McDonald's. Taco Bell. .field--name-field-history-media .media-image .field--name-field-image, header .menu--utility li.hide-link { display: none !important; } Here are some of the Wendy's foods we miss the most. From the beloved Frosty and the fresh-never-frozen square burgers that have been on the menu since day one, to chili and baked potatoes that'll warm you up on a cold day, there's tons to love about the Wendy's menu. Subway. It had everything from your standard salad bar configuration to a nacho + taco station (complete with bottomless vat of taco meat), desert bar (with chocolate pudding) and bread. These fries have the skin on and are sprinkled with sea salt and they're a direct attempt to capitalize on the "real food" movement. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. While every chain has its fair share of successes, at times they've also fallen, and fallen hard. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { But in addition to the salad station, which they called the Garden Spot, there was also a pasta station (creatively called Pasta Pasta) and a Mexican Station (Mexican Fiesta). After the release of the documentary Super-Size Me, which exposed the dangers of McDonald's and fast food in general, the concept of super-sizing a meal went rapidly downhill, resulting in the company pulling it from menus in 2004. margin: 0; RELATED: Sign up for our newsletter to get daily recipes and food news in your inbox! It got all in his braces and looked gross, and we couldnt stop laughing. it is the number 3 restaurant, behind McDonalds. And. This is the story of Superbar. Sadly, the BLT Cobb Salad was discontinued, making it all the more difficult to get a salad in a fast food setting. The BLT Cobb Salad was packed full of lean protein, making it an Atkins or keto dieter's delight. While they could re-purpose certain things from the SuperBar like lettuce, tomatoes, sour creme and beef, using those on burgers or chili, what would they do with spaghetti, or refried beans, or even the pudding at the end of the day? While they could re-purpose certain things from the SuperBar like lettuce, tomatoes, sour creme and beef, using those on burgers or chili, what would they do with spaghetti, or refried beans, or even the pudding at the end of the day? On the surface, it was a good idea: Serve a burger in a Styrofoam container with two separate compartments, one containing the hot beef patty and bottom bun and the other with the cool lettuce and tomato and the top bun. Wendy's New Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich on dark brown background. Back in the early-to-mid 2000s, deli-style sandwiches were all the rage. .field--name-field-history-media .media-image, Then we're good here. Our Spicy Chicken Nuggets are legit. For example, it previously partnered with Kellogg's to offer a chocolate Frosty flavored cereal and Pringles to sell spicy chicken sandwich seasoned chips. Plus, after 4 p.m., you could come in for an all-you-can-eat dinner at the Superbar for just $2.99 and the kids' Superbar included a drink and a prize! They were pulled from the fast-food chain not long after their introduction; people just weren't looking for deli sandwiches from a burger joint. } Even without the beloved Frosty, that's a pretty sweet deal. The feeling that you can just be you. The chain slowly began to incorporate so many ingredients, in fact, that Wendy's salad bar eventually evolved into the Superbar in the late 1980s. Back in 2013, customers wanted something healthier from their fast food restaurants, and that forced Wendy's to rethink its offerings. Its all back. The Superbar disappeared in 1998, and Wendy's discontinued all salad bars in 2006. But times change and not every item on the menu is able to stand the test of time. While you cant go to one now, you can relive their awesomeness with some old SuperBar commercials below. I was heartbroken, but my mom and I resolved to figure out how to try it one day. our menu is stacked with value. Even though the last one closed in 1998, you really raised the bar. Our new Homestyle French Toast Sticks are here and, friends, theyre the stuff good mornings are made of. } Wendy's is perhaps most famous for its friendly-looking logo and "fresh, never frozen" beef. Sales quickly petered out, and McDonald's was left with 10 million pounds of unsold wings. .hide-link { And, yes, I know, it wasn't actually anywhere near as good as I thought it was, but it was the first time I could ever recall my brain and my tastebuds working together like that. Proceeds benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Not so much. Im sure there were times when the SuperBar went unvisited all afternoon, but was completely stocked up and needed to get trashed out for the dinner service. The only answer is they must have thrown them out. I couldn't stop smiling. Back in 2010, Wendy's blazed a cheesy trail by releasing the Bacon and Blue Burgertopped with blue cheese (via HuffPost). Its back. .block-dropdown-language .dropbutton-wrapper .secondary-action ul li.en { display: none } With its signature square-shaped burgers, and the affordable 4 for $4 deal, the chain has a distinguishable menu that many repeat customers have come to know and love. } Unfortunately, though, most items that go the way of the Dodo stay that way. Refresh the page,. Cannot be combined with other offers. Folks have taken to Facebook and Reddit to bemoan its demise. We the people can create positive change when we come together in agreement that the Wendy's Superbar needs to return. Since phasing out their Big Classic, the company does not have a signature sandwich, such as the Burger King Whopper or the McDonald's Big Mac . Finally, it was served with avocado dressing. While some of them, like spicy nuggets and the pretzel bacon pub cheeseburger, have made triumphant comebacks, others will never be seen again. