Fast Food Items You Can Only Get If You Order Online
Gone are the days of waiting in line at the drive-through for your favorite fast-food indulgences. With mobile apps and online ordering, fast-food franchises are making it possible to order ahead for a smooth pickup. Among the many benefits, digital ordering allows for easier customizations to your order and ensures you don't have to wait in line to get your food.
Major restaurant chains across the country are seizing the chance to entice diners to place their order in advance by offering online-only and mobile app-exclusive items and deals. From coupons that give you free or reduced-price items, to limited-time exclusives and unique selections that aren't offered on the main menu, fast-food franchises are jumping at the chance to shift more orders to online systems.
We've compiled a list of the best digital-only bargains and off-menu app offerings so you can skip the line, order ahead, and reap the benefits of online ordering.
Chipotle offers the viral TikTok quesadilla hack online only
In 2022, TikTokers Alexis Frost and Keith Lee went viral with videos about a Chipotle "hack" that involved adding extra cheese and fajita veggies to Chipotle's steak quesadilla. Lee even created his own dipping sauce by mixing the restaurant's chipotle-honey vinaigrette dressing with sour cream. After accumulating more than 30 million views, the demand for the "hacked" quesadillas began to overwhelm restaurants since it was not yet an official menu option.
In response to the fanfare over the TikTok-famous concoction, Chipotle announced it would be offering the fajita quesadilla as a mobile-only menu option with customizations available. Company representatives noted that the online-only status of the quesadilla was an effort to "avoid overcrowding" in restaurant lineups so employees and customers could have a great experience.
Fans love the quesadilla because it can be customized with different proteins including steak, chicken, barbacoa, carnitas, or vegetarian sofritas. As well, three side options are available, such as mild to medium tomato salsas, roasted corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and of course, the chipotle-honey vinaigrette dressing.
Subway offers athlete-created sandwiches exclusively online
Subway has frequently partnered with athletes to advertise the chain's healthier approach to fast-food dining. In 2022, Subway launched an online exclusive called the Subway Vault menu, which featured an array of unique sandwiches created by popular athletes. Since then, the Vault menu has evolved into various partnerships with athletes like Simone Biles and Tony Romo.
As of publication, the current Subway Vault menu features sandwiches by Patrick Mahomes, Charles Barkley, and Stephen Curry. It also includes The Dangerwich, a creation by Russell Wilson, and The Beef Mode, a sandwich by Marshawn Lynch, both of which were a part of the original Subway Vault line.
Each of the Vault sandwiches is unique and features specific protein, veggie, and sauce combinations hand selected by the athletes. For example, Lynch's Beef Mode consists of roast beef, bacon, and pepper jack cheese on Italian herbs and cheese bread, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, red onions, and jalapeños, and drizzled with yellow mustard and Baja chipotle sauce.
Subway's online-only menu also features an avocado bowl
For a lower carb option, Subway's Vault menu also features the Avocado Spike Bowl, created in partnership with NFL star Rob Gronkowski. Similar to the sandwich chain's other No Bready Bowls, a line of vegetable and protein-packed bowls that appeal to a low-carb lifestyle, the avocado bowl is totally bread-free. The dish consists of fresh vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, and green bell peppers, as well as a helping of Monterey cheddar, a generous portion of smashed avocado, and a drizzle of Subway's slightly spicy Baja chipotle Sauce.
The Avocado Spike Bowl is perfect for vegetarians and avocado lovers alike, who want to enjoy the taste of Subway without starchy carbs or meat. As with the other Vault menu options, the Avocado Spike Bowl is a digital exclusive, meaning it can only be ordered online. However, not all Subway locations offer it, so be sure to check your local restaurant's online menu to avoid disappointment.
Taco Bell allows diners to build their own Cravings Box online
Taco Bell fans love the chain's Cravings Boxes, which are affordably priced meals that feature a selection of Taco Bell specialties, sides, and drinks at a fixed cost. The contents of the box typically change based on the season and current promotions, but for mobile app users, the exclusive Build Your Own Cravings Box packs a lot of food for a small price tag. The best part? It's completely customizable.
The Cravings Box includes one specialty item, one classic item, a side, and a drink. Diners can choose from fun options like a Chalupa Supreme, cheesy gordita crunch, Crunchwrap Supreme, and more. Starters include a soft or crunchy taco, beefy 5-layer burrito, spicy potato taco, or bean burrito. Sides consist of favorites like chips with nacho cheese or cinnamon twists. To wash it all down, enjoy a medium fountain drink, orange juice, hot or iced coffee, or a regular-sized Freeze for an additional charge. The Build Your Own Cravings Box starts at $5.99 at most Taco Bell locations as of June 2023.
Taco Bell brought back the Enchirito as a limited-time digital exclusive
When Taco Bell discontinued the Enchirito in 2013, fans of the cheesy, saucy, beefy menu item were upset. After 10 years off the menu, it has been officially voted in by Taco Bell lovers as a limited-time item, winning out against another discontinued favorite, the Double Decker Taco. This is not the first time the Enchirito has been brought back as a limited-time offering, yet Taco Bell will likely not add it back to the permanent menu as it did with the Mexican Pizza.
