Fast Food Fall Items You'll Never Get To Eat Again

For the majority of Americans, fall is their favorite time of year. Some of this can probably be attributed to the delightful sweater weather, the crisp colorful leaves, or the fun Halloween decorations, but let's be honest — much of what makes autumn so attractive are the flavors. Come September, our favorite fast food restaurants and coffee shops are suddenly bursting with fresh-baked pumpkin breads, caramel apple lattes, cinnamon cakes, apple muffins, and cranberry pies.

It's a magical season for our taste buds and noses, but — alas — there can also be mixed feelings among consumers stepping through the doors of their preferred stops. For some, a hint of melancholy wafts in the air alongside the brewing caramel coffee. Why? Because the restaurants that introduce us to heavenly fall bites and beverages also very often rotate, change up, or eliminate those products completely. And while some recipe eliminations might be for the better, change can still be hard to swallow, particularly when you walk into your favorite chain seeking autumn flavor and see a new treat sitting in the spot where your favorite used to be. Discontinuation is a bittersweet part of life — or, should we say, part of fall. Here are some fast food fall items you'll never get to eat again.

"Available for a limited time" is a bit of a double-edged sword in the food industry. Because the given product will only be around for a short amount of time, it can easily be phased out if it's disliked by the masses, which gives restaurants the ability to experiment with a new recipe or flavor profile without having to over-commitment. On the other hand, if the product ends up exploding in popularity, the company may find itself running out of supplies quickly and getting clamored at by newfound fans begging to have the limited-time product brought on to the menu.

The latter scenario is exactly what happened in the case of the Dunkin' Almond Joy Hot Chocolate, introduced in the fall of 2017. A steaming hot chocolate inspired by the candy bar was introduced just before Halloween, loaded with hints of sweet coconut throughout. Along with a cold version — the Frozen Almond Joy Hot Chocolate — the new additions were marketed straightaway as limited-time only. Unfortunately, the donut-and-coffee chain meant it. Despite consumers' appreciation for the two chocolatey beverages with all the right notes of nuttiness, they were never mixed again after that year. Pardon us while we wrap up in a sweater and take a stroll through a park full of rainbow leaves to mourn.

The pumpkin scone from Starbucks is arguably its most popular fall bakery product, but just a few short weeks ago, consumers' hearts were shattered when the world's leading coffee shop dropped its fall menu. While old favorites like the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and new introductions such as the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte were proudly listed, an extremely popular staple had been suspiciously left off. That's right; the Pumpkin Scone was gone from the lineup. Questions immediately arose, and Starbucks promptly responded, confirming the worst. Its Pumpkin Scone is, indeed, gone.

"I just heard the news and I'm so sad," said a Reddit user within the subreddit r/starbucks. "It was my favorite." Another customer lamented with them, commenting, "I literally only ordered this. I don't ever go to starbucks except during autumn. I don't even get the pumpkin spice drinks, I just was there for the scones." However, for employees of the coffee chain, the pastry's exit is not all bad. One user working as a barista actually stated that they looked forward to not being yelled at by angry customers requesting a heated scone — referencing the Starbucks company policy against placing the frosted goods in the oven before serving. Regardless, if you are a devastated consumer or an ecstatic employee, the outcome is the same: There will be no rectangular pumpkin pastry to accompany your latte this season.

Given that the best time of year for apple harvesting is the fall, it makes sense that a pastry stuffed full of them — like a classic apple pie — would become a popular bakery staple in the autumn months. And the McDonald's version — a rectangular-shaped lattice mini-pie — brings all the fruit-forward, sweet-tasting flavors of fresh apple picking.

While the Baked Apple Pie may be a popular dessert staple for the massive chain restaurant, back in the day, it didn't used to be baked at all. That's right; The McDonald's apple pie was known as the Fried Apple Pie when it was first introduced in 1968. That decadent little fruity rectangle was not prepared in the oven; it was dropped into the deep fryer until that delicious shell turned a mouthwatering, crispy golden brown.

But at the start of fall in 1992, McDonald's made a shocking change to its appley recipe. The fried mini-pies became Baked Apple Pies, reportedly due to health concerns. However, the original crisped version can still be found internationally ... you know, if you feel like taking a trip to London or Sydney to satisfy your crunchy apple craving.

Blizzards are truly Dairy Queen's claim to fame. The ice cream-and-candy shakes have come in so many different flavors over the years that it would probably be impossible to recall them all. But one short-lived Blizzard is too interesting — and too appropriate for fall — not to reminisce on.

It was called the Caramel Apple Pie Blizzard of 2020 and contained a mix of vanilla ice cream, pie crust chunks, bits of sweet caramel, whipped cream, and apple topping. Essentially, all the makings of your traditional apple pie ... in ice cream form. Sounds good ... or does it? This experiment of a Blizzard was one that came with mixed reviews and opinions and faded just one season on the menu. "The caramel apple pie blizzard didn't sell well at my store and honestly I despised it. It was gross," said one Reddit employee in r/DairyQueen. However, another user commented on a separate thread, naming the fall-flavored treat as one of the discontinued Blizzard flavors they missed the most. Regardless, it is what it is — we'll have to get our caramel apple flavors in solid form this season.

It's hard to imagine a drink introduction that was more universally successful than the Dunkin' Hazelnut Swirl in 2014. For nearly eight years, it dominated the menu, filling consumers with the creamy taste of autumn hazelnut.

But in late 2021 to early 2022, the systematic dissolution of the drink began, fading away from location after location until they were completely gone. "Dear Dunkin' fans," reads a Facebook post from a Dunkin' location in Lima, Ohio, in February of 2022. "We are sad to announce that our hazelnut swirl has been discontinued. We do have some left in the store, but when it's gone it's gone, so get it while you can."

The word on the street (well, on Reddit, more precisely) is that supply chain issues caused this cancellation, but that did nothing to deter the furious fanbase. What was remarkable about this particular discontinuation was the ferocity behind the customer pushback against it. Petitions, raging online threads, and even cruel comments on Facebook posts showed clearly that people really, really liked the Hazelnut Swirl. "I had an identity crisis," said one user on Reddit regarding the exit of the drink. "Deleted the app and wrote them a nasty email omg...I definitely had a breakdown." Comments similar to this go on and on, displaying how emotionally attached some folks get to their coffee flavors.