Top 20 Fast Food Burgers That Don't Exist Anymore
#20: Turkey Burger
Burger King
Are you one of those fast food fans that occasionally choose a healthy, “better for you” option? If so, then you might have been a fan of Burger King’s Turkey Burger. This was a limited run item that showed up on BK menus back in 2013, in response to market trends that saw the company’s competitors offering similarly styled fare. These trends, predictably, tend to fluctuate, and it wouldn’t be long before Burger King leaned back into the flame-broiled taste that made their flagship sandwich, The Whopper, so beloved by its consumer base.
#19: Big N’ Tasty
McDonald’s
The fast food world is in a constant state of flux, with regards to both menu and availability. The Big N’ Tasty burger, as a result, is largely no longer available in most U.S.-based McDonald’s restaurants. That said, certain variants on this competitor to BK’s Whopper can still be found in countries like Mexico and Argentina, where it’s known simply as the Big Tasty. Elsewhere, the OG Big N’ Tasty can also still be found on American shores within certain Army bases, but the general public is no longer privy to this admittedly delicious Mickie D’s experiment.
#18: Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger
Wendy’s
It isn’t unusual for major fast food chains to remove beloved items from their menus, only to bring them back for a limited time. Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger was reportedly a hit with fans when it was released back in 2020, a quicker alternative to indulgent, executive burger fare from sit-down restaurants. Then, without warning, it was gone. Wendy’s did announce the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger’s return in 2022, only for it to disappear from chain menus shortly after the media blitz had ended. Only time will tell if this fan-favorite beast will return to our go-to Wendy’s orders anytime soon.
#17: Cheddar Melt
McDonald’s
It’s one of those retro McDonald’s food items that still retains a rabid fan following today. Mickie D’s partially debuted their take on a Cheddar Melt all the way back in 1985 at certain stores located within the American midwest. It officially hit McDonald’s menus three years later in 1988. This melty, cheesy and oniony sandwich was ultimately too good for this world, however, and didn’t even live to see 1989. Then, in 2004, it was back! Only to disappear once more, leaving hungry McDonald’s patrons desperate for this slice of burger heaven in between two rye buns.
#16: Burger Shots
Burger King
Never underestimate the power of competition. The White Castle chain will seemingly always retain their monopoly on tiny, slider-sized burgers with tasty, tasty onions. Burger King has historically tried to encroach upon White Castle’s dominance in this field over the years, however, as evidenced by their failed Burger Bundles and Burger Shots. These short-stacked, servable BK sliders may be fondly remembered by some customers, but neither of them were able to compete within White Castle’s firmly guarded market space. Both were eventually taken off of Burger King’s everyday menu.
#15: McLean Deluxe
McDonald’s
Let’s face it: nobody goes to fast food joints for healthy eatin’. Yet, that hasn’t stopped many of the major chains from attempting to expand their culinary horizons. Introduced in 1991, the McLean Deluxe was advertised by McDonald’s as a low fat burger alternative, a place where guilt didn’t exist. Actually make that guilt and taste, because the McLean Deluxe did not test well with many of the Mickie D consumers that decided to take a gastro-plunge into uncharted drive-thru territory. This fan backlash resulted in low sales, and an eventual excision from McDonald’s menus in favor of, you know, what customers actually want to eat at the Golden Arches!
#14: Gouda Bacon Cheeseburger
Wendy’s
You gotta hand it to the Wendy’s brand: they’ve never been afraid to go all-in on menu items with a lot of moving parts that are probably expensive to produce on a mass scale. We mean items like the Gouda Bacon Cheeseburger, which delivered upon all of Wendy’s reputation for freshness and quality, while retaining that elevated feel of a gastro-pub burger. In 2015, it joined the aforementioned Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger on the company’s “Made to Crave” menu, yet that menu’s fluid style of rotating items has meant that hits like the Gouda Bacon Cheeseburger aren’t always available. Who knows, though? Maybe Wendy’s will watch this video and bring this bad boy back full-time!
#13: McJordan
McDonald’s
Fast food “celebrity meals” seem to be a dime a dozen these days, but that wasn’t exactly the case back in the early nineties. The McJordan, as a result, was something of a big deal when it was released in local Illinois restaurants to coincide with Michael Jordan’s NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. The sandwich’s somewhat basic construction has enabled contemporary diners to relive their memories via “menu hacks,” however, where a regular old Quarter Pounder with cheese can be supplemented with barbeque sauce, bacon, pickles and raw onion. Then, voila! You have your very own McJordan, back from the proverbial fast food grave. Advertising not included.
#12: Third Pound Burgers
McDonald’s
These diesel burger beasts were something to behold back when the McDonald’s brand first debuted them back in 2009. Tasty, towering behemoths made from Angus beef and featuring toppings like mushrooms, swiss cheese and bacon. They were meant to “go big” into customer’s wallets, effectively replacing the established Quarter Pounder line with burgers that were designed to fill stomachs and satisfy tastes. This experiment officially ended in 2013, however, with Mickie D’s opting to return back to marketing normal sized burgers for normal sized appetites. So, while the chain does occasionally choose to bring back bigger burgers for a special, limited time, the OG third pounders aren’t available at the time of this writing.
#11: Angry Whopper
Burger King
Who knows why fast food chains decide to bring back certain, niche menu items solely to a certain, perhaps equally specific area or location? The Angry Whopper was designed to cater to the palates of heat lovers, a spicy sandwich with a fiery reputation. The hot-tasting sauce, angry onions and pepper jack cheese made the Angry Whopper beloved by heat-seekers everywhere, but not everyone desires this kind of experience. So the Angry Whopper returned to the flame, and is only occasionally brought back from the inferno in markets like Columbus, Ohio, where it briefly returned in 2023.
