13 Fast Food Menu Changes That Left Customers Divided

Not every fast food menu item update can be the Popeye's chicken sandwich, lining customers up out the door and sparking culinary wars with other restaurants. Sometimes a recipe changes. Some people like it, some people don't. Sometimes prices go up, dollar menus disappear. No one really likes that, but some people are more understanding than others.

Multiple things can be true at the same time. People's tastes evolve, especially over generations. Some items aren't cost effective enough to have around all the time. None of the decisions being made about menus are democratic, either — sure, there's market testing and focus groups and sales data, but it's not like we, the hungry consumers, get to elect fast food menus. As fun as it might be to see yard signs reading things like "save the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes" and "in this house, we believe McDonald's fries should be fried in beef tallow," that's not the world we live in. We live in a world where all we can do is deliberate and complain in Reddit and YouTube's comment sections. Here are 13 menu changes that sparked debates among fast food fans.

Do you remember $5 footlongs? If you had eyes and ears in the early 2010s, chances are that you do. Subway, a chain that famously sells sub sandwiches in six inch and footlong sizes, decided it could sell the latter for one measly Abe Lincoln greenback. To spread this message, the catchiest, most earwormy commercial jingle this side of "1-877-Kars-4-Kids" was released, cheerfully telling the world about $5 footlongs. After that song was stuck in everyone's head, Subway raised its prices.

Sure, inflation hit in 2020, alongside a world-wrecking pandemic. Plus, prices go up over time — we all have an uncle or grandparent that'll reminisce about the days when a cheeseburger cost a nickel. Still, Subway had to expect this reaction. One Redditor complained about the new pricing 'like we don't remember five dollar footlongs.' Anyone in the comments attempting to explain economic realities and inflation were shouted down by others mourning the distant promises of a bygone ad campaign. When you see YouTube comments crying "almost 15 years and this jingle has never left my mind," it becomes clear that Subway's own marketing is hurting them years later. After making sure that everyone knew a footlong sub cost $5 thanks to a very catchy, quasi-bossa nova melody in a commercial, it shouldn't be a surprise that customers are bitter about $6.99 six-inch meal deals. There's a lesson about specificity in advertising jingles here.

Talk about dividing customers: In 2010, Wendy's switched from their original fry recipe to a hand-cut, skin-on, sea-salt-seasoned upgrade. This was contentious enough. One Reddit comment said "the last time Wendy's actually had good fries was the late '90s" — only to be met with "true but I liked the ones before this [latest] change." That push-pull is a microcosm of almost any debate over fast food changes. Some people like it, some people are nostalgic, and there definitely isn't a unanimous consensus.

But then! After switching to hand-cut fries with sea salt in 2010, Wendy's tweaked the recipe once again in 2021. Wendy's told CNN that the recipe change meant fries would now be battered and stay crispier for longer. Maybe the fries stay crispy for longer now, but one downstream effect seems to be customers taking to Reddit to ask if the recipe's changed any time they get a subpar order of fries.

Changing the recipe to something so basic and popular is always going to ruffle feathers. Memories get tied up in food, and people get nostalgic for the old days. There is no objectivity to taste, so even a majority of people liking a new recipe isn't going to quiet all naysayers. Changing the fry recipe twice in such a short time span? That's practically inviting discontent.

In 2020, KFC replaced potato wedges with seasoned fries. This was bound to be a controversial move. "How do you like your fries?" is a fun icebreaker question at parties — some people like thin and crispy, some people like crinkle cut, some people like steakhouse cut. KFC, presumably to differentiate itself from the golden, salted crowd, sold potato wedges for most of its existence. These thick, wood-colored slabs of spuds had a crispy outside, but a much creamier inside. More of the root vegetable, less of the "fry." KFC Potato Wedges had legions of loyal fans, but apparently not enough to prevent the chain from succumbing to thinner, more brightly-colored peer pressure.

Despite outcry from frustrated customers, fries replaced potato wedges on KFC's menu in 2020. It seems the fries won the head-to-head battle during extensive testing. Many customers reported being happy with the change, and early data was positive enough that fries became a permanent menu item.

They've known many names, from Chicken Selects to Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, but the question has remained since they were first introduced: does McDonald's have chicken tenders or not? Chicken Selects Tenders got slapped onto menu boards in 2002 and subsequently yanked back off in 2013. Buttermilk Chicken Tenders were introduced in 2017 and became COVID-era menu streamlining casualty in 2020. Some fans hoped for a tenders revival, but tenders haven't made their way back to the menu yet.

