Part of the nature of fast food is that the menus change constantly. They do this sometimes to cash in on a trend, like putting food in bowls or making silly fast-food mashups, like Burger King’s short-lived Whopperito (a Whopper-burrito mix) or the famous, fattening KFC Double Down. In other cases, it’s about making something seem scarce when it’s really not. For example, McDonald’s cult-favorite McRib sandwich has a website where die-hard fans can try to find the elusive fake-rib sandwich.
When fast food trends change, so do the menu items. Every time something new is added, something old is taken off. Its not unusual for fast food items that were taken off the menu, even ones that didn’t sell very well, to suddenly gain a lot of fans once they’re gone. This can cause a chain to decide to bring back a popular item that was taken off the shelves, either for a short time or with some changes. Here are twelve of our favorite discontinued fast food items that have made major comebacks over the years.
Hardee’s roast beef sandwiches were once a staple menu item and a big draw for loyal customers at the popular fast food chain But over time, Hardee’s phased out their signature roast beef offerings, leaving many fans disappointed What factors led to the demise of this beloved menu component?
In this in-depth explainer, we’ll take a nostalgic look back at the history of Hardee’s roast beef while examining the complex business and customer preference factors that likely contributed to its gradual disappearance from menus nationwide.
A Crave-worthy Classic is Born
Hardee’s first opened in 1960 in Greenville, North Carolina under founder Wilber Hardee The very first location sold only hamburgers and hot dogs But before long, Hardee’s became focused on perfecting its roast beef recipe to differentiate itself from competitors.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Hardee’s heavily marketed their thin-sliced, tender roast beef sandwiches topped with a signature tangy sauce. Customers responded enthusiastically, making roast beef a signature menu item.
For years, loyal patrons would flock to Hardee’s specifically for mouthwatering roast beef sandwiches served on fluffy buns. Hardee’s had cornered the market on fast food roast beef.
The Decline Begins
During the 1980s and 90s, though, signs emerged that Hardee’s golden roast beef era was ending. Locations began phasing it off menus, leaving enthusiasts disappointed.
What factors triggered this shift away from a once-core menu component that had defined the Hardee’s brand for decades?
Examining Potential Reasons for Roast Beef’s Decline
While Hardee’s has never publicly detailed an official reason, several likely factors contributed to phasing out roast beef:
Fluctuating Consumer Preferences
Over time, consumer tastes shifted away from red meat. Competitors saw success by diversifying poultry offerings. Hardee’s focused innovation on fried chicken and breakfast instead of roast beef.
Labor and Operational Costs
Preparing tender, high-quality roast beef required more training, labor, storage, and wastage costs compared to burgers. Streamlining operations by eliminating roast beef boosted efficiency.
Lack of Differentiation
As fast food chains expanded roast beef menus, Hardee’s lost uniqueness. Locations struggled to attract customers specifically for roast beef.
Declining Sales
Whether due to competition, shifting preferences or operational costs, Hardee’s roast beef sales eventually tapered off. Locations felt pressure to remove poor performers.
Menu Simplification
Eliminating underperforming menu items allowed Hardee’s to shift focus to more popular offerings. Saying goodbye to roast beef helped streamline operations.
Health Perceptions
Roast beef was seen as higher in saturated fat and sodium than leaner proteins. As customers sought healthier fast food, low sales signaled roast beef’s decline.
Emotional Fan Response
Completely removing a beloved menu item that had defined their brand for decades was risky for Hardee’s.
Many loyal customers were outraged. Hardee’s received complaints and demands to bring roast beef back in some capacity.
Supporters waxed nostalgic about their favorite sandwiches. Some claimed they’d now take their business elsewhere.
But Hardee’s forged ahead with repositioning around fried chicken, charbroiled burgers and Made-From-Scratch biscuits instead of ceding to roast beef nostalgia.
A Lost Legacy
For those who grew up on Hardee’s roast beef, its disappearance left a certain emptiness. Birthday treats, family meals, and weekend indulgences centered around this nostalgic menu item.
On forums and social media, devotees still pine for its tangy flavor and tender texture. Some have unsuccessfully petitioned for its return after two decades without their fix.
But Hardee’s seems set on moving forward, leaving roast beef sandwiches firmly in the past. For now, fans can only reminiscence about this fast food treat while settling for substitutes at other chains.
Could Roast Beef Make a Comeback?