#10: Chop House Cheddar Burger
Whataburger
Whataburger is a beloved fast food restaurant in the south—especially in Texas. In 2009 they introduced the Chop House Cheddar Burger. This thing was a beast—with not one, but two beef patties, grilled onions, shredded cheddar cheese, two slices of bacon, and steak sauce, all on a five-inch bun. The burger dropped in early August, and by September it was gone. Although, that wasn’t because people didn’t like it. It was always meant to be a limited-time run—and even returned for a short time in 2010. In fact, the company called the burger a hit. OK Whataburger, so bring it back already!
#9: Mini Sirloin Burgers
Jack in the Box
Small hamburgers and sliders were all the rage back in the late 2000s. Jack in the Box dipped their toes into that yummy water with their Mini Sirloin Burgers. These sliders were straightforward burgers with American cheese, grilled onions, and ketchup—and you got three of them per order. In 2009, along with the new burgers, Jack in the Box did what they do best: made a really funny commercial. The little eats got a fair amount of hype and seemed to be a hit with customers. But when the company did a menu board revamp in 2011, the mini sirloin burgers didn’t make the cut.
#8: Bacon & Blue Burger
Wendy’s
Maybe you thought putting blue cheese on your hamburger was something they only did at fancy restaurants. Well, do you consider Wendy’s “fancy?” Because back in 2010 the company introduced its customers to the Bacon and Blue Burger—which had bacon, sauteed onions, steak sauce, and, yup, crumbled blue cheese—and don’t forget the brioche bun as well. It attracted a loyal following of Blue-lovin’ diners. However, it was also a little complicated to prepare, and very messy to eat—which isn’t ideal for those of us who like to eat our fast food burgers in the car. Perhaps that’s what led to its demise.
#7: McDLT
McDonald’s
Speaking of fancy, what could be more fancy than a hamburger served in a 2-part container with the warm ingredients on one side and the cool ingredients on the other? Sure, there was a little assembly required, but it was worth it to keep the hot and cold separate until the last possible moment prior to consumption. Or at least that was the theory. Did it really make for a better burger experience? Maaaybe. Was it worth all the extra Styrofoam needed to produce the containers? Nope. And when McDonald’s switched to more eco-friendly packaging, that was it for the McDLT.
#6: Beyond Famous Star with Cheese
Carl’s Jr.
In 2019, Carl’s Jr. was one of the very first fast-food chains to dive into the plant-based meat market—and it seemed like a good move at the time. The plant-based meat craze was hitting its stride and soon many other restaurants and fast food outlets would get in on the game as well. We assume sales of the Beyond Famous Star with Cheese were decent, given that it lasted for a solid 4 years on the menu. However, as of April 2024, the plant-based burger had been taken off menus at most Carl’s Jr. locations.
#5: Bell Beefer
Taco Bell
Taco Bell has made it their mission to “think outside the bun” for decades. But back in the early 1960s, when entrepreneur Glen Bell began his Taco Bell adventures, he thought right inside the bun for one of the restaurant’s menu items: a chili burger. More akin to a sloppy joe than a standard burger, it was ground beef between two buns topped with lettuce and onions—and, if you upgraded, cheese and tomatoes. It went by many names, but will always be remembered by fans as the Bell Beefer. The Beefer stuck around for decades, but by the middle of the 90s it was no more.
#4: Wagyu Deluxe Steakhouse Burger
Arby’s
While Arby’s has always had the meat, one thing they never had, until 2022, was a hamburger. But when they finally got into the burger game, they didn’t mess around with sliders or wimpy patties. They went with Wagyu beef—well, 52% Wagyu beef—and a burger cooked sous vide style that, they claimed, was 50% larger than a Quarter-Pounder from McDonald’s. We checked out some reviews from the time and people seemed to really enjoy it. Its popularity was also seen in the fact that the chain sold out of the item faster than expected. They did bring it back soon after, but it appears that the burger was always meant as a Limited Time Offer—and not a permanent menu item.
#3: Loaded Steakhouse
Burger King
In press releases back in 2008, Burger King touted steakhouse burgers as offering “the indulgence of an entire steak dinner at a fraction of the cost.” Listen to this: an angus patty, topped with mashed potatoes, crispy fried onions and A1 steak sauce. Boom! We don’t know why it only lasted about a year, but now we kinda wish we had a time machine to go back to 2008 and try it. Burger King does have a “steakhouse” burger on some locations’ menus today—but without the mashed potatoes it sounds like an “unloaded” disappointment. And while we’re talking BK, let us also mention the discontinued Crown Jewels line of chicken-based and beef-based sandwiches—which were launched at New Zealand locations in 2005.
#2: Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger
Wendy's
Few fast food chains have made bacon a priority like Wendy’s. We’re looking at you, Baconator. Never ones to rest on their pork-laurels, Wendy’s introduced the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger in 2021, calling it a “Cheesy, Bacon-Lover” dream come true. But those dreams turned into nightmares in 2022, when the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger was discontinued. Why, you ask? Well, the truth is, as part of the “Made to Crave” line, it was never meant to be a permanent menu item. And thus it was reportedly removed in order to make way for the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger. That’s the circle of fast food life, it seems.
#1: Arch Deluxe
McDonald’s
McDonald’s launched the Arch Deluxe in 1996 with an eye toward a specific target audience. This was a burger for grownups—or at least that is what the most expensive fast food marketing campaign ever at the time told us. What made it so adult? Was it the split-top potato flour sesame seed bun, the circular peppered bacon, or the Dijonnaise? Whatever it was, it wasn’t what grownups wanted. Or at least not enough grownups wanted it to make it a profitable venture for the company—and by 2000, the Golden Arches no longer sold the Arch Deluxe.
What’s your most missed burger of all time? Let us know in the comments!