The McNuggets are obviously the flagship dippable chicken product, but people are in YouTube comments crying out for the return of tenders. McDonald's hasn't yet issued a stated reason for tenders' continued absence. Internet outcry seems to be relatively mild, yet vocal. It seems like the fine kitchens of Mickey D's should be able to shoulder the burden of two handheld chicken products.

When Taco Bell cut the Mexican Pizza from its menu, it had its reasons. COVID lockdowns changed many things for restaurants — whether it was increased delivery/takeout orders or going completely out of business, change was unavoidable. For some fast food restaurants, this meant streamlining the menu. Customers didn't want to hear reasons, though — they wanted Mexican Pizzas. The great Taco Bell menu shrink of 2020 was hard on everyone, but Mexican Pizza fans were among the most vocal. There are valid points on both sides: on the one hand, companies had to do what was necessary to survive turbulent times. On the other hand, our favorite fast food items are often a necessary tool for surviving turbulent times.

Even Dolly Parton went to the press. The country legend told Business Insider about her love of the meat-stuffed, cheese- and red-sauce-covered crunchy tortilla discs. If Dolly's complaining about your choices, things are dire. There's a happy ending, though. Whether it was the popular will of the people or the Queen of Country's urging, Taco Bell came to its senses and announced the return of Mexican Pizza to its menus in 2022.

In 2023, Midwestern chain Culver's decided they were tired of asking if Pepsi was okay and added Coke products to its arsenal. Predictably, some people responded by saying that Coke was not okay. Not every drink was going away: Dr. Pepper would be sticking around. So would proprietary items, like Culver's signature root beer, diet root beer, and sweet and unsweet teas. Not all was amiss in the land of ButterBurgers and cheese curds. Still, customers voiced displeasure. Culver's, for their part, directed people complaining on social media to the chain's feedback form.

The Pepsi vs. Coke debate is never going away. That's the nature of binary choices. It's also understandable that people don't like having their routines disrupted, or that people get used to certain taste pairings. Pepsi and Coke are different products, after all, and it's reasonable for you to think one washes down cheese curds better. Unfortunately for consumers, these decisions are made in boardrooms.

When Burger King introduced the meatless Impossible Whopper back in 2019, they had to know they were stepping into some controversy. The U.S. is cheeseburger country. People get protective of their meat. Taste-based pushback was anticipated, though, and Impossible Meats was chosen because of its popularity with flexitarians — non-vegetarians who nevertheless like a meatless meal once in a while. In early test markets, stores with the Impossible Whopper saw an 18.5% increase in traffic. Head of B.K. North America Chris Finazzo told CNBC that Burger King was pulling customers who usually stopped at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods for the plant-based patties. Things seemed good. One Redditor even said the burger was "too good."

Of course, Burger King also had to contend with social media, and some completely made up assertions that went viral. One bit of misinformation, which emphatically failed a USA Today fact check, was the claim that Impossible Meat contains more estrogen than transgender hormone therapy. Studies have shown over and over again that eating more soy doesn't feminize men, but tell that to an online mob. B.K. also got sued by a vegan who took umbrage with the chain cooking Impossible patties on the same grill as regular patties. This is a far more reasonable complaint. According to The Guardian, the complainant said could be fixed with some disclosure on the restaurant's part.

McDonald's fries used to be fried in beef tallow, and everyone from your uncle to Julia Child loved them. Since being phased out thanks to pressure from a businessman named Phil Sokolof, people have pined for a return to the crispy glory of the old recipe. Sokolof's campaign to get McDonald's to change their fry grease took years and cost millions, but it eventually paid off when the chain switched to vegetable oil. This switch was not the end of the McDonald's french fry scandal. Despite all the yearning for the way things used to be, fries remain McDonald's best seller.

"So what gives?" You might be asking if you've never had the Golden Arches' original golden sticks. Well, beef tallow adds an umami quality that just can't be replicated with the natural beef flavor that gets used now. It also makes the fries extra crispy on the outside while giving the interior a buttery texture. So sure, while the current version of McDonald's fries might still rank at or near the top of a lot of people's favorites? There's a good reason why some people dream of a more beef-flavored world.

Potatoes: another casualty of the 2020 menu contraction. Taco Bell getting rid of potatoes really took a chunk of vegetarian options off the menu. Gone were the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes. Gone was the Spicy Potato Soft Taco. Maybe you've never ordered potatoes from Taco Bell. Small, seasoned cubes fried to a delicious golden brown — one bite would have you hooked. Putting them in a soft taco shell with lettuce and cheese? Oh, that's a treat. Of course, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are great. But we have to sing the original's praises. 