Is there a chance Hardee’s could reintroduce roast beef in response to customer outcries and its heritage? A few factors provide a glimmer of hope:
- Recent fast food trends revisiting retro offerings due to nostalgia
- Hardee’s recent changing of hands/management
- Health-focused preparation methods now available
- Periodic limited-time roast beef specials still offered
Realistically, though, Hardee’s may be reluctant to revive a menu item that underperformed previously. But pressure on social media and petitions shows devoted fans are hungry for its return.
Questions Still Surrounding a Favorite’s Farewell
While the rationale behind Hardee’s phasing out roast beef can be deduced, some questions still remain:
-
Will Hardee’s ever formally address the reasons for discontinuing such a signature item?
-
Could backlash have been lessened with advanced notice or a farewell promotion?
-
Does Hardee’s have plans to commemorate their roast beef heritage for nostalgic customers?
-
What was the tipping point where roast beef profits and identity weren’t enough to retain it?
-
How much of the decision factored into current management versus the original founding company?
The loss of an iconic fast food delicacy like Hardee’s roast beef still stings fans decades later. But business moves on, and brands evolve to survive. Perhaps the mystery and nostalgia surrounding this farewell make it an even more compelling legacy.
Hardee’s Spotlight Shifts
While no menu item may ever fully replace the hole left by the demise of their signature roast beef offerings, Hardee’s still delivers indulgent flavors in updated forms.
Focus areas that outlived roast beef include:
- Thickburgers and charbroiled burgers
- All-day breakfast biscuits and bowls
- Hand-breaded chicken sandwiches and tenders
- Made-from-scratch sides and biscuits
And who knows? With enough fan passion still simmering years later, perhaps Hardee’s roast beef could make a limited comeback someday soon.
No matter what offerings come and go, Hardee’s remains a go-to spot for comfort food favorites and satisfying indulgence. Roast beef may have stepped aside, but quality, innovation and nostalgia still rule the menu.
Carl’s Jr.’s Jalapeño Popper Burger
The Jalapeño Popper Burger is an extremely spicy creation of the Hardees and Carls Jr. family of fast food restaurants. Carls Jr. started testing the burger under the name “El Diablo” in 2014, according to a Foodbeast report. The half-pound burger patty came topped with deep-fried jalapeño poppers, jalapeño slices, and habanero sauce. The initial test came shortly after the release of the Jack-in-the-Box Hella-Peño burger.
Delish reported that the burger was back on menus in 2018, but its no longer available in its original form. Instead, Carls Jr. and Hardees both rolled out the Jalapeño Double Cheeseburger in 2018. Like the Jalapeño Popper Burger, this is one spicy meat sandwich. According to the Carls Jr. menu, it features two patties, pepperjack cheese, jalapeño coins, and Santa Fe sauce. Carls Jr. basically removed the deep-fried jalapeño poppers in favor of double meat patties, and since the burger is still available on Carls Jr. menus nationwide, it seems to have paid off.
However, dont go looking for this burger at Hardees, because its no longer on the menu. Instead, youll find the Double and Triple Spicy Western Cheeseburgers. These variations on the Jalapeño Popper Burger swap the poppers for onion rings and replace the habanero sauce with a tangy BBQ spread.
Krystal is a fast food slider-style burger concept restaurant thats only available in nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Because its range is relatively small, the launch of its Country Fried Menu in 2016 really spoke to its target demographic. The concept started with a Country Fried Steak Krystal that was developed as part of a partnership with the National Cattlemans Beef Association, but the ideas kept coming, according to QSR Magazine.
The limited-time menu was released with several items, including the Country Fried Steak Krystal, Country Fried Chik, Country Fried Chik Biscuit, and Country Fries, which were Krystals standard fries topped with gravy and crumbled bacon. After an enthusiastic customer response, the chain brought Country Fried offerings back for a three-month period in 2017.
For now, the Country Fried Menu at Krystal is unavailable, but as the brands former VP of Marketing told PRNewswire, “as a Southern company, we know and love Country-Fried food, and weve been thrilled at the enthusiastic response to our Country-Fried menu.” Based on how closely the concept ties in with Krystals Southern heritage, we wouldnt be surprised to see Country Fried options on the menu again.
Burger King’s Cini Minis
If you were a kid in the 1990s and ate a lot of sugary fast food, you may have been crazy about Burger King’s original Cini Minis. When you buy Cini Minis, you get exactly what you think they are: four little cinnamon rolls with a sidecar of frosting that was mostly just sugar. When this dessert for breakfast first came out in 1998, one-third of customers, according to a Burger King press release, ate breakfast in their cars. Pillsbury made the first Cini Minis just for Burger King, and they are baked fresh every day at stores that sell them.
