From dangerously spicy offerings to prime grade-beef to meatless options,
here are the fast-food burgers that need to make a comeback.
Burger King has never replaced the Whopper from its menu, but it has occasionally added
some variations. Case in point: the Angry Whopper, which beefed up the regular Whopper
by adding cheese, slices of jalapeño, a sweet Angry sauce, crunchy Angry onions,
and hickory-smoked bacon. The specific variety of cheese varied by country. In
the U.S. it was American, while the U.K. had pepper jack and Mexico got Manchego.
The Angry Whopper originated in the U.K. in 2008. A year later,
it hopped across the Atlantic to the American market, where it lasted about six years before
being replaced by the even spicier Angriest Whopper. Then in 2019, the Angry Whopper was
rereleased for a limited period. Only time will tell if it makes another comeback.
"I'd like an Angry Whopper right inside my angry stomach."
Wendy's short-lived Bacon and Blue was a burger topped with strips of bacon and blue cheese.
Released in 2010, this actually made Wendy's the first fast food chain to use blue cheese
on a burger. Then in 2015, it kicked the flavor up a notch with a toasted brioche bun. Liz Geraghty,
the chain's vice president of marketing, announced at the time,
"With specialty ingredients and robust flavors like artisan Wisconsin blue cheese crumbles,
our new Bacon and Blue on Brioche will awaken the hamburger connoisseur in
all of us. We’re continuing to deliver consumers culinary-inspired flavors and
new premium hamburgers they’ve come to expect from Wendy’s.”
Sure, this particular offering may have been a bit messy with the blue cheese and special
sauce. But if Wendy's is so dedicated to giving its customers what they want,
then why isn't this burger scheduled to make a comeback?
In 1996, McDonald's tried its hand at creating a premium burger for the sophisticated adult
palate by introducing the Arch Deluxe. The price was higher than other menu items,
which wasn't exactly a selling point to customers. The sandwich consisted
of a quarter-pound beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions,
ketchup, a signature mustard-mayonnaise sauce, and optional strips of bacon.
McDonald's invested a lot in the Arch Deluxe, including the most
expensive advertising campaign in fast food history at the time. In its first year,
the burger was expected to bring in $1 billion. But that didn't happen. Regardless,
McDonald's claimed it wasn't expecting the Arch Deluxe to be the chain's savior in a time of
sluggish sales. As then-President and Chief Executive Edward H. Rensi put it in a memo,
"Only those who expected a miracle were disappointed."
The year after the Arch Deluxe was introduced, its price was dropped along with other menu items,
which reportedly was not a popular move among franchisees. One of McDonald's biggest mistakes
with this sandwich was marketing it to adults and insisting that children would hate it.
The chain tried a similar move in 2018 with the launch of their Archburgers, however, they were
only available in select regions and advertising was limited. Still, there are plenty of fans who
would love a nationwide Arch Deluxe comeback — just without the questionable advertising.
"I was gonna say that."
"Me too."
"It's so obvious."
Whataburger is known for its extra-large portions and extensive customizations.
That's not to say it doesn't offer specialty burgers as well, like their Chop House cheddar,
which first hit menus in the summer of 2009 and made a comeback in 2010 for a limited time.
This burger boasted quite the flavor profile with two grilled beef patties,
grilled onions, melted shredded cheddar cheese, two slices of bacon, and a creamy steak sauce,
all piled on a toasted bun. It was available in both regular and junior sizes.
At the time, Whataburger's Director of Marketing commented that the cheddar burger's launch proved
to be a hit because consumers enjoyed the nuanced flavors and the use of real cheddar. Indeed, fans
were still thinking about this burger as recently as 2018. As one enthusiast put it on Reddit,
"I need it in my life right now, when are they going to bring it back?"
And there's even a petition on Change.org that has garnered over 1,000 signatures. We
can only hope these pleas will be heard by the powers that be at Whataburger.
Back in 2007, Jack in the Box became the first major fast food chain to put sirloin burgers on
its menu, with optional toppings like cheese, onions, and bacon. It wasn't a bad choice for
health-conscious customers, since ground sirloin is leaner and less greasy than ground beef.
Within two years, Jack in the Box also debuted the sirloin burgers in mini form, aka sliders.
2009 was a big time for mini burgers, giving Jack in the Box no shortage of competition. Sadly,
when the chain installed new menu boards in 2011, the mini burgers were not included.
But that wasn't the end of pint-sized sandwiches, as sliders experienced another surge in popularity
in 2014. Since trends are cyclical, maybe we'll go through another slider boom in the near future.
After all, mini burgers are the perfect party food thanks to their convenient portable size,
and we're sure there would be enough people around to gobble up each bite!
In 2008, Burger King released Burger Shots — mini broiled burgers that came in pairs,
with up to three pairs per box. This wasn't the chain's first attempt at a mini burger:
back in the 80s, BK offered the similar Burger Bundles and Burger Buddies. Alas,
restaurant kitchens had difficulties with the smaller patties falling through the slats in
their grills, which could explain why the product was discontinued.
But surely there have been innovations in grilling in the past 30 years to combat
that problem. And maybe not everyone has a Whopper-sized stomach. Case in point: in 2011,
Singapore Burger Kings marketed Burger Shots to those who weren't as impressed by the signature
burger's larger size. The chain also promoted the shareability of mini burgers. If you ask us,
this sounds like a great option for families with little hands and little mouths to feed.