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); The Frosty. Just take the tag line: "You've had fries. Our family usually went to the local hut on Sundays, and I still remember how reckless and free we felt piling all sorts of goodies on our plates. "You only got a plate of pasta?" We must have had them refill the taco meat like 4 times. Also, I was not a cool kid, obviously) for the SuperBar. The first change to the chain's fries came all the way back in 1990 when they, along with their main competitors, made the switch from using a combination of beef tallow and vegetable oil to pure vegetable oil for frying. It was the first time that I got to experience a dish that others enjoyed in different walks of life and in larger places, far away. I really enjoyed that.What is up with our world today? Dont just break your fast. Yes! document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { How do I contact Wendys with questions or feedback about this location? Limited time only. my mom noted as she sat down with a plate loaded with a build-your-own enchilada, rotini with meat sauce, some Spanish rice and a small salad. Just as the old saying goes: "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing" and that certainly held true for the Superbar. "By building the brand on the promise of serving fresh, never frozen beef, Dave knew his hamburgers would have a shorter shelf-life. Not only did the Bacon Gouda Burger contain its namesake sliced Gouda cheese, it also had a Swiss Gruyere sauce, garlic aioli, bacon, red onions, tomato, and spring mix, all on a brioche bun. Probably. The buffet consists of various hot foods, salads, and a make your own Frosty sundae bar and the selection varies by locations that have the SuperBar buffet. Get the best food tips and diet advice Try some tomorrow morning and reminisce about how much better they are than the ones the sweet woman who raised you used to make. While the Superbar was a smash hit with customers, its low price made it a black hole that sucked in profits. And for more, don't miss these 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback. Most people really didn't mind bringing their own food to their table, so this idea quickly fizzled out thanks to that old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 6 Bacon and Blue Burger Wendy's/Facebook There are some Wendy's classics, like the Frosty and the Dave's Single cheeseburgers, that will never go away. Jobs and careers done right. He takes me to the playplace at McDonalds. There were several different flavors to choose from, but one truly stood out among the rest the Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty. Wendy's was tapping into a fancy cheese trend at the time, crafting a Wendy's burger topped with blue cheese crumbles, applewood smoked bacon, greens, and a blue cheese aioli sauce. In the warm glow of that nostalgic '90s sun-room style dining room, eager customers would enjoy anything from chili and tacos to fruit ambrosia with a Double Bacon Cheeseburger An open-and-shut success story, right? Back in the 80s, and even the early 90s, a lot of fast food restaurants had salad bars, or 'fixins bars', where you could pile as many pickles on your hambur. Pizza Hut salad bar in the 80s was untouchable. A la carte only. To say that Wendy's Chili is a polarizing menu item . xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); } Real Wendy's lovers know to order the chili. For more, check out these 108 most popular sodas ranked by how toxic they are. Just like your favorite boy bands, though, it just didn't last and was retired two years later in the summer of 2011. If its portable salad offerings caused such big changes for other chains, what exactly went wrong with its salad bars? Believe it or not, Wendy's had a salad bar, called the Superbar, back in the day. Plus you had lettuce, tomato, cheese, peppers and all the sauces (I don't know why more salad bars don't have taco stations.) Turns out, the best appetizer platter is a single sandwicha single, incredible Italian sandwich. When you think of Wendy's, you probably think of the Baconator and Frosty frozen treats. The trip turned out to be a fool's errand. Not only could customers build any kind of salad they dreamed of, but Wendy's later added "Mexican Fiesta" and "Pasta Pasta" sections to choose from too (as seen via this retro Wendy's ad). While it's unclear why Wendy's ultimately removed the Chicken Cordon Bleu from its menu, it's deeply missed. 