Not every offering has been a roaring success, though, and Burger King is no stranger to food flops. But a lot of those discontinued items deserve a second chance at success. From a frozen summer treat to a tasty BBQ side, here are the discontinued Burger King items we desperately miss.
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00:00Over the years, Burger King has released — and discontinued — dozens of weird
00:06and wonderful offerings. Did you know that there was once a Whopper designed to be cooked by the
00:11sun? If that has your stomach rumbling, you'll want to check out these BK items that we desperately
00:17miss. A cold glass of lemonade is a quintessential hot weather treat. Back in the summer of 2012,
00:24Burger King released its own Frozen Lemonade, and then added a strawberry version for good
00:30measure. Plenty of customers were smitten. One person declared on Twitter that they were better
00:35than McDonald's lemonades, while another tweeted — along with a single thumbs-down emoji — when
00:42the Burger King lady tells you that they stopped Frozen Lemonade because summer's over.
00:47This drink sounds like a holiday resort on a tropical island, so it should at least be
00:51brought back during the summertime. Although, if we're being totally honest, it shouldn't really
00:56be a permanent menu item, as sometimes you even need a frozen glass on a cold winter night.
01:03A good discount can taste absolutely scrumptious, as the flavor of your food
01:07can swirl with the euphoria of the deal to make the whole thing 10 times better.
01:12In 2018, Burger King released a combo that had the makings of such an experience.
01:17It was called the King Box, and it consisted of an entree, small fries, a small soft drink,
01:23and two cookies. Customers could choose as their entree either a Whopper sandwich,
01:28one of two chicken sandwiches, or chicken tenders.
01:31If this markdown doesn't sound like a good enough deal for your tastes, then you should know that
01:35Burger King teamed up with Postmates to offer it a discount. That's right, in February of 2019,
01:42you could get the King Box for only $3 through the Postmates app.
01:46Although, if you weren't a member of Postmates Unlimited, then you'd have to pay a delivery fee.
01:51But this was still a downright steal. Both the in-store bargain and the Postmates exclusive
01:57ought to be brought back from the void ASAP.
02:00Cinnamon is delicious, icing is delicious, and baked goods are delicious. Ergo, Burger King's
02:08cinny minis had all the makings of a jolly good time. This offering was a treasured dessert from
02:13the 90s that got a limited return back in 2018. An Elite Daily article from that year was rather
02:19gutted that these treats were being withdrawn, as it declared,
02:23"[Personally, I'm still deciding between grabbing all the cinny minis I can carry
02:27or creating a special cinny mini storage area in my freezer because priorities."
02:33It's worth noting that not everything from the 90s holds up now,
02:36but cinny minis may very well be an exception.
02:39As Jessica Holbrook of The Repository raved back in 2018,
02:44the miniature cinnamon rolls are just as tasty as I remember,
02:47with plenty of cinnamon and a relatively light, chewy dough. Meanwhile, Dan Cain,
02:53also of The Repository, remarked,
02:55"[If you're craving an indulgent sweet treat in the morning, the cinny minis give good value.]
03:02Have you ever craved a piece of bacon or sausage or ham in between two pieces of French toast?
03:09Once upon a time, Burger King had you covered with that very desire."
03:14In May 2019, the chain launched a line of limited-time French toast sandwiches.
03:19Each of them featured sweetened bread, one of the aforementioned fillings,
03:23American cheese, and an egg. Brandeating.com gave the sausage version a go
03:29and enjoyed it quite a bit, declaring in their review,
03:32"[The French toast was eggy and lightly sweet with a soft texture.
03:36There was good coverage to the batter that went all the way to the edges.
03:40The cheese was nicely melted and the sausage, while not offering much in the way of seasoning,
03:45was suitably salty, juicy, and meaty. The egg was soft and light."
03:51"'Savory.'"
03:51"'I gotta go sweet.'"
03:52"'Savory.'"
03:52"'Definitely sweet.'"
03:54So if this meal sounds like your cup of tea, then you should probably invent a time machine
03:58and take it back to 2019. Or, perhaps if you want a more workable plan,
04:04you can petition Burger King to bring it back to their breakfast menu.
04:08The French toast sandwiches weren't the only sweet and savory item that Burger King released
04:12in 2019, as several months afterward, they debuted three maple waffle sandwiches.