"I wish you were little."
We've already established that Wendy's likes to experiment with different kinds of cheese
on its burgers. In this case, they opted for aged Gouda with a Swiss Gruyère fondue sauce,
garlic aioli, and strips of applewood smoked bacon on a quarter-pound beef
patty. It may have been a bit messy, but it was a real win for cheese lovers. As
Wendy's Chief Concept and Marketing Officer Kurt Kane announced in 2015,
"Nobody creates a cheeseburger and fries experience like Wendy's. Our oven-baked bacon
and fresh, never frozen, beef are already famous for being delicious. Now we are combining them
with aged Gouda and a Swiss Gruyere cheese sauce that are ready to play their own starring role."
After the Gouda bacon cheeseburger was discontinued, one Redditor lamented,
"I miss it every day. Does anyone know if it is ever going to make a comeback?"
Unfortunately, we've yet to hear a definitive answer to that question from Wendy's.
Fast food joints clearly like to experiment with different kinds of beef in their burgers,
like standard ground beef versus ground sirloin. In 2006, McDonald's introduced
the Angus Burger by giving it a thorough test run in select Los Angeles locations
before taking it nationwide three years later. Angus beef comes from a specific breed of cow,
and it's famous for its marbling and juicier flavor. So, the Angus burger was a step
toward offering more sophisticated, premium items on the McDonald's menu.
But then came the rising beef prices of 2013, which were reportedly largely due to drought.
As a result, the decision was made to cut the Angus burger, which came in at a pretty
hefty one-third of a pound of beef. Company spokesperson Danya Proud said at the time,
"While these burgers will no longer be available in our restaurants,
they may still play a future role on our menu."
If you continue to crave a McDonald's Angus burger nearly a decade later, you'll probably
have to take a trip to Australia — or just keep hoping and praying that it returns Stateside.
In 2019, The New Yorker ran an article discussing the introduction of vegan
burger brands Beyond and Impossible hitting the fast-food market. Then in October of that year,
fast food chain Hardee's partnered with Beyond Meat, and thus the Beyond
Thickburger was born. A charbroiled Beyond burger patty was paired with a toasted bun,
and toppings including lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
Despite the initial excitement, many customers took to social media a year
later to vent about their struggles obtaining these plant-based burgers. As one person tweeted,
"Went to hardee's for the beyond burger [and] they said they discontinued them
[because] nobody was ordering them, do I look like nobody to you?"
"I'm not going to be ignored, Dan."
Another tweeted,
"Y’all need to go support the beyond burger!!!"
According to Gallup, in 2020, one in four people in the United States reported eating less meat
than they used to, and this trend is unlikely to go away any time soon. With this in mind,
Hardee's should seriously rethink its decision to discontinue the Beyond Thickburger.
Ground turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than ground beef,
which many in the medical community believe lowers the risk of heart disease. This could
be one reason why the consumption of red meat in the U.S. has been steadily declining over the past
several decades, while the consumption of poultry has increased considerably.
Considering all this, it only makes sense for fast food chains to offer red meat
alternatives on their menus. And Burger King heeded this call, at least for a little bit;
in 2013, the chain put a turkey burger on its menu. BK Head of Global innovation Eric
Hirschhorn commented at the time that turkey burgers were becoming more and more popular in
the restaurant industry. Reception on social media was mostly positive, so it's a little
bewildering that it was eventually dropped. Maybe they'll reconsider this fowl decision.
"I thought it was a turkey. I swear to God!"
In 2017, McDonald's launched its specialty Signature Crafted line of sandwiches to
compete with the premium burgers offered at other fast food chains like Wendy's.
But history repeated itself when the line was pulled two years later. This time, it wasn't
a matter of failed marketing or low sales. Instead, it was the longer assembly process.
The premium sandwich that fans really seem to be mourning the most is the Garlic White Cheddar,
which was available as both a burger and as a grilled or crispy chicken
sandwich. In addition to lettuce and tomato, the artisan bun was piled
with a slice of white cheddar cheese, fried garlic chips, and garlic aioli.
When McDonald's asked in 2022 which classic menu item it should bring back,
one person answered on Reddit,
"The Garlic White Cheddar Sandwich off their Signature Crafted Menu. I used to
get it with chicken and it honestly was my favorite fast food sandwich."
Despite the Taco Bell slogan "think outside the bun," this popular fast food chain did once have
a burger on its menu. Called the Bell Beefer, it was made of the same spiced beef, cheese, lettuce,
and tomato as the chain's tacos, but layered onto a bun rather than a tortilla. While this may sound
strange, there are plenty of folks who have fond memories. As one person put it on Reddit,
"I grew up eating these in the late 70s-early 80s before they discontinued
them [...] and absolutely loved them as a child [...] It's honestly great. Very
different [than] anything they currently have, simply by adding a hamburger bun!"
The Bell Beefer lives so fondly in many people's memories that there are two
Facebook accounts devoted to it. One's called "Taco Bell: Bring back the Bell
Beefer!!," while the other goes by "Taco Bell Please Bring back the Bell Beefer." There's
also a Change.org petition, although as of early 2023, it has less than 90 signatures.
As far as comebacks go, this would probably be the easiest on this list
to achieve. Taco Bell already carries most of the ingredients for its basic menu items,
so the only thing they'd need to add would be hamburger buns.