurant switched over to the regular
menu for the day. In October 2015, however, McDonald's introduced an all-day breakfast
menu for anyone seeking any breakfast favorites outside of traditional breakfast hours.
In March 2020, though, McDonald's temporarily stopped offering its all-day breakfast menu
in an effort to streamline operations during the coronavirus pandemic. But McDonald's plans to
bring back all-day breakfast soon, according to McDonald's U.S. president Joe Erlinger.
"I'll be back."
However, McDonald's surveyed some franchisees who voted overwhelmingly not to bring back the All Day
Breakfast. Without bloated menus, restaurants noticed they were able to improve the quality
and speed of service, so there's an argument for never bringing it back.
Still, all day breakfast at McDonald's is back in some locations, with franchisees offering limited
breakfast menus all day, or until later in the day than usual. Other McDonald's locations may return
to a full all-day breakfast menu later this year as the restaurant scales back to full operations.
Salads were another casualty of the streamlining of McDonald's menu. As restaurants focused on some
of the easiest and most profitable food items to sell in the drive-thru, salads just weren't
it. Unlike its All Day Breakfast, McDonald's seems to have no inclination to ever bring salads back.
It seems McDonald's isn't really sad to see salads go. The restaurant has
experienced problems with selling expired salads,
as they weren't exactly bestsellers when stacked up against burgers and fries.
Plus the salads were physically large and had to be kept refrigerated for freshness. They're also
easy to mess up, and can drag down a drive-thru's ability to deliver fast, accurate orders.
And they've caused some health and PR headaches, too. In 2018,
McDonald's saw nearly 500 cases of a "poop salad" outbreak, due to a parasite called cyclospora
that can cause intestinal infection. The outbreak sent 24 people to the hospital, and
McDonald's had to recall salads from about 3,000 restaurants in 15 states, mostly in the Midwest.
If your go-to breakfast sandwich comes on a bagel, you might be out of luck,
as breakfast bagels were removed from the menu at many McDonald's locations in 2020. It
seems the breakfast bagel wasn't as versatile or popular as English muffins or even the McGriddle.
McDonald's says breakfast bagels will return at some point in the future,
but there's no definitive news on when you can expect to see them again. Your local McDonald's
franchise may still have bagels in stock, or they might have chosen to keep them on the menu. So,
it doesn't hurt to ask, especially if breakfast bagels are a McDonald's favorite for you
For a restaurant that sells a lot of chicken McNuggets, McDonald's certainly has a weird
relationship with chicken tenders. In fact, this on-again, off-again relationship has been
going on between the restaurant and the tender since 2004. In 2020, tenders were once again
axed. But that doesn't mean chicken tenders won't come back again to McDonald's some day.
McDonald's introduced Chicken Selects in 2004 as a step up from McNuggets. But Chicken Selects
were removed from the menu in 2013, only to be brought back again in 2017 in a new form,
as Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. This hugely popular makeover sold out quickly after the launch,
but they were removed under McDonald's streamlined COVID pandemic menu in 2020.
McDonald's Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich was a go-to recommendation from some nutritionists
looking for healthier options on fast food menus. With low fat and high protein,
grilled chicken options at McDonald's were a decent choice for athletes, road warriors,
and even carb-conscious eaters. At least, they were a better choice than a burger and fries.
But it seems that the Artisan Grilled Chicken
sandwich is yet another food casualty of the coronavirus,
despite surviving the chicken sandwich wars of 2019. McDonald's decided to cut the grilled
chicken sandwich when the company updated its menu to streamline operations during COVID.
The McDonald's Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait always stuck out on the menu as somewhat
unusual. McDonald's doesn't sell a lot of fruit, much less fresh berries. Furthermore,
yogurt isn't a common ingredient on the menu, and neither is granola.
But the Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait was certainly one of the McDonald's menu
items that you could order without hating yourself. It was low in calories and fat
and featured real fruit and yogurt topped with granola. It was likely a better dessert
choice for health-conscious types than a McFlurry, shake, apple pie, or cookies.
But the parfait, along with the all day breakfast menu it was featured on,
is no more. It was cut from the McDonald's menu along with salads
and the grilled chicken sandwich, with no indication that it will return again soon.
While McDonald's made some deep cuts to its overall menu,
there were some additions in 2020 as well. McDonald's amped up the fast food
fried chicken wars in 2020 with Spicy Chicken McNuggets, and they sold out quickly nationwide.
But the nuggets, fried in a tempura batter seasoned with cayenne and chili pepper,
were not supposed to become a regular menu
item. In fact, the spicy nuggets were only around for about a month in 2020.
The spicy nuggets and accompanying Mighty Hot Sauce were friendly to spice hunters and mortals
alike, with a spice level that's enough to notice, but not enough to keep you from eating more.
