A drink that defined a season, an infamous quote-unquote "pork" sandwich,
and sliders so lovable they inspired a movie franchise.
Fast food lovers everywhere can’t get enough of these fan favorites!
McDonald's All Day Breakfast was an astounding home run for the company contributing to a 35%
jump in profits. According to The Washington Post, All Day Breakfast landed in McDonald's
franchises all over the country in 2015, featuring mouthwatering breakfast faves
like McMuffins, McGriddles, big biscuit sandwiches, and fresh steaming coffee.
Despite All Day Breakfast's popularity, the chain halted service during the COVID-19 pandemic as a
way to simplify and expedite drive-thru traffic. Tragically, there doesn't seem to be any real sign
that McDonald's All Day Breakfast will be making its big post-corona comeback. As CNBC notes,
a since-deleted tweet set the rumor mill ablaze with the hope that we'd soon see
mid-day McGriddles in our future, but it doesn't seem to have any objective validity. Until then,
hungry patrons will have to keep their fingers crossed and get their McBreakfasts before 11 a.m.
Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts offer the twin benefits of being tasty
as all get out and giving you that unique olfactory o-face the second you smell them.
"Mmmm…donuts."
It's the irresistible scent that most people associate with glazed Krispy Kremes,
as well as the unique combination of fluffy light dough and melting sugar glaze that gets
the customers running when that "hot now" sign lights up. Krispy Kreme's original
glazed doughnuts are akin to fluffy clouds of sugar-coated goodness, and some viewing
windows let customers peep their crave-worthy doughnuts as they slip through the glaze itself.
Krispy Kreme is always looking for ways to up the yum factor,
like combining the taste of these rings of gold with premium ice cream. Whether
you opt for a frozen treat or stick true to the original, Krispy Kreme's original glazed donuts
are a shining example of confectionary imagination and a true American staple.
Popeyes' chicken sandwich helped the fast food company increase sales by 38% in the
latter part of 2019 before taking a small dive in 2020. Although Popeyes took a slight hit
during the pandemic, it was a comparably small drop considering the massive blow delivered to
much of the restaurant industry. Ultimately, we can crunch the numbers and speculate that
Popeyes was able to stay above board, thanks in part to its iconic sandwich.
Popeyes' sandwich is so delicious, thanks to a few simple but scrumptious components
that all work together harmoniously for the ultimate taste experience. A soft brioche bun,
crispy, juicy chicken, and plenty of pickles make up the bulk of the
sandwich. Slather on some sauce, and you've got yourself a true winner.
Burger King's Whopper is the fast food
behemoth's most recognizable signature offering, enjoying a prominent place on BK menus since
its 1957 debut. The Whopper was Burger King's spectacular answer to McDonald's tiny hamburgers,
giving the public more beef and toppings for their bucks and taking off like wildfire. The
Whopper's appeal is undeniable, a delicious, flame-grilled burger piled high with veggies,
sauce, and cheese, and for a while, that combination dominated the fast food burger world.
Unfortunately, Burger King has made some tone-deaf missteps with its Whoppers recently. However,
despite these shortcomings, Burger King has a plan to make you fall for the Whopper again. The
company wants to remind hungry customers that the Whopper is both flame-grilled and customizable.
Plus, vegetarians can get their Whopper fix, too, thanks to the popular Impossible Whopper.
There's no finer marriage made in confectionary heaven than a cold, carbonated glass of root beer
crowned with vanilla ice cream. A&W Restaurants may not have invented this treat, but one could
argue the chain did perfect it, thanks to a base of exceptional root beer laced with cane sugar and
spices. Add in vanilla soft serve, and you have a chilly, spicy, creamy treat that transcends ages.
A&W Restaurants sometimes celebrate National Root Beer Float Day with complimentary
floats and donations to the Wounded Warrior Project. This fusion of charity, Americana,
and good old fashioned ice-cream paired with spicy and sweet root beer is a hit with A&W franchises
and patrons. Whether it's National Root Beer Float Day or not, you can always stop into a restaurant,
belly up to the counter, and order a sky-high vanilla-topped root beer float anytime.
According to Taco Bell, the idea for Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos started with a
beautiful dream. That dream eventually morphed into a delicious reality that quickly won over
fans and became a game-changer in the world of fast food. Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos
were a bit of a Hail Mary pass for the at-one-time struggling fast food giant,
but one that certainly paid off handsomely.
It's certainly hard to argue with the concept. You combine two of America's favorite comfort
foods — crunchy, spice-heavy Doritos with meaty, cheesy, sour cream-topped taco fixins — and you're
bound to have a winner. Plus, according to Taco Bell's website, you can customize your order with
extra jalapenos, sauces, or even steak to make it extra super special. The chain eventually
added more Dorito flavors, like Firey and Cool Ranch, which occasionally grace the menu, too,
so you can customize your experience with different mouthwatering shells.
White Castle's Sliders are such a legendary food that the quest for
them has inspired popular movies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
"Head over to White Castle. It's what you crave."
So, what makes it so iconic exactly? According to White Castle, the Original Slider was the first
fast food burger out there, first appearing in 1921. And it's estimated that approximately 1.4
million sliders are served every day. In addition to the iconic Original Slider, White Castle rolls
out new variations from time to time, including a Barbecue Bacon Slider and a peppery Ghost Slider.
Although Pizza Hut's pizzas have undergone plenty of transformations across the ages,
there's one standout item that bookworms who grew up in the 1980s will remember;
Personal Pan Pizzas. Pizza Hut teamed up with BOOK IT! to inspire 1980s kids
to read. The concept was simple, brilliant, and designed with total kid appeal in mind.
