Breadless pizza abominations, soggy cracker concoctions, heavy morning hoagies, and meat-free meals are just a few of the fast food experiments that might be headed to the big dumpster in the sky sometime soon.
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00:00Breadless pizza abominations, soggy cracker concoctions, heavy morning hoagies, and meat-free
00:07meals are just a few of the fast food experiments that might be headed to the big dumpster in the
00:12sky sometime soon. The great meat-free burger boom has come to an end. Carl's Jr., Del Taco,
00:19and McDonald's have all introduced, then removed, plant-based burgers in the past few years,
00:24with the latter failing to progress past its pilot program after its McPlant failed to spark
00:29interest in test markets. Today, Burger King is one of the few fast food chains still boasting
00:35a meat-free option on the menu, having introduced their Impossible Whopper in 2019. That offering
00:41uses a primarily soy-based patty from Impossible Foods and flame grills it like any other Whopper,
00:46and combines it with the typical toppings of tomato, onion, pickle, lettuce, ketchup,
00:51and mayo. The Impossible Whopper has been a hit with the plant-based demographic,
00:55with some claiming that it tastes so good, they panicked, thinking they were eating actual meat.
01:00I'm a damn fool.
01:01But is Burger King quietly preparing to scrub the Impossible Whopper from its menu? The signs
01:06don't look good. Not only has Burger King confirmed plans to cool its focus on plant-based
01:10menu items, but employees have said that the Impossible Whopper is rarely ordered,
01:15with one claiming to only make about six per day. They're also allegedly a nuisance to make,
01:20as they're cooked to order and don't exactly smell amazing during the grilling process.
01:25In the late 2000s, McDonald's made a bold move to compete with the successful Starbucks Frappuccino.
01:31Its newly launched McCafe menu received a new addition, the Frappe, a creamy, sweet ice drink
01:38with the slightest hint of coffee. Today, you can find caramel and mocha Frappes on the main
01:43McDonald's menu. However, it's not always easy getting your hands on a Frappe. Some countries
01:48have already removed them from their McCafe menus. Meanwhile, some customers in the U.S.
01:53have complained about not being able to secure a Frappe at their local store,
01:56while others have noted that their go-to location only sells them during the summer months.
02:01Other changes that ring alarm bells about the fate of Frappes is the elimination of a significant
02:06chunk of the McCafe menu in 2023, as well as the decision to reportedly phase out several Frappe
02:13syrup flavors. While we hope that Frappes are popular enough to avoid meeting total decimation,
02:18we're going to keep a wary eye on this one.
02:21Yeah, that's pizza. Papa John's is introducing this new menu item made just of toppings,
02:26no crust. No crust, y'all.
02:28Oh.
02:29In theory, Papa Bowls should be delicious, since they're everything you usually find on a pizza,
02:34except instead of a doughy base. These toppings are piled into a carb-free plastic bowl. However,
02:40the sad reality is that these bowls from Papa John's just don't hit the same as an actual pizza.
02:46Reviews have been consistently negative since they debuted in 2022.
02:50It's hard to compete with a real pizza, and Papa John's employees have reported that the
02:54sales numbers are pretty bad. Multiple anonymous workers on Reddit have alleged that their store
02:59only sells a handful of Papa Bowls each week at most. While they're apparently a semi-popular
03:05choice among those cutting down on carbs, customers are apparently also turned off
03:10after realizing the bowls don't contain pasta, like similar menu items from Domino's and Pizza Hut.
03:15With that in mind, it seems like Papa Bowls are on the way out.
03:19We wouldn't be shocked if these are culled from the pizzeria's lineup soon.
03:23To whoever sat at a Taco Bell boardroom and was brave enough to say,
03:27imagine a Cheez-It, but 16 times bigger, we salute you.
03:31The Mexican-inspired fast food chain went nationwide with its Cheez-It collaboration
03:36in May 2024 after its initial test run of the Big Cheez-It Tostada and Big Cheez-It
03:41Crunchwrap Supreme received much praise.
03:44When you look inside, that is a Cheez-It inside."
03:50While the Tostada combines seasoned beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and reduced fat sour cream on
03:56a giant Cheez-It, the Crunchwrap Supreme does the same, except it's wrapped in a tortilla
04:01and uses nacho cheese. A supersized version of any food is always going to sound like
04:06a novelty, but hopes were high considering the fact that Taco Bell is delicious,
04:10and merging the two should logically also be delicious.
04:13Sadly, Taco Bell's Cheez-It collaboration seems to be more of a spectacle than anything of
04:18substance, and reviews have been negative, especially for the Crunchwrap Supreme. The
04:23Takeout claims that the Cheez-It portion just got soggy, and Redditors noted that the flavors
04:28just don't work well together. With reactions like that, it's hard to imagine this graduating
04:33from a fleeting summer novelty to a full-time menu item.
04:37We're not done with Taco Bell's recent culinary missteps yet. The mainstay Pintos and Cheese
04:42is a simple, delicious, straightforward combo of refried beans, red sauce, and a three-cheese
04:47blend that makes for a hearty, protein-packed snack or side dish. Or, as Taco Bell strangely
04:52suggests, a crucial part of the soft food diet after undergoing dental work.
04:58But according to Taco Bell employees, not everyone appreciates Pintos and Cheese.
05:02Taco Bell TikToker Caleb Lennon revealed the truth of the delicious dish.
05:07This is the absolutely least ordered item at my Taco Bell. Most of us at Taco Bell
05:11just forget it exists until a customer orders it."
05:14While Taco Bell has never outright cut the Pintos and Cheese,
05:18several employees and customers have reported that it's silently been removed,
05:22reintroduced, then removed again from their local restaurant's menu.