04:19There were three options, sausage, bacon, and ham. Each version additionally contained an egg
04:24and American cheese. That all sounds pretty similar to the French toast sandwich, but
04:29nevertheless, there's theoretically space on the menus for both of these offerings.
04:35Instagram user Paducah Foodie Guide gave the sausage maple waffle sandwich a glowing endorsement
04:41by raving,
04:42"'I really enjoyed the sausage with the sweet maple waffle. All the flavors combined really well.'"
04:48On some mornings, you might awake craving French toast, while on other days,
04:52you need your waffles. And it's time, once again, for Burger King to tend to that.
04:58There are simply some days when you're not in the mood for classic fast food potatoes,
05:03and in those moments, a packet of seasoned sweet potato curly fries may be exactly what you need.
05:10Fortunately, Burger King once made such a product,
05:13but unfortunately, it was only for a limited time in 2012.
05:17Serious Eats reviewed this snack before it was terminated, and they were surprised at how good
05:22these curls could be. As they noted, they're liberally dusted with what the chain calls
05:27maple seasoning, which provides a noticeable grit and a severe shot of sugar. Serious Eats also
05:34advised that if you ate these curly fries at their absolute hottest, then you might be in for a treat.
05:39In fact, they may very well be able to hold their own against the joint's everyday fries.
05:44We might even go so far as to say they were better. That is, if you love a touch of sweetness,
05:49of course. If Burger King doesn't resuscitate this product, then every other fast food restaurant
05:54should put them on their menu. We shouldn't pin our culinary dreams on just a single chain, after all.
05:59I think it's time we diversify.
06:02Here's yet another savory and sugary item we'd love to have back. In 2012, Burger King launched
06:09its Bacon Sundae, which consisted of soft serve, fudge, caramel, and bacon pieces.
06:15Huffington Post reviewed this creation and offered some noteworthy compliments,
06:20including,
06:21"'The saltiness of the bacon was a nice contrast to the sweetness from the rest of the ingredients.
06:26I also really liked that the bacon added a crunchy element to the smooth soft serve."
06:31Another reviewer on GrubGrade was likewise impressed, declaring,
06:35"'All in all, the BK Bacon Sundae was everything that I had hoped it would be
06:40and nothing that I had feared. The bacon stayed crispy throughout and its smokiness
06:45and saltiness powered through even when there was a lot of chocolate and caramel on the spoon."
06:50Clearly, bacon is eternally popular, even for dessert. And it's time for BK to remember that.
06:58The Middle East country of Kuwait can get very hot. We're talking up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
07:05It's so scorching that in 2018, Burger King decided to cook there without its flame grills,
07:11instead utilizing the sun's heat to barbecue their patties. As they explained in a promo,
07:17"'We built a solar machine that harnesses the power of the sun's rays
07:22to create the ultimate flame grill experience.'"
07:26So basically, the sunshine warmed up the king's machine, and then this machine grilled up the
07:31food. These patties were then used for the chain's sun-grilled Whoppers. Now,
07:36it may be obvious at this point that this item can't be served everywhere. But if you live in
07:41a place that ever gets this hot, such a novelty meal would surely make the heat just a little
07:46more bearable. In 2016, Burger King combined two iconic comfort foods into one fully-fledged dish.
07:54It was called Mac & Cheetos, and it consisted of deep-fried macaroni and cheese covered in
08:00Cheeto flavoring. Alas, these sticks were merely a limited-time product,
08:05but plenty of customers genuinely enjoyed this concoction. As one declared on Twitter,
08:11"'If you haven't tried Mac & Cheetos from Burger King, you're missing out.'"
08:15And after they were discontinued, another mournfully tweeted,
08:18"'I miss the Mac & Cheetos. Only a promotional item.'"
08:22Since the Mac & Cheetos united two culinary classics and had a punny name,
08:27it's no surprise that people loved it as much as they did, and they'll surely
08:30love it the same amount again if and when BK brings it back.
08:34"'Final review, two Cheeto thumbs up.'"
08:37More than a year after the original Mac & Cheetos debuted, Burger King released another version of
08:42this already overly indulgent dish. These bites of deep-fried macaroni went by the name
08:48Flamin' Hot Mac & Cheetos. Based on that moniker, it's not hard to work out what they were covered
08:54with. But just in case it's not clear, they were coated in Flamin' Hot Cheetos dust.
