4 Strange Menu Items Fast Food Chains Used To Sell

Fast food has always been a canvas for creativity, whether we want it to be or not. In the ultra-competitive fast food world, chains have to find ways to stand out and stay novel – and that means novelty. Lots and lots of novelty, resulting in lots and lots of items that no-one reeeeeally wants. We still see that every other week right now: A couple of days back, KFC announced that it was releasing an Oreo chicken burger. Ridiculous? You said it, not me. 

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Partly prompted by that news, I wanted to leap back in time and check out a few strange fast food menu items of yore. Here are some ideas that maybe should have stayed in the development stage. 

McDonald’s Hula Burger

Back in the 1960s, a McDonald’s franchise in Cincinnati was faced with a problem, specifically on Fridays: The observing Roman Catholics in the area weren’t ordering burgers. Owner Lou Groen decided that there was a gap in the market here for a sandwich with no meat at all. 

Now, if you’re thinking that this is the origin story of the Filet-O-Fish, you’d be right – but another burger was sold alongside it. This was the Hula Burger, a sandwich with a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese inside. What everyone was asking for, right? McDonald’s decided to trial both, to see which would take on. Unsurprisingly, the Hula Burger wasn’t as popular as the fish version, and it subsequently faded into obscurity. 

Burger King’s BK Pumpkin

A potential contender for one of the weirdest pumpkin foods ever, Burger King’s BK Pumpkin was, as you might be able to figure out, a pumpkin burger. This BK Japan menu item came out in 2012, and was stuffed with slices of kabocha squash on top of beef patties, bacon, and lettuce. Perhaps strangest of all was the sauce, which was made from sesame seeds, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts.

Now, in another world, a sandwich with some well-cooked squash slices inside might be nice. But with beef? With a nut sauce? No, no. Not for me, thanks. Unsurprisingly, this one didn’t come back. 

Taco Bell’s Waffle Tacos

A peak fast food mash-up right here. Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco was around for a good year before it was discontinued, and to be honest, I’m amazed it lasted that long: This combination of sausage or bacon, egg, and cheese in a folded-up waffle (with maple syrup to finish it off) was criticized pretty heavily by customers, mainly for the quality of its ingredients. It also just felt a little frivolous; do you need to pick it all up? Can’t you just…eat your waffles off the plate? 

Tim Hortons’ Buffalo Latte

I get that the Buffalo Latte was released in honor of Buffalo, New York. I get that it probably was never meant to be taken seriously, or enjoyed by the masses, or even drunk by anyone. But it’s still the stuff of nightmares. When Tim Hortons put buffalo sauce in a cup with espresso, milk, and mocha syrup in 2017, it was, of course, received with incredulity and disgust. Did it last? No it did not. Are we still thinking about it? Yes.