05:26Some have even claimed that they believe it's a regional item,
05:29meaning it's not required on every menu nationwide. For now, it definitely still
05:33exists at most locations. But don't be too shocked if that changes in the future.
05:39"'Dave, Dave, if you make a grilled chicken sandwich at Wendy's, they will come."
05:45"'They will?'
05:45Wendy's already dealt one blow to the grilled chicken community when it decided to axe the
05:50grilled chicken sandwich in April of 2023. Its replacement, the Grilled Chicken Ranch Wrap,
05:55was never going to be welcomed with loving arms for that very reason.
05:59However, it doesn't help that the wrap is just generally not very good. A significant portion
06:04of Wendy's regulars agree that the pre-diced chicken is inferior in quality, with some
06:10comparing it to plastic. The general consensus is, as one Redditor put it,
06:14"'The chicken is basically the pre-cooked stuff you can get from the store
06:18with the fake grill marks. It was not really good at all.'"
06:21While it does have its fans, the fact that Wendy's employees claim it's still heavily
06:26promoted in stores even a year after launch is not indicative of a product that's flying
06:31off the grill. With the grilled chicken sandwich allegedly canceled for poor sales,
06:35it only seems like a matter of time until its even more unpopular successor gets chopped.
06:40Some people visit New York for the architecture, the shopping, or the museums. Others are there
06:45for the pizza. In April 2024, Domino's decided to bring the Big Apple to the rest of the world by
06:51introducing its New York-style pizza, with oversized slices, a thin, foldable crust,
06:56and copious amounts of gooey cheese. The chain was soon slammed for selling pizza that was New
07:01York in name, but not in nature. Pizza fans slammed the lack of a chewy crust and the
07:06inclusion of too much sauce.
07:08"'There is no comparison between a New York slice and Domino's.'"
07:11To Domino's credit, the texture is nearly there, even if it's occasionally a bit too soggy. However,
07:17those who feel strongly about the authenticity of New York pizza have slammed the attempt,
07:22with one Redditor declaring,
07:24"'It tastes like it's Domino's. There's nothing New York about it.'"
07:27Some have pointed to Domino's reliance on oil as a reason why it'll never compare to actual
07:32New York pizza. As one customer put it,
07:34"'A good New York pizzeria achieves a perfect cook without using nearly as much.'"
07:39Despite hoping its launch would lure in new customers,
07:42Domino's failed to meet expectations in the second quarter of 2024.
07:46Combined with public sentiment that ranges from indifference to being insulted for all New Yorkers,
07:52we wouldn't be surprised if the New York-style pizza is one day quietly given a cement pizza
07:56box and tossed into the Hudson River.
07:59Fried chicken may be the main attraction at Popeyes, but every loyal customer knows that
08:04the sides deserve just as much attention. However, some are decidedly more popular than others,
08:09with red beans and rice often placing towards the bottom in rankings of Popeyes dishes.
08:14Despite being a classic in Creole cuisine, Popeyes has gotten rid of the red beans and
08:18rice in the past. In early 2024, the fast food chain scrubbed the side from its Canadian menu,
08:24leaving customers in the U.S. fearful that they might be next.
08:27They also got rid of their Cajun rice and green beans back in 2021,
08:31suggesting there's already some strong anti-rice feelings at Popeyes HQ.
08:35There's plenty of reasons why we're rooting for Popeyes to keep the red beans and rice.
08:40The restaurant is already lacking vegetarian options, and it's also one of the healthier
08:44items on the menu, otherwise nearly exclusively composed of sodium and carbs.
08:48We're hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
08:52The beans weren't much good, anyway.
08:56When was the last time you dropped by Subway for breakfast? If the answer is
09:00never, you're not alone. The sandwich chain introduced its breakfast menu back in April
09:05of 2010, but it's notoriously struggled to drum up early morning eaters.
09:09Eight years later, the chain partially abandoned its foray into the breakfast market,
09:13dropping the requirement for all stores to be open by 7 a.m.,
09:16and allowing each location to opt out of serving breakfast altogether.
09:20Market research found that 43 percent of Subway customers didn't visit for breakfast,
09:25and 19 percent didn't even know it was an option.
09:28As of 2024, a significant number of Subway stores do still offer egg-based breakfast
09:33sandwiches and wraps. However, the tide hasn't really turned on their popularity.
09:38Subway's breakfast menu has made headlines for serving eggs with a concerningly high
09:42number of ingredients, while customers have generally disliked the quality of the food.
09:47While the breakfast menu has done an impressive job of clinging on to life so far,
09:51it wouldn't be totally surprising if Subway did decide to pull the plug.
09:55Panda Express is famous worldwide for their Americanized
09:59take on classic Chinese cuisine. The most iconic offering is the delicious orange chicken,
10:04but several other dishes, like the honey sesame chicken breast and Beijing beef,
10:08have also become firm fan favorites. One dish that allegedly
10:12lacks that level of popularity is the mushroom chicken.
10:15Often considered one of the healthier offerings from Panda Express,
10:19this combines chicken and mushrooms with zucchini and sauce to deliver
10:2213 grams of protein and 220 calories per serving.
10:26But is anybody really going to Panda Express for a healthy treat?
10:29Panda Express employees have reported that the mushroom chicken is rarely ordered,
10:34as a result, it usually has to be made fresh. As one chef explained on Reddit,
10:38"...our wok flame is super weak, so it takes forever for the chicken to cook. In the meantime,
10:42the 45-year-old Karen who ordered it is giving you the stink eye because they have to wait five
10:47minutes."
10:48While Panda Express has made no official comment on discontinuing the mushroom chicken,
10:52some restaurants already don't offer it for delivery. Mushroom chicken lovers,
10:56prepare yourselves for the end.
11:04you