The Discontinued Fritos That Came With Printed-On Grill Marks
There have been a number of Frito flavors over the years since the product was invented in 1932, some of which resonated with the public and stuck around, such as Chili Cheese and Bar-B-Q varieties, and others that didn't make the cut. One from the latter category, Texas Grill Fritos, supposedly came with printed-on grill marks to show that they were serious about the name.
According to the Discontinued Foods Twitter page, Texas Grill Fritos came in a Honey BBQ flavor and lasted from 1995-97. They were distinguished by having "grill marks" emblazoned on each chip. One social media commenter who tried the Texas Grill Fritos when they were still on the market tweeted that the "grill marks tasted weird," which ruined an otherwise "good Honey BBQ flavor." Others found them satisfying enough. "They were tasty," messaged another follower.
Speaking of weird, there was even a bizarre Texas Grill Fritos commercial circulating in 1995 featuring country music star Reba McEntire that involved a spontaneous convenience store concert to prove her identity so she could buy a bag of her new favorite snack after hours. The late comedian Mitch Hedberg riffed about them during one of his stand-up routines, in which he sardonically quips, "I had some [Texas Grill Fritos]. They had grill marks on them. Reminds me of when we used to fire up the barbeque and throw down some Fritos" (via YouTube).
Fans petitioned for the return of Texas Grill Fritos
Redditors have previously brought up Texas Grill Fritos on more than one occasion, including multiple posts to the subreddit r/HelpMeFind asking if someone could track down pictures illustrating the chips' grill marks. A user said that although they couldn't find a photo showing the grill marks, they had located a description from someone who tried them and referenced it. The acerbic critique mockingly observed, "These chips are marked. Each one has a little crisscross of dark lines on it. The back of the bag boasts that there are 'grill marks' on every chip.' This is really stupid. Who would ever grill Fritos in the first place?"
Another contributor mentioned that they too were on a quest to uncover elusive visual evidence of the obsolete product's grill marks to no avail. She even alluded to the Reba ad, noting that it only shows the Fritos bag and not the chip itself.
There have even been recent efforts to revive the defunct chip flavor including one person who created a petition at change.org called "Bring back Texas Grill Fritos." While the petition has only garnered 62 signatures over a two-year span, it was still an attempt nonetheless. One determined individual shared the same rallying cry with Frito-Lay's Facebook page in a 2015 post that received a discouraging response: "Right now we don't have plans to produce them, but we will certainly pass your feedback along." A Texas Grill Fritos comeback does not appear imminent.