09:00But was this sequel any good? Well, there were definitely some satisfied customers.
09:05A few BuzzFeed employees ordered a couple of five-packs and thoroughly enjoyed them.
09:09As Farrah Penn raved,
09:11"'It was cheesy and it was flamin' hot. What more could you ask for?'
09:15Meanwhile, Penn's colleague, Crystal Rowe, was initially concerned that it would be too spicy
09:20for her palate. But she was ultimately satisfied, as she declared,
09:24"'I could have eaten like a whole other box myself.'"
09:27Nothing screams Burger King like the king himself. And with every king comes a crown.
09:33Crown-shaped chicken nuggets were once synonymous with BK. They were a fun twist on a classic that
09:39set the brand apart from its fast food competitors, and they didn't give up the throne easily.
09:44Alas, Burger King got rid of their crown-shaped nuggets in 2011,
09:49a move that triggered an online petition garnering 2,000 signatures.
09:53More recently, a 2021 Twitter poll revealed that 56 percent of BK fans wanted their royal nuggets
10:00back. Unfortunately, crown-shaped nuggets haven't returned nationwide, though they did come back for
10:06a limited time in Miami, Florida. For years, crown-shaped nuggets were a small taste of
10:11fast food royalty. But now, Burger King's nuggets are just standard fast food fare,
10:17the veritable commoners of the kingdom.
10:20In the mid-2000s, it appeared that White Castle had come to usurp Burger King's throne.
10:24In 2004, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle became an instant cinematic classic.
10:30It only netted about $5 million in its opening weekend, but it's since gone on to develop a
10:35cult fandom. White Castle is officially a pop culture phenomenon at this point,
10:40and the few holdouts who hadn't yet crossed the blue-awning threshold into the slider kingdom
10:45eventually became converts.
10:48It's not hard to see why White Castle's sliders are so delicious and addictive.
10:52For one thing, they've almost doubled the sodium of Burger King's burgers.
10:56But that doesn't mean that BK hasn't ever tried to storm the castle. In 2008, they introduced
11:01Burger Shots, which were essentially the same thing as White Castle's sliders,
11:05but without the onions. Which is all so to say they were better for your breath,
11:10in case you were thinking of spending Valentine's Day at White Castle.
11:13BK also launched a series of breakfast shots, featuring ham, bacon, or sausage,
11:18paired with an egg, a smoky cheese sauce, and a slice of American cheese.
11:23Sadly, Burger Shots never caught on, but you can't deny that they sure were fun to share
11:28with a group of friends while they were around, and we'd love to have the opportunity to do that
11:32again. Donuts and burgers might sound like an odd combination, but it's one that somehow just works.
11:40At one time, Burger King even floated the idea of the Safgani King, a veritable donut burger,
11:45to celebrate Hanukkah. But it appears that that was only available in their Israel locations.
11:51For the rest of us, we had BK's Donut Holes to work with,
11:54which briefly graced the all-day menu back in 2013. They were essentially glazed,
12:00bite-sized geese donuts, and, if we're being honest, they were never exactly the best menu
12:06item. As The Impulsive Buy put it,
12:09"[The dough takes on taste and texture of a frozen Pillsbury dinner roll that's been
12:13put in the microwave a few seconds.] Nevertheless, they were still glazed donuts. In other words,
12:20they were still good."
12:21And according to a Mashed survey, 22.37 percent of Burger King fans want them back on the menu.
12:27In a world where fast food breakfast offerings are few and far between,
12:31Burger King's Donut Holes stood out, and it's not hard to see why.
12:36Today, if you want something sweet for breakfast,
12:38you're probably not going to get it from The King. Besides a pancake platter,
12:42the breakfast menu only includes savory options like hash browns, breakfast burritos,
12:48and, of course, the croissan'wich.
12:50Burger King is the king of burgers, and not chicken, for a reason. Its poultry options
12:55tend to fall flat, but chicken fries are the exception to this rule. They've got a crunchy
13:00coating and a peppery kick that sets them apart from the chain's forgettable nuggets.
13:05It's not surprising, then, that chicken fries have been one of BK's most beloved menu items
13:10since their 2005 introduction. So much so, that when they were discontinued in 2012,
13:16online petitions galore popped up. One group of chicken fries enthusiasts
13:21even planned to protest outside of BK's corporate offices in Miami.