34. Thats why they got rid of it. It all adds up to something pretty sweet. To see menu prices for the Wendys of your choice, please visit. In many ways, fast food chains are like reality TV celebrities: we cheer for them when they succeed, but when they fail miserably we secretly have a chuckle at their expense. Well, reminisce no more. But do you remember when Wendy's branched out from their basic chocolate and vanilla Frosty by adding other flavors? The next day, with the ingredients burned into my brain, I bounced around from aisle to aisle in the local Piggly Wiggly, desperately trying to find the pieces to construct this dish. This is where you can try Wendys new stuff without paying full price. We stayed down in the little glass sunroom (Why do all Wendys have those? I bet a lot of Illinois residents do, where Wendy's is the most popular fast food . Sometimes menu items are retired for a time only to return in a moment of glory for a limited time offer. Many have tried and failed, but theres nothing like the verified, original Wendys Spicy Chicken Nuggets. } Fresh beef . Nothing compared to the moment I saw one of them make fettuccine Alfredo. The front desk office was kinda like if the '70s barfed up a random living room out of a Tarantino flick. Intended to offer some competition to Subway, these deli-style "artisan sandwiches" were rolled out in 2006. display: inline; At noon, PBS started a long block of nothing but cooking shows. Well, guess what, mega fans, that dream is becoming a reality. Many franchises resorted to selling them off at clearance prices of 60 cents per wing. Whether you're hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, theres more than one way to get Wendys delivered. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You know when you want something so bad you can taste it? .hide-link { For about 10 years, Wendy's had a multi-station buffet called the SuperBar. (Still, the Wendy's salad bar was gone long before the pandemic hit, although there are still salads on the Wendy's menu.). But times change and not every item on the menu is able to stand the test of time. Taco salad is still salad right? According to The Wall Street Journal, some of the first to do so were chains like McDonald's and Jack in the Box, with both chains pouring more money into thefast food salad market. ButFast Food Geek found the menu items to be a bit hard to eat, largely due to the folded flatbread. } I could taste the pepper, the cream, the garlic, and the heavy Parmesan. No nonsense. 'twas awesome. Wendys Made To Crave Menu is where you go to taste it. While it may be a forgotten relic of the past, Wendy's used to have a salad bar that, in design, was to beat the band and it certainly did, though at a far messier and over-the-top cost. Or double down on your number one if you want. He even asked himself, 'what do you do with the leftover hamburger?' Frescata sandwiches aren't the only out-of-the-box creation Wendy's has tried over the years. The only options in the little coal town where I grew up were the Village (the greasy spoon that my family owned), Ma's and Pa's (our competitor so we were never allowed to go there), and a Pizza Hut. . While the ingredients list reads like a health nut's morning oatmeal, the sandwich was savory and delicious, according to Fast Food Geek. "There's something to be said about the level of comfort a bowl of chili can bring." display: inline; Every chef has a moment, a dish, a bite, an experience that transforms them. Fancy a burger thats freshly made, not pre-made? Italian Mozzarella Chicken, che bella! The answer was simple: combine the beef we use for our hamburgers with a hearty helping of vegetables, chili beans, and a dash of spice.". The Wendy's sandwich featured boneless, breaded chicken breast, ham, and cheese. Point is, if you got $6you got options. Wendy's does still have the original Spicy Chicken Sandwich though, so it may be time to learn to make your own Wild Mountain sauce to go on top. The Superbar offered a large smorgasbord of fixings and toppings. That's because it was during that same period that Wendy's had their Superbar, which believe it or not was an all-you-can-eat buffet. You can still get a chocolate or vanilla frosty, but this flavor is just one of the 15 Discontinued Fast-Food Desserts We Miss. Details are scarce, but we're excited nonetheless. where I examine all those cool things from back when you were a kid that were totally awesome, but which youve probably since forgotten. If youre too young remember, there was once a time when in addition to Frostys and the best fast food fries (before they changed to the new recipe recently), Wendys dabbled in also being an Old Country Buffet, and they had a buffet bar called the SuperBar, pictured below. The sauce was nothing remotely like I would make at this point in my life, nor would I eat, to be honest (not to sound snobby in my older age, but I am a chef). They sold decently, but their fatal flaw was assembly time: they took a lot longer to prepare than burgers. Browse all Wendy's locations in Tempe, Arizona for quality fast food, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, meal deals, and Frosty made with the real ingredients you desire. margin-top: 20px; var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); We eventually got asked to leave because they didnt give refills, so my one friend