The Biggest Fast Food Flops Of 2023

There's so much competition within the fast food sphere that fast food chains are always coming up with new ways to draw customers in and outshine any competitors. The rise of social media has made it much easier to create hype around new products. Restaurant Brands CEO José Cil spoke at a Morgan Stanley conference and noted that social media-based marketing has contributed to the success of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. According to Cil, Popeyes had a great marketing team, which created the kind of social media hype that led customers to the restaurant. 

You remember the craze: You know, the one in which people literally stab each other over chicken sandwiches. 2023 may not have seen any fast food items that caused fanatical murderous frenzies. However, several fast-food giants made some questionable decisions in the quest for the next big thing: From strange flavor combinations to controversial marketing campaigns, these flops have left a sour taste in the mouths of customers and critics alike.

Chicken and waffles and ice cream sounds like an incredible idea until you realize it involves eating buttermilk-flavored ice cream with chunks of imitation fried poultry-tasting pieces. Baskin-Robbins took a bold step in March with the introduction of its Chick'n & Waffles as the Flavor of the Month. Unfortunately, it was a flavor that just didn't fly.

Despite the initial buzz surrounding this sweet and savory treat, the combination of buttermilk waffle-flavored ice cream, crispy chick'n (which didn't contain any actual poultry), waffle bites, and bourbon maple syrup swirl failed to resonate with customers. While some enjoyed the novelty, the majority found the flavors to be an odd and unappetizing mix that contained overpowering chunks of salty imitation chicken.

Baskin-Robbins, in an attempt to promote the new flavor, hosted a Bottomless Brunch event in New York City. But it doesn't sound like people were lining up to drown themselves in this all-you-can-eat offering, as many on social media commented that the flavor was a bit too experimental and it sounded offputting. Ultimately, this is a scoop that will go down in Baskin-Robbins' history as a daring but unsuccessful experiment in flavor innovation.

Would you like some olive oil with your coffee? No? Well, neither would we. In fact, few people do, which is exactly why Starbucks' Oleato Coffee Drinks weren't very popular. The Oleato line was Starbucks' attempt to revolutionize the coffee experience by up playing the alchemy of its arabica coffee and Partanna extra virgin olive oil. The line included a Caffè Latte, Iced Shaken Espresso, and Golden Foam Cold Brew: These debuted in Italy before being introduced in select locations in Seattle, Japan, Chicago, London, New York, Paris, and Los Angeles. Then-CEO Howard Shultz gushed over the oily concoction, expressing his excitement for this unique product. 

Consumers, however, had the opposite reaction. According to The New Yorker, this drink basically consists of a large spoonful of olive oil in coffee. However, while Schultz, who was facing criticism for his company's alleged union-busting efforts, had hoped that this drink would revolutionize the industry, it essentially sent customers running to the bathroom and even allegedly induced stomach cramps. The negative press and the unappealing taste ultimately made Starbucks Oleato beverages a flop.

There are a couple of things that Dunkin' Donuts does well: Coffee and doughnuts. However, savory foods aren't its strong suit. Its egg sandwiches often have an artificial rubbery texture and a weird smell and taste. So, when Dunkin' Donuts launched its Breakfast Taco, people weren't exactly lining up.

Dunkin' Donuts introduced its Breakfast Tacos in March 2023: They featured scrambled eggs, melted sharp white cheddar cheese, fire-roasted corn, a lime crema drizzle, and optional crispy crumbled bacon in a soft white tortilla. The coffee chain was very enthusiastic about its new menu item: Dunkin's Chief Marketing Officer Jill McVicar Nelson said in a press release that the tacos are among the best breakfast items offered by Dunkin' Donuts. 

On the surface, it sounds like a win. But when customers went and paid for the product, they were disappointed with the results. While the advertisement shows an almost overflowing soft flour tortilla filled with fluffy eggs and crispy bacon bits, the reality was often an almost empty shell with a bit of cheese. A customer even mentioned these tacos on Reddit's Expectation vs. Reality page. Dunkin's Breakfast Tacos were overhyped and reflective of the unappetizing quality of Dunkin' Donuts' savory breakfast items. As a result, the breakfast tacos were quickly discontinued.

Quiznos, known for its toasted sandwiches and unique flavors, offers its Lobster and Seafood sub to customers on a seasonal basis. 51 percent of the sandwich's meat is derived from the red-clawed critter. The other half is Alaskan whitefish sourced from King & Prince Seafood.

This sandwich is typically served with shredded lettuce on toasted bread. Reddit users who were brave enough to try this sandwich said it was awful: The bread tasted stale, and it was quite dry, so it likely could have benefited from some additional condiments. Plus, sandwich fans noted that this sandwich was served with lemon wedges on top, which were luckily spotted by the diner before they were eaten whole. Overall, Fast Food Geek gave this sandwich 2.5 stars. 

The chain has also introduced Cajun-flavored versions of the lobster sandwich in the past. In January 2023, Quiznos offered a lemon-herb sandwich alongside the original that was available at participating locations for around $9. The Southern Snack noted that it tasted like fish in a lemon tartar sauce: He further noted that this sub was  not that bizarre and that he was genuinely confused by the nature of the offering. 