13:25In 2014, chicken fries came back for a limited time, and they've since become a permanent menu
13:31item with various limited-time iterations, from buffalo chicken fries to fiery chicken fries.
13:37But it's the crispy pretzel edition that remains the standout.
13:40Crispy pretzel chicken fries were introduced for a limited time back in 2018,
13:45and as noted by Bustle, they're made of white meat chicken in a crispy breading,
13:50and then covered in salty breading with pretzel pieces, making for a major crunch on the outside
13:55and a warm and soft squishiness on the inside. It's an explosion of flavors and textures
14:01in your mouth. In conclusion, chicken fries fans are still salty that BK pulled them from the menu,
14:07and they'd like that to be rectified as soon as possible.
14:09"'Ey, chicken, you got a lot of nerve hanging around with those french fries, man.
14:14Maybe you wanna be a french fry, huh?"
14:16"'Maybe I do.'"
14:18It's called Burger King, not Rib King. Nevertheless, BK's limited-time pork ribs
14:23were reportedly going to be exhausted before their 2010 promotion had even ended.
14:28The chain had sold north of 10 million ribs, which would seem to indicate that they were
14:32at least pretty decent. But were they? According to an analysis at Brand Eating,
14:38they did in fact taste pretty great. As the reviewer noted,
14:42the ribs were actually nicely charred with a nice smoky flavor, without tasting burnt.
14:47The meat was pretty tender and pretty much fell off the bone.
14:51However, this take did have a couple of criticisms, as the reviewer thought that it was too salty,
14:56while others complained that it was too expensive.
15:00If Burger King ever wants to remake these meals, they should take this critique on the chin.
15:04In the following years, BK has released a number of rib-based products,
15:08including a rib sandwich in 2013 and a four-pack of chicken ribs in South Africa in 2015.
15:16When it comes to potatoes, Burger King is better known for its failures than its successes.
15:22For example, their Satisfries reportedly had 40 percent less fat than traditional
15:26fast food fries and took a decade to develop. In theory, they should have been a hit among
15:31diet-conscious customers. Instead, these ostensibly healthy fries pretty much flopped.
15:38In 2014, Satisfries were discontinued for good. But we bet you didn't even notice their exit,
15:44because let's be honest, nobody missed them.
15:47Besides, Burger King had already found a better path towards so-called
15:51healthier fries without anyone noticing. In 2012, they introduced sweet potato fries
15:57as part of a barbecue-inspired summer menu. Sadly, though, these fries were only available
16:02for a limited time, which, quite frankly, is the opposite of sweet.
16:06Now, to be sure, these sweet potato fries weren't exactly the picture of health.
16:10They were still fried, after all, and they weren't specially engineered to be a diet food.
16:15But sweet potatoes have long been heralded for their health benefits.
16:19According to Healthline, they're a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
16:24And the price point wasn't bad, either, as BK's sweet potato fries only cost about
16:2830 cents more than regular fries and packed a lot more flavor and probably some more
16:33nutritional value. For now, they remain deeply missed.
16:37In the early 2000s, cupcakes were having a major moment. According to a 2014 Business Insider
16:44article, this particular craze started back in 2000, when an episode of Sex and the City
16:50highlighted the cupcakes from New York City's Magnolia Bakery. Then we saw the launch of
16:55Crumb's Bake Shop, followed by Sprinkles Cupcakes a couple years later. And a few years after that,
17:01Baked by Melissa launched their Bite-Sized Cupcakes. And then the trend finally trickled
17:06down to Burger King in 2009, when the Cupcake BK Sundae Shake was born. This treat was a blast
17:14of sugar that could satiate even the sweetest of all sweet teeth. A review in Donuts for Dinner
17:19noted that its yellow cake-flavored ice cream was vaguely reminiscent of eggnog.
17:24The shake was also topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, culminating in what the Seek Amy blog
17:30described as a, quote, super creamy and rich treat. Some customers couldn't quite handle the
17:35sugar rush, but others who didn't even necessarily like Burger King flocked to the restaurant for a
17:41taste. Fast forward to the 2020s, and now the cupcake trend is a little overcooked.
17:47Reviews of BK's Cupcake Shake are a relic of the past,
17:50although we hold out hope that culinary history will eventually repeat itself.
17:56Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
17:59even more Mashed videos about your favorite chain restaurants are coming soon.
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