The Enchirito consists of a soft flour tortilla wrapped around a mixture of seasoned ground beef, refried beans, and diced onions, all topped with red sauce and cheddar cheese. Depending on your location, the dish will run you around $4 as of June 2023, and it is exclusively available online and in the Taco Bell mobile app. If you've been wanting to try the smothered enchilada-style burrito before it's gone, you will have to order ahead.
Snag free fries from McDonald's on Fridays when you use the app
What's better than an order of McDonald's French fries? A free order of McDonald's French fries! That's right, the fast-food giant offers an exclusive "Free Fries Fridays" deal to diners who use the mobile app. To grab your free fries, simply download the app and join the restaurant's MyMcDonald's Rewards program. The offer will be listed in the "Deals" section of the app and may take up to 48 hours to appear after you sign up.
On Fridays, place a purchase of a minimum of $1 on the app and add a free medium order of fries to your order. If you're signing up for the first time, you'll get a free large order of fries. Going forward, you'll not only get an order of fresh, golden, and crispy fries every Friday, but by joining the rewards program you'll also become eligible to continually earn points toward more free food and gain access to more exclusive deals.
Jack in the Box offers two tacos for $0.99 when you order in the app or online
Just when it seemed the days of finding a fast-food deal for under a buck were gone forever, Jack in the Box announced it's offering an order of its famous crunchy tacos for only $0.99. The catch? As of April 2023, diners have to order online or use the restaurant's Jack App to grab the deal.
Jack in the Box's two-taco duo is one of the fast-food chain's biggest hits. Crunchy corn shells are filled with seasoned ground beef, American cheese, shredded lettuce, and Jack in the Box's signature taco sauce. They're great eaten on their own with a side of curly fries or as an addition to any of the chain's value meals. The two tacos are also perfect for sharing, though if you want to keep them both for yourself we won't blame you.
Grab a Burger King Melts meal deal for just $7
In early 2023, Burger King announced a hunger-busting deal featuring its Melts, a lineup of burgers chock-full of cheese, unique toppings, and specialty sauces. The Classic Melt features two Whopper Jr. patties, American cheese, caramelized onions, and Burger King's Stacker sauce. The Spicy Melt includes jalapeños and a spicy sauce, and the Bacon Melt showcases a pile of crispy bacon and Stacker sauce.
There are four online-only Melt Meals that offer various combinations of a Melt, a side (fries, chicken nuggets, or mozzarella sticks), and a drink. The digital exclusive Melt Meals are only available at participating locations when ordering online or through the Burger King app.
If you order the sandwich alone it will cost you around $5 as of June 2023, depending on your Burger King location. For $2 extra, the Melt Meals are a great deal to feed any appetite.
Sweetgreen fans can enjoy a selection of online-only salads and bowls
Sweetgreen, a fast-food alternative featuring quick and deliciously healthy salads, plates, and bowls, is another chain jumping on the online-only bandwagon. The fast-casual health food restaurant has a special selection of salads and bowls that can only be ordered on its website.
Salad lovers can order the spring asparagus salad, loaded with greens, chicken, lemon asparagus, and breadcrumbs, topped with green goddess ranch. Sweetgreen's Garden Cobb salad is another digital exclusive menu item, featuring avocado, hard-boiled eggs, roasted sweet potatoes, veggies, and greens, topped with almonds and balsamic vinaigrette.
There is also an assortment of online-only warm bowls, including combinations like asparagus and roasted salsa, spinach Florentine, and chicken tostada. Diners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have access to a regional online-only bowl called The Bowery Bowl, which features chicken, veggies, greens, shaved parmesan, sunflower seeds, and lime cilantro jalapeño vinaigrette.
Feed the whole family with the digital-only dinner from Bonjangles
When you need a quick dinner, swinging by your local Bojangles is an easy way to serve a delicious meal that everyone will enjoy. The fried chicken restaurant offers a variety of family meals and bundles on its menu, but there is one option that is exclusive to online or mobile app ordering.
The eight-piece dinner meal deal consists of dark chicken meat and includes four legs and four thighs, as well as two family-sized sides and four fluffy biscuits. For the side dishes, you can choose between the chain's Bo* Fries, Bo-Tato Rounds, Dirty Rice, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, Cajun Pintos, green beans, cole slaw, or a tub of pimento cheese spread.
This deal differs from Bojangles' other eight-piece meal deals available on the standard menu, in that it swaps a half gallon of tea for two sides.
Panera Bread's Unlimited Sip Club offers app users all-you-can-drink beverages
In a unique effort to gain mobile customers, Panera Bread offers the Unlimited Sip Club membership available exclusively through its app. The Sip Club offers endless drinks from a select menu to customers who pay a monthly subscription fee of $11.99 as of June 2023.
Sip Club members have access to free and unlimited charged lemonades, iced or hot coffees and teas, and fountain beverages. In addition, Panera Bread offers Sip Club Saturday, which features weekly offers for subscribers. If you pay for the membership on an annual basis ($119.99 as of 2023, which is a 17% discount compared to the monthly option), you'll also receive free delivery on minimum orders of $5. As of publication, Sip Club is offering a $0 delivery fee benefit for all members, whether monthly or annual subscribers, throughout the entire month of June 2023.
Although the Unlimited Sip Club isn't ideal for everyone, it's a great option for those who live or work near a Panera Bread and want to save money on their daily beverage break or coffee run.