just started drinking all the half and halfs they put out for the coffee. Among those Garden Sensations was the BLT Cobb Salad, which featured spring mix for the greens, accompanied by a chopped hard boiled egg, blue cheese crumbles, bacon, chicken, and tomatoes. That was rhetorical of course you do! We would have wonderful evening meals of these veggies side by side with country ham, cornbread, pickles galore, toasted biscuits left over from breakfast, and more. It offered far more than the typical Wendy's fare of burgers and fries, too. Most every dish that comes out of the kitchen at Hickory the restaurant where I now work as the executive chef has its roots in something I experienced then. Everything is better with cheese, so it's a shame this trio didn't stand the test of time. Introduced in 1979, according to The Columbus Dispatch, this beloved "healthy choice" wasn't just a simple salad bar with a few greens, cucumbers, and carrots with ranch dressing on the side. The burger actually contained seaweed that was meant to bind the meat together as a way of lowering the fat content. So, stop by Wendy's at 2755 W. Southern Ave. in Tempe, AZ. Salad, fruit, Mexican fare, and pasta were all available for a low price (usually $2.99), and it was a big success. While the idea of a buffet sounds great, particularly with hind site from our diabetes infested times (I want it all mixed up in a big bucket!), it couldnt have been too profitable. If that alone sounds amazing to you, consider the items were also topped with shredded cheese. Wendy's New Homestyle French Toast Sticks with maple syrup dipping cup. TikTok content creator @ tikittytalk shares a nostalgic look back at 80s dining greatness at Wendy's. We had forgotten how super this salad bar really was! "Mexican Fiesta." try one today It starts with our classic crispy chicken, which we topped with deep-fried mozzarella and authentic marinara all between a buttery garlic knot bun. The Most Disastrous Fast Food Menu Fails Of All Time, ID 18902727 Viorel Dudau | Dreamstime.com, ID 99257311 Birgit Reitz Hofmann | Dreamstime.com, ID 39502229 Ken Wolter | Dreamstime.com, Photo Modified: Flickr/ Jeremy avnet/ CC4.0, ID 52867998 Komprach Sapanrat | Dreamstime.com, ID 125562389 Robert309 | Dreamstime.com, ID 123565583 Anthony Baggett | Dreamstime.com, ID 97202030 Sheila Fitzgerald | Dreamstime.com, finally rolled out chicken wings nationally, left with 10 million pounds of unsold wings. But what if, perhaps, there was something that was actually too successful? The salad bar may have failed, but portable greens were gaining popularity fast. I am however, in my time away from the kitchen, an ardent connoisseur of '80s nostalgia. Some things just shouldn't be messed with and Wendy's fries are among them. Despite its fun name, the Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty didn't make it in the end. Thank you! Back in 1991, Burger King thought that it would be a good idea to let customers order their food between the hours of 5 and 8 p.m., then take a seat at their table, snack on free popcorn, and have their food brought to them. The Superbar was phased out by the late '90s as customers began to prefer portable salad options, with more and more customers opting for takeout over dine-in each year, saysThe Wall Street Journal. The advertising campaign bragged about a new kind of burger that was 91 percent fat-free with 10 grams of fat, compared to the Big Mac's 26 grams of fat. 6. Photo: Bettmann / Getty Images; Grace Cary / Getty Images, Appalachia Doesn't Need Saving, It Needs Respect, Scamming Pizza Hut Was My Family Tradition, I Ate Alone at the Times Square Olive Garden for Ten Days, and I'm Different Now, The History of the All You Can Eat Buffet, The Fine Art of Leaving a Tasting Menu Early, According to a Chef, Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022: Damarr Brown, Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022: Justin Pichetrungsi, How Birthday Pancit Helped Me Learn to Love My Filipino Heritage, Best Practices: How Kwame Onwuachi Is Redefining the Role of Chef and Food Personality, What 'The Bear' Gets Right (and Wrong) About Restaurant Work. The SuperBar was filled with food items that were only used just in SuperBar. I would sit and watch Saturday morning cartoons until they stopped around noon, and that's the moment I was always actually waiting for. No zero-contracts. It may not seem like much after talking about a burger that's covered in queso, but the Bacon Gouda Burger at Wendy's combined people's love for cheese with their love for interesting burger buns and a whole lot of delicious toppings. the company added in its blog. Deli sandwiches? Unfortunately, Wendy's didn't get that memo. With 100% conviction, I can say that I may very well have never become a chef if not for that crappy, pre-made, boil-in-bag-sauced fettuccine Alfredo. Comprised of eggs, cheese, bacon, and sausage on a sesame seed roll (add ham and you've got the Meat'normous Omelet Sandwich), this artery-clogging overload performed well at first, but sales fizzled out once consumers realized that they probably didn't want to eat 330 milligrams of cholesterol for breakfast. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Though they were always marketed as being available only for a limited time, that doesn't make it any less sad that they're gone. For a period in the '80s and '90s, Wendy's expanded their salad bar into a full "Superbar" buffet. McDonald's finally rolled out chicken wings nationally after years of trial and error in September 2013, at the price of about a dollar per wing. .field--name-ingredients .field--name-body { I remember being glued to the TV, writing down the recipes for things like chicken piccata, or Black Forest cake. Find us in Reading, Stratford, Oxford, Croydon, Brighton, Ilford, Camden, Romford, Maidstone, Sutton, Uxbridge, Sheffield, Kingston and Brampton Hut. The Superbar essentially a giant hot and cold all-you-can-eat buffet was set up in a zig-zag kinda pattern, with bright florescent lights beaming behind the overhanging labels: "Garden Spot." EatThis.com is part of the AllRecipes Food Group. It was this long preparation time that allegedly led to the demise of the Frescata. But what if we told you that soon, you could get this beloved tomato-based beef chili at a grocery store near you? The underperforming menu item was scuttled last April. Single item at regular . Name a better deal, well wait. Yes? Choose two, from the Daves Single, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, 10PC Crispy Nuggs, or a Medium Strawberry Lemonadeand pair em up for only 6 bucks. Cheeseburgers Chicken, Wraps & More Fresh-Made Salads Fries & Sides Beverages Frosty Quality Choices Kids' Meals Combos Breakfast Combos Classics Croissants Biscuits Coffee Sides HomeStyle French Toast Sticks Perfect for everywhere. Wendy's is nothing if not tuned into popular trends. A whole lot, apparently. In 1991, McDonald's tried to just on the low fat craze bandwagon, crafting a burger dubbed the McLean Deluxe, intended to show critics that the fast-food giant could offer low-fat options. According to its 1991 commercial for the Cordon Bleu sandwich, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas said that he was inspired by his daughter to make something new. Wendy's Chief Concept & Marketing Officer, Kurt Kane, said in a statement in 2017, "Nobody does fresh beef, chicken sandwiches and topped fries like Wendy's, so we've taken three things our customers already love and made them even better by adding queso.". } #block-footer .menu-layout-vertical .field--name-menu-items .brick--icon-menu-item img { width: 50px !important } 15 Discontinued Fast-Food Desserts We Miss, 108 most popular sodas ranked by how toxic they are. Just as we are committed to serving the best quality food every single day, we are committed to serving you during this time. She'd found it at a new thing called the Superbar at Wendy's. Wendy's has been around since Dave Thomas founded the restaurant in Ohio in 1969, and in that time we've seen some amazing options when it comes to fast food fare. Remember all the good times you had with the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger? Welcome to a new column here at InsufficientScotty, Whatever Happened To. } else { These are just some of the beloved Wendy's menu items you'll sadly never get to eat again. Details are extremely scarce on the release, including when it will be available, the cost, and which retailers will carry the product. Turns out, the best appetizer platter is a single sandwicha single, incredible Italian sandwich. Cool-Swordfish7223 21 days ago. Cheese is nothing new at fast food restaurants just look at the humble but delicious cheeseburger but 2017 could easily be considered the year of cheese, specifically queso. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. No mommy, I dont want a salad, I want a happy meal! Wendy's Superbar ran for a glorious ten years between 1988 and 1999. display: none !important; I started trying to match up what my palate was experiencing to the ingredients I'd filed away in my brain from that afternoon of cooking shows. One commercial from the '80s shows tacos and pasta alongside your typical cold bar offerings like salad and fruit. Posted 2:46:14 AM. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. From wild successes such as the classic value mealand it's many spin-offs to devastating failures like the infamousRax's Roast Beef, whose bizarre and desperate marketing attempts led to a near-total downfall. For a period in the '80s and '90s, Wendy's expanded their salad bar into a full "Superbar" buffet. (Located on slide 81 of the presentation for those who require a little proof.). While sales were pretty good (and it's still fondly remembered by many to this day), the fact of the matter was that it simply took too long to prepare, and it was removed from menus after a few years. } Needless to say, the burger was not a hit with customers, and critics dubbed it the "McFlopper.". While a dose or two of innovation is always welcome, it seems that those in marketing may sometimes bite off more than they can chew, and their apparently genius innovations reek not only of grease, but of desperation as well. Here are 14 of the most embarrassing failures in the history of fast food. I was so overtaken by my initial obsession that I had completely glossed over the parts of their conversation that included the cornucopia of other options.