Panera's Tuscan Grilled Chicken sandwich featured an artisan ciabatta bread with chicken,
provolone, parmesan, arugula, basil pesto, and two specialty ingredients:
smoky tomato confit and basil mayo. But the popular sandwich was removed from
menus as a seasonal item, along with the Cuban sandwich in 2020.
It's not clear if Panera chose to remove these sandwiches due to pressures from
COVID or for other reasons, but the Tuscan Grilled Chicken wasn't around
very long. It was introduced in April 2019 and removed a little over a year later.
But if you still want the Tuscan Grilled Chicken sandwich, it might still be possible to order
if off menu, considering that most Panera Bread restaurants might still
have at least some of the ingredients to make it. However, you might miss out
on the smoky tomato confit and basil mayo, unless Panera decides to bring those back.
In 2019, Panera released three new whole grain breakfast wraps to add to their extensive
breakfast sandwich options. They included a Mediterranean egg white wrap, chipotle chicken
and avocado, and the maple glazed bacon, egg, and cheese wrap. All three were intended to be a
quick, carb-conscious breakfast in a whole grain wrap. And while the chicken and Mediterranean
wraps have remained on the Panera Bread menu, the maple glazed bacon wrap did not make it past 2020.
It's not clear why the maple glazed bacon wrap got the axe, but we're guessing consumer
choice and nutritional perception might have had something to do with it. A healthy maple bacon
breakfast wrap could have been a hard sell for Panera. Plus, the still-available chicken wrap
contains some healthy avocado. On the other hand, a whole wheat wrap may have scared off
traditional bacon and egg lovers, and the idea of sweet bacon was probably too much for people
who were looking for a healthy breakfast. Whatever the cause, this wrap is history.
"Cut, that's a wrap."
Panera Bread introduced the Cheese Brittany and Cherry Cheese Brittany just before National
Croissant Day in January 2019. What exactly is a Brittany? This baked good is a cousin to the
croissant, with flaky layers in a round pastry. The dough is laminated with butter and sugar,
and it has a caramelized outer crust. The Brittany is named after
the region in France where the pastry originated.
But as COVID had Panera Bread and so many other restaurants streamlining products in 2020 to stay
profitable and serve customers efficiently, the Brittany pastries were discontinued.
They were eliminated to save time for the restaurants in overnight baking work.
While large fast food chains, including McDonald's and Taco Bell, made big changes to their menus in
2020, Subway didn't make sweeping changes. The sandwich chain, which specializes in
build-your-own offerings, didn't have a lot to change, except for two sandwiches on the menu.
In June 2020, Subway cut the Rotisserie Ch icken Sandwich and Roast Beef Sandwich from
their restaurant menus. It was a disappointment for those who like to order the sandwiches,
especially carb-conscious eaters who favored the rotisserie chicken.
Although Subway hasn't publicly revealed why it chose to discontinue the sandwiches, some
reports say roast beef was cut because of the beef shortage and subsequent increase in the price of
beef. However, Subway says that some locations may still carry the sandwiches. So if you're missing
one or both of these Subway sandwiches, check with your local shop to see if they're still available.
In their place, Subway brought back its popular five dollar footlong promotion
through a two-for-ten-dollar sandwich deal. However,
many franchisees weren't happy about it and said they'd lose money on the deal.
After months of warning, Taco Bell removed its beloved Mexican Pizza from the menu
in November 2020. The move was in an effort to streamline the menu for faster and more
efficient service, while reducing packaging waste. And although Taco Bell announced the
removal of the Mexican Pizza at the same time as several other popular menu items,
the public outcry was louder for Mexican Pizza than any other food on the Taco Bell menu.
Many customers spoke out on social media to complain about the move,
pleading with Taco Bell not to cut the pizza from the menu. Many of them purchased Mexican
Pizzas in the weeks leading up to the change, both in an effort to enjoy it while it lasted
and to show the restaurant how much they loved the item. More than 160,000 Mexican Pizza lovers
even signed a Change.org petition to keep the pizza on the menu, but it's gone nonetheless.
In particular, many Americans of South Asian descent who practice Halal were
disappointed to see the pizza go, as it was a good vegetarian fast food option when the
meat was substituted for beans, and especially tasty when it was covered in fire sauce. However,
Taco Bell does still have vegetarian options, and you can swap out meat in any menu item for beans.
Of course, it's not the same as a Mexican Pizza. But if you're really
missing the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, you can always try to make it at home.
Taco Bell's grilled steak soft taco always seemed like a bit of an elevated menu item
for the drive thru taco purveyor, offering grilled steak as an upgrade to the chain's
standard seasoned ground beef taco meat. And it was a standby for health conscious Taco
Bell customers looking for an alternative to fried foods, as the steak was grilled.
But the fajita-like grilled steak taco was cut from the Taco Bell menu as part of an
overall Taco Bell menu revamp in 2020. If you're still craving steak from Taco Bell,
there are other options: the Steak Quesadilla, the Grande Toasted Breakfast Burrito Steak,
and the Hash Brown Toasted Breakfast Burrito Steak.