BOOK IT! founder Bud Gates told kids that if they read books, they'd get their own
personal pizza to enjoy, and a legion of literary and hungry bookworms were born.
BOOK IT! is still going strong, and millions of kids still participate in the program,
but for that inaugural batch of kids in the 1980s, the pairing of Pizza Hut and Judy Blume
books is a cheesy, nostalgic dream served in a sizzling hot personal pan iron skillet.
Sonic's sweet, sassy, and slightly sour Cherry Limeade is one of the chain's most popular items.
The secret is the fusion of fresh lime juice and sweet cherries over what Sonic calls its,
quote, "famous ice." It's an epic, refreshing, and totally unique combination that is a must-savor
next time you're at Sonic. It's also a welcome diversion from your usual gas station fare.
The Cherry Limeade is so intensely popular that Sonic is now making it available outside
its locations. According to QSR Magazine, you can enjoy frozen and ready-to-drink versions
of Cherry Limeade and some of Sonic's other top offerings, like Ocean Water.
If you're looking for utter decadence in a hamburger,
we humbly offer you Wendy's Baconator. This towering, heart-stopping stack of patties,
cheese, and plenty of bacon might not fit in with your diet plans,
but it's a crave-worthy snack that puts Wendy's on the map for thinking outside the conventional
burger box. The original Baconator spawned a cottage industry of artery-clogging offshoots,
like Baconator fries or the Baconator breakfast sandwich. There was even a spicy Baconator.
Omitting all healthy vegetables, the original Baconator had six thick slices of bacon and a
hearty smear of both ketchup and mayonnaise to really crank the calorie count up. When it comes
to outrageous and delicious options, Wendy's certainly went the extra mile with this one,
and it paid off. In the first two months after launching, Wendy's sold 25 million Baconators.
When deciding whether to go bun-free, KFC doubled down on the latter with its
short-lived, legendary sandwich featuring two pieces of cheese, two pieces of bacon…
"And two pieces of chicken. So long bun!"
Like Wendy's infamous Baconator, this sandwich is pure hedonism, giving eaters the satisfying
crunch of fried chicken, melty cheese, and plenty of crisp bacon in every bite.
The Double Down pops up from time to time, most recently in Toronto, Canada,
but you can also find it in far-reaching places like South Africa, Australia,
and Japan. Talk about your crispy fried chicken, cheese-coated global domination.
We bet that you can hear the jingle in your head right now.
"Five. Five dollar. Five dollar footlooooooong!"
Subway's Five Dollar Footlong was a tasty sensation with a great theme song and a
reasonable price tag. Subway launched its titular five-dollar deal in 2008, right in the heart of
the mid-aughts recession. These five-dollar sandwiches were music to hungry and frugal
customers and helped the franchise itself net nearly another four billion dollars in revenue.
The promotion, marketing, and ad campaign were remarkably successful but put actual
franchises in a bit of a bind. Sticking them with higher sandwich-making costs and the
mandate to sell more five-dollar sammies. Plus, the international chain got into
some hot water when their footlong sandwiches came up short, measuring in under 12 inches.
Dairy Queen's Blizzards come in a dazzling array of different flavor combinations and
is easily one of the chain's most recognizable and beloved treats. Dairy Queen first launched
the Blizzard back in 1985, and according to a vintage New York Times article from the era,
it was a hit the following summer. The New York Times lauded Dairy Queen's Blizzard
as one of the best selling fast food items in the summer of 1986. The article noted that the
chain projected that 175 million Blizzards would sell across its 4,000 plus stores.
Dairy Queen's Blizzards hit the right combination of tasty soft serve vanilla
ice cream and toppings, a combo copied but never fully perfected by the likes of the McFlurry.
Now with tons of different flavors, everyone can customize their Blizzard fix. From 1980s staple to
perennial summertime classic, the Blizzard lives on and probably will for many summers to come.
[mouth drum noises] "Pump-kin spice latteeeeeeee! High-five it!"
Of all the foods on our list, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, is one of the most legendary. To
say that Starbucks started a movement with its PSL is an understatement, as these drinks have come to
define sweater weather with their unique mixture of autumnal spices, milk, and fresh hot coffee.
Add whipped cream if you're sassy, lace up your Uggs, and you're ready to hit the pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes jolted Starbucks into infamy immediately, generating a buzz that
resulted in over six times the amount of usual Starbucks-related internet chatter.
The McRib is back.
The McDonald's McRib is a saucy little square of porky goodness, BBQ sauce,
and plenty of toppings. Although plenty of people love the McRib,
it's also got some detractors. If you're not sure what camp you fall into, we'd suggest not taking
a peek behind the McRib making curtain. For the rest of us, the McRib represents a salty,
saucey little slice of heaven that first debuted in 1981. The McRib was wildly unsuccessful upon
its first rollout, but the company kept trying, and eventually, it caught on.
One of the key reasons why the McRib is so popular is that you never know when
or where you're going to find it. Every few years or so, McDonald's rolls out
another iteration of the McRib, delighting fans and tearing up Redditors who claim:
"The glorious and terrible McRib is back."
Canadian-born coffee and donut sensation Tim Horton's has found a way to capitalize on its
popular donut flavors and give consumers the option to chow down on a bunch of them all at
once. Meet Timbits; tiny, two-bite spheres packed with classic donut tastes that you
can get in 10 or 20 packs. Most locations will even let you customize your Timbit selection,
so you can try some of those wacky new flavors without committing to a whole donut.
Timbits are so popular that in 2022, Tim Hortons even designed a promotional pool float shaped
like a box of the balls-o-fun. Although these wee Timbits might look adorable and youthful,
they're actually fast approaching middle age, at 46 years old. They're also so intensely popular
that a line of all of the Timbits ever eaten would reach the moon several times.