In a 1998 commercial, which featured Minnie Riperton crooning to indicate just how swoon-worthy these little morsels were, Burger King advertised Cini Minis as being “from the heart of the bun” — the best part of a cinnamon bun, where you get pure cinnamon swirl encased in light, fluffy dough smothered in frosting.
After Cini Minis were discontinued in the early 2000s, a Change.org petition generated over 2,700 signatures from fans begging Burger King to bring them back. In 2018, their wishes finally came true. The product was re-released in partnership with GrubHub, and customers could opt to receive a free box of Cini Minis if they ordered at least $10 worth of delivery. Sadly, they were only available for a limited time, and theyve not been available since 2018.
Whats a Pzone? Watching any of the original fast food television ads for “the pizza you eat like a sandwich” will provide you with a lengthy explanation, like this Super Bowl spot proclaiming the Pizza Hut Pzone revolution. Originally launched in 2002, the Pzone is a pizza-calzone hybrid, essentially a twelve-inch pizza folded in half, and it gained a particularly enthusiastic cult following.
The Pzone was briefly retried before being relaunched for a limited time in 2007 as part of a campaign with professional eater Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi, according to a press release. The PR stunt included an actual “PZone Chow-lenge,” where the winner received a golden Pzone. Shortly after, it was discontinued again, then briefly brought back in 2011.
Pizza Hut put a massive marketing effort behind another relaunch in 2019, this time in conjunction with an NCAA partnership that named Pizza Hut “The Official Pizza of March Madness.” The chain teased out the re-release on social with the tagline, “A Legend Returns” before re-launching the Pzone as part of a $5 menu lineup meant to compete with the value combos offered by rival Dominos, according to a 2019 Forbes article. The Pzone is still available on the Pizza Hut menu in three different varieties: Pepperoni, Supremo, and Meaty.
When talking about fast food that has been taken off the market, you can’t leave out McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce. This sauce caused riots during a short promotional re-release after being used in an episode of the animated TV show Rick and Morty.
McDonalds originally released its Szechuan sauce in 1998 as part of a limited-time promotion for the release of Disneys Mulan. Commercials featured the sauce while simultaneously hyping the newest Disney heroine as “a cool girl who saves China.”
The McDonalds promotion ended, Mulan went on to gross over $300 million worldwide, and the Szechuan sauce disappeared from the collective consciousness — until 2017. The condiment was featured in the Rick and Morty episode “The Rickshank Rickdemption,” and fans went absolutely insane. McDonalds sent a jug of the sauce to the shows creators, then released a special edition of the sauce for a single day. When some fans couldnt get the sauce on October 7, 2017, their response shocked the nation, and McDonalds responded with a wider second release.
The Szechuan sauce now exists primarily as an internet meme, although you can buy sealed packets of sauce on eBay for anywhere from $34 to $3,000. On March 4, 2020, a confused reporter from Shreveport, Louisiana, went off in search of the sauce after seeing a post about it on a McDonalds social media page. It turned out that the brand had quietly teased the one-day release of 200,000 servings of Szechuan Sauce that would be available at participating locations — in New Zealand.
80’s Ads: Hardees Roast Beef 1985
FAQ
Did Hardee’s get rid of roast beef?
Did Hardee’s ever sell roast beef?
Is Hardee’s roast beef cooked?
Why do Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have different names?
Did Hardees change their beef secretly?
Actually thick burgers. Now they are thin, greasy, disgusting burgers. I think hardees changed their beef secretly without really telling the public. There is a night and day difference between the two. They didn’t I don’t think. At least not here They didn’t. They gave the thickburgers some stupid new names which I REFUSE to use to my customers.
When did Hardee’s stop making biscuits?
Biscuits became a mainstay of Hardee’s menu, but when the cinnamon raisin biscuit was discontinued in 2002, customers were not happy. Hardee’s brought back the biscuit the next year. 8. HARDEE’S COMPETED WITH KFC OVER FRIED CHICKEN AND ARBY’S OVER ROAST BEEF.
Does Hardee’s still sell fried chicken?
In the early 1990s, some Hardee’s locations experimented with their food offerings in order to stay competitive. To compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken and Arby’s, Hardee’s sold fried chicken and roast beef sandwiches, respectively. And though some Hardee’s locations in the south still sell these items, most have abandoned them.
Did Hardees change their patties?
Ya they definitely did change their patties, those saying they didn’t must not know what the patties were like 5+ years ago. Actually thick burgers. Now they are thin, greasy, disgusting burgers. I think hardees changed their beef secretly without really telling the public. There is a night and day difference between the two.