So why were potatoes ever ditched in the first place? According to Taco Bell, the move was an attempt to simplify the menu. That's right, it's a question that gets asked enough to merit a spot on Taco Bell's FAQ section, right above questions about whether the potatoes are vegetarian or vegan (spoiler alert: they're vegan). The spicy potato soft taco is vegetarian, but can be made vegan when ordered fresco style. It's not hard to see why losing these menu items would draw ire. Enough people made their spud thoughts known that Taco Bell eventually relented. The potatoes returned in 2021.

Taco Bell's Luxe Cravings Box is maybe the closest thing fast food has to an appetizer sampler. Boasting two or three main items plus a side and drink for a fixed price of five, seven, or nine dollars, it's a tasty deal. However (of course there's a however), much like Subway, people are noticing new prices. New versions of the Luxe Cravings hit stores in January 2025. When one Redditor complained that the 2025 version of the $7 box was losing the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, another replied, "Reminder, this is what Taco Bell and the US government think an hour of work should pay for." There's a sentiment that'll sit in your gut like a thousand chalupas.

Still, the response seems to range from "the old one was better" to "what the heck is happening to Taco Bell?" Again, cheeseburgers used to cost a nickel. Prices going up is nothing new. Part of Taco Bell's appeal, though, lies in the fact that munchie-addled customers can get lots of items for cheap, using the last couple bucks in your wallet plus some change rattling around your car's cup holder for a complete feast. Sadly, those days might be gone.

A concept destined to take the internet by storm, and a brand partnership that just so happens to be a culinary match made in heaven. Yes, a taco shell made of Doritos feels like an easy (and delicious) idea. Why not add some flavor to your taco vessel? Especially a crunchy taco shell, which is basically one big chip anyway. However, it seems customer response has been muted. Taco Bell has tried Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, and Flamin' Hot taco shells at various points since 2012. The only menu mainstay has been Nacho Cheese.

Go on Reddit, and you'll find a thread asking "does anyone else like the Doritos tacos," as if fans have to couch their  love in a kind of transgressor's shame. Another Redditor is less charitable, saying flat-out: "the Doritos locos taco kinda sucks [sic]." In the replies, fans of the item suggest getting the Doritos shell as one layer of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, wrapping the chip shell in a flatbread-and-cheese pillow to cut through the saltiness. Being relegated to a mid-tier menu item only enjoyed by some people is a surprise fate for the Doritos Locos Taco. Here was a menu item that felt like Taco Bell understood the mad scientist creativity its patrons craved — yet the end result is not the lightning bolt success a mad scientist would hope for.

In 2020, when numerous fast food menus were changing, Subway removed roast beef from its menu. How can a cold cut-based sandwich shop function without roast beef? That's not a question that decision makers were interested in. The chain wasn't interested in answering on social media or when Business Insider asked for comment, either. Whether or not roast beef is your favorite sandwich filling, anyone can admit that it's unsettling for a relatively standard option to disappear for reasons that aren't made entirely clear. What's next, the mayo?

The move was unpopular enough to launch a Change.org petition. Then, near the end of 2021, the restaurant brought back roast beef, boasting that the meat was now Choice Angus roast beef. New and improved? Perhaps. While one Redditor thinks it is "a much better product," another Reddit thread called it "extremely tough." At any rate, meat's back on the menu.

Arby's chocolate turnover was discontinued in 2016, immediately sparking a Change.org petition. A 2024 Instagram post from fast food blog Speculite brought out commenters reminiscing about the dessert. Some commenters longed for a return of all three turnover varieties — chocolate, strawberry, and apple — but chocolate was the most mentioned. One Arby's employee on Reddit thinks the chocolate turnover would sell better than desserts like the Reese's cookies.

Maybe a turnover is an unconventional dessert option for a fast food restaurant. It consists of chocolate filling wrapped in flaky pastry and drizzled with icing — not as easy to mass produce as, say, sheets of cookies. Then again, Arby's is a little unconventional. Other chains build empires of burgers, but Arby's has a diverse range of meaty sandwiches — roast beef and reubens and briskets. There's something a little more homestyle in those sandwiches made without a flat top or fryer, and a turnover fits that theme. Besides, a flaky pastry filled with chocolate and topped with icing? No wonder it attracted fans. Still, that online petition only got 173 signatures and a deafening silence from Arby's. In the fast-paced world of, uh, fast food, sometimes the menu changes, and all you're left with are tasty, tasty memories.