There is still some hope if you really want a grilled steak soft taco:
If you're ordering online, you might notice steak as an add on option when you're ordering a taco,
either soft or crunchy. Hey, it's worth a try!
Taco Bell's Beefy Fritos Burrito was a flour tortilla wrapped around ground beef,
Fritos, rice, and nacho cheese. It was a pretty filling item for the dollar menu,
offering a good value, much like many other Taco Bell Cravings Menu items.
And according to many Taco Bell devotees, Beefy Fritos Burritos were easily upgraded to a cheesy
smothered burrito with some modifications to your order. You just needed to ask for beans
and onions, and then ask for the burrito to be grilled and served on a platter with red sauce.
Unfortunately, the Beefy Fritos Burrito was gone by 2020, though other burritos
remained on the menu. And you can still get a Taco Bell burrito on the cheap,
even if it doesn't have Fritos in it. As part of the menu changes, Taco Bell added a plain
beef burrito to its dollar menu – so you could always try to customize the new beef burrito,
much like with the Beefy Fritos Burrito hack from back in the day.
Yet another casualty of the Taco Bell menu update of 2020, the Spicy Tostada was removed
from the menu permanently. It used to be on the Cravings Menu, offering a cheap,
relatively healthy option for Taco Bell regulars. And with a flat crispy corn taco shell as a base,
it wasn't far off from the beloved Mexican Pizza, which of course has also been discontinued. Taco
Bell didn't say exactly why the Spicy Tostada was removed, but it's possible it got the axe
for the same reason the Mexican Pizza did, that being package sustainability.
Taco Bell's Spicy Tostada was a variation of a traditional tostada,
served on a hard corn tortilla with refried beans,
cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red sauce, and chipotle sauce. It came in with six
grams of protein and five grams of fiber and with just 210 calories and 10 grams of fat.
Taco Bell's 7-Layer Burrito got cut from the menu during the revamp, removing yet another
vegetarian staple from the restaurant's options. The 7-Layer Burrito was introduced in 1993,
primarily for vegetarian customers. It was a large meatless burrito that had refried beans,
seasoned rice, sour cream cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole.
Big enough to be a meal with substantial fillings and plenty of flavor variations.
While the seven-layer version of Taco Bell's burrito favorite is no longer around,
Taco Bell still has the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito. You could probably customize the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito
into the 7-Layer Burrito by making it vegetarian and adding cheese, rice, tomatoes, and guacamole.
Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, along with most other potato products,
were removed during Taco Bell's 2020 menu revamp. Taking potatoes off the menu, for the most part,
meant even more limited options for vegetarian and vegan tacos. It also impacted Loaded Grillers,
as the Taco Bell menu featured potatoes not just in Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes,
but also in the Spicy Potato Soft Taco and the Cheesy Potato Loaded Griller. However,
one Taco Bell potato product lived through 2020, and that's the breakfast menu’s Potato Bites.
Many Taco Bell fans were disappointed to see the potatoes removed from the menu.
But there's good news as well. In early 2021, Taco Bell announced that potatoes
would return to the menu, with CEO Mark King made a video to make the announcement.
They've been back on the menu ever since. And if you're still missing
the Taco Bell Fiesta Potatoes, you can always make a copycat version at home.
"You are copying me!"
Another casualty of Taco Bell's menu revamp was the Quesarito.
The Quesarito had seasoned beef, shredded cheese, nacho cheese sauce,
sour cream, seasoned rice, and chipotle sauce. There's also a vegetarian-friendly
black bean version that swaps in black beans for the seasoned beef. Although it's no longer
listed as an option on the menu inside stores or in the drive thru, you can still order it.
If you want to order a Quesarito, you can just ask for it when you arrive at the restaurant or
drive-thru. But in case you forget, it's listed on the menu when you're making digital orders.
When you place an order in Taco Bell's mobile app or by using the website,
you'll see both Quesarito options on the menu. You'll also find extensive customization options,
including guacamole, fresco style, beans, and chicken.
Two nacho items were removed for Taco Bell's updated 2020 menu, the Nachos Supreme and
Triple Layer Nachos. The Triple Layer Nachos were on the dollar value menu and topped with beans,
red sauce, and nacho cheese. Nachos Supreme had nacho chips with ground beef,
tomatoes, beans, nacho cheese sauce, and sour cream.
While these items were cut from the menu, the good news is that you can pretty much still get them
under different names. The Nachos Supreme are available in a larger portion with
the Nachos BellGrande. Want a really large portion? You can get a Nachos Party Pack,
either with ground beef or beans. And if you're looking for the Triple Layer Nachos,
you can order the value menu nachos with sauce and refried beans on the side,
to assemble on your own. Another option? Try some copycat Taco Bell Triple Layer Nachos at home.
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