Burger King is no stranger to pushing the envelope in terms of introducing new and bizarre menu items. However, its attempt at creating a dessert burger inspired by the Swedish pastry left a bad taste in many customers' mouths. The Burger King Semla Dessert Burger was offered for a limited time in Denmark during Lent. Semla, also known as a Mardi Gras bun, is something that's usually eaten once on Fat Tuesday or Fettisdag before people embark on fasting for Lent. 

The Burger King Semla Dessert Burger featured a sweet bun cardamon bun filled with whipped cream, marzipan cream, and a brownie that looked like a beef patty. The resemblance to a hamburger threw people off, giving them a "yuck" factor that was strong enough to prevent them from even trying it: YouTubers Justin + Geoff felt that the burger looked somewhat disgusting. They also said that it smelled like a greasy Burger King hamburger. 

In customer photos of the burger, all the whipped cream was melted, making this a messy option. Fast food critics noted that while the texture is quite juicy, the flavors are fairly bland. There's nothing exceptional about this burger, so it's likely not worth trying again and again. This dessert burger never made it onto the permanent menu.

Part of what makes McDonald's one of the most successful fast-food restaurants is its consistency. Customers know that no matter which U.S. outlet they hit, the food will always taste the same. And yet, after carefully building that reputation over decades, McDonald's announced that "small but tasty improvements" were on the way for the Big Mac, McDouble, double cheeseburger, hamburger, and cheeseburger. The changes included soft toasted buns, better cheese slices, grilling onions with the burger patties, and more special sauce on the Big Mac.

McDonald's earned the ire of its most loyal patrons, as well as a lot of skepticism and backlash, too. Incorporating onions into the beef during preparation — a method based on Oklahoma-style burgers — drummed up the most controversy. "As someone who hates onions, I'm worried about McDonald's new policy of cooking onions directly on the grill," one customer tweeted. "I have a significant intolerance to onions. They make me quite ill within 15-20 mins," said another. "I guess McDonald's really doesn't want my business," another onion-hating consumer commented, pointing out that the chain already adds raw onions to its burgers. Nevertheless, McDonald's will continue to test market the changes with a full national rollout complete by early 2024.

Sometimes, a dual-company collaboration makes for brilliance. Other times, however, it produces a disastrous result. And in the case of the Spicy TRUFF Chicken Sandwich from Popeyes, a seasonal sandwich featuring a standard spicy Popeyes chicken patty topped with the TRUFF sauce company's truffle-flavored spicy mayonnaise, the creation, unfortunately, seemed to fall into the latter category.

The Spicy TRUFF Chicken Sandwich was released in mid-October and ran all the way until November 26th, and while both TRUFF and Popeyes were likely expecting positive reactions to their culinary mash-up, they received quite the opposite. It wasn't just disappointed Reddit users who were referring to the sandwich as nasty, smelly, or terrible. The Washington Post itself called the menu item a "flop," describing the strange-tasting sandwich as an attempt by the fast food franchise to emulate a luxury or fine-dining product that fell incredibly — almost laughably — short. It's safe to say that we can't imagine this one coming back for a round two release any time soon.

This year, Chick-fil-A released two new and intriguing menu items for the 2023 fall season. One was the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich, featuring a chicken patty topped with the chain's standard sliced pickles and a honey-and-pimento-cheese spread. The second was dubbed the Caramel Crumble Milkshake — and while the first item came with raving consumer reviews, the second product did not.

"Anyone else NOT like the Caramel Crumble Milkshake?" reads the title of a Reddit thread from a few months ago, when the beverage had just begun circulating. "Was really pumped to try it," said a responding user on the post. "It has a medicinal taste to it like imitation vanilla, I couldn't get into it." Another commented to say that the blondie crumbles within the drink — which were intended to be part of the shake's appeal — were ultimately less than appetizing. "What I didn't like about it was 'all the crunchy bits', it was too much for me. I couldn't just drink it without having to chew each sip." Though the beverage was only offered on a limited-time basis, we have all seen instances when a fast food limited edition item is brought back and welcomed with open arms by happy consumers. But based on the consistent negative feedback from buyers, we can't imagine that the Caramel Crumble Milkshake will ever return.

In 2021, a brand-new burger was introduced by the beloved fast food chain that has all the meats. The Arby's Deluxe Wagyu Steakburger was a meat-and-cheese creation sandwiched in a brioche bun and topped with sauce, pickles, onions, and tomatoes. After a two-year hiatus, the item was reintroduced to the menu in 2023 — but the reaction this news brought with it was hardly celebratory in nature.

"There are much better fast food burgers out there," said one consumer on a Reddit discussion regarding the steakburger's initial release. "Not impressed at all." Another user on this same thread outlined their own beef with the sandwich, as well, blaming their disappointment on an overload of unnecessary ingredients. "...wagyu is supposed to be served as plainly as possible so the taste and texture are not lost," reads a piece of the user's comment. Unfortunately, the more recent threads developed after the burger's comeback this year weren't much better. On one in particular, instead of users discussing their excitement over the return of the lost dish, they discussed their boredom with it — reminiscing instead about superior discontinued Arby's items they wish had made the cut, instead. Needless to say, it'll be a shock if this disappointing burger makes it through to 2024.