Can You Spot the Fake Fast Food Item?

By: Ian Fortey
Image: fontina/Moment/GettyImages

About This Quiz

The world of fast food is a strange one. People make fun of it regularly while others shun the idea of eating such unhealthy stuff, and yet it's a multi-billion dollar industry. The fact is, fast food is a guilty pleasure for many of us. And you know what? That's OK. Everything in moderation, right? Except for maybe those fast food items that seem like terrible mistakes of culinary madness.

Every so often, a restaurant chain comes up with an idea that's just mind-boggling in its weirdness. Or maybe they just create a local item that defies expectations by including ingredients you never even imagined before. Whatever the case, there are just so many fast food menu items out that there you've probably never even imagined and twice as many you'd only eat on a dare. But would you recognize them when you saw them?

If you think your fast food knowledge is up to the task, unwrap this quiz and dive right in. Weave your way through the Nutella Burgers and Pickle-Os and McSpaghetti plates to get to the heart of what was legitimately served to an unsuspecting yet voraciously hungry public, and what maybe never existed at all. At least not yet.

Everyone loves pasta, but which fast food pasta dish isn't legit?

Wendy's never took the pasta plunge with penne, but Burger King and McDonald's both offered pasta dishes in America, and KFC's Mac and Cheese Bites made it on the menu in the Philippines.

When in doubt, change the color! Which off-color item wasn't for sale?

Sonic never made a Blue Moon burger, but McDonald's amazingly did produce a green burger to promote Angry Birds while Taco Bell has its fiery red taco and Burger King Japan made a jet black burger bun.

Most restaurants have a specialty, but which item that goes against what the restaurant normally sells isn't real?

Subway hasn't dabbled in the fajita world, which is probably for the best. KFC did, however, make a hot dog with chicken as the bun, while McDonald's pizza wasn't all it was cracked up to be and Taco Bell's odd Sloppy Joe never really caught on.

Pizza Hut's international menu is the stuff of legends. Which bizarre pizza never really existed?

Pizza Hut never tried a huevos rancheros pizza, but its international menu has done some wacky stuff. In the Middle East, you could have little burgers in your crust, Australia got the hot dogs, and Hong Kong got fish and cream cheese.

Every fast food place tries seafood sometimes. Which of these fishy items isn't the real deal?

Burger King hasn't made a calamari and tofu burger ever. That said, Wendy's in Japan will offer you lobster and caviar while Dunkin Donuts in China adds some seaweed to their donuts and Taco Bell once dared to sell a seafood salad.

Not every burger has to have a beef patty inside. Which of these options isn't real?

No, Burger King did not make a sausage burger ever. McDonald's has dabbled in both pineapple and Nutella between the bun and Wendy's in Japan will give you some foie gras, if you're into that.

Poutine, which is fries with cheese curds and gravy, is a Canadian staple, but one of these chains doesn't actually sell it North of the border. Who is it?

Sonic does not sell poutine in Canada because Sonic does not exist in Canada. The other chains do and all offer poutine. So does KFC, for that matter.

Food mash-ups are super popular these days. Which one of these mash-ups never actually mashed up, though?

Sadly, you can't get an Oh Henry pie at McDonald's, but you can go to Australia for a Doritos crust pizza. Burger King did offer a Lucky Charms shake for a while and of course, Taco Bell made a Cheetos burrito.

Starbucks has a history of unusual frappuccinos. Which of these was too weird even for them?

Salted Caramel Egg Nog is not a flavor Starbucks has tried out yet, but the rest of them are legit. The cherry pie version even had a pie crust over the top. Don't ask what was in the unicorn one.

It's trendy to swap out the bread every now and then for something else. Which of these substitute items never happened?

McDonald's has never swapped lettuce for a bun. Burger King in Israel did use donuts however, and both Taco Bella and KFC have used fried chicken to hold other items.

McDonald's has had apple pies on their menu forever, but which of these pie flavors never hit their menu?

You won't find a grape pie at any McDonald's but they do have Apricot in Russia and corn in Japan, while sweet potato became a seasonal offering in the U.S. for a while.

Mexican food is always popular. Which fast food inspired by Mexican cuisine never actually made it to the public?

Wendy's Baconator does no exist in enchilada form. However, McDonald's in California briefly tried out a torta while both Burger King and KFC added burritos to their menu.

McDonald's has a history of naming burgers after athletes. Which of these stars was never immortalized for real on the menu?

There was never a McShaq produced at McDonald's, but they did honor other NBA stars including Rory Sparrow, Michael Jordan and number 33, Larry Bird.

Sometimes the toppings are what make or break your meal. Which one of these never topped an actual menu item?

No one is putting baked beans on a burger yet, but McDonald's did put mashed potatoes on one in China while KFC Brazil was topping sandwiches with creamed corn. Subway's Fritos Enchilada Melt was an American creation.

If onion rings are tasty, all rings are tasty, right? Which ring-shaped food isn't real?

McDonald's doesn't sell calamari rings but both Burger King and White Castle offer chicken in ring form, while KFC in Singapore has fish donuts on the menu.

Stuffed crust was a pizza innovation. But then stuffing got weird. Which of these stuffings never happened?

No one made a turkey breast stuffed crust pizza so far. Peanut sauce got on the menu in Taiwan, however, and Marmite made it in New Zealand. You had to go to Japan to try the shrimp at Pizza Hut.

Veggies are important in a balanced meal. Which veggie isn't on a burger at a major chain somewhere?

Near as we can tell, no one is selling a carrot burger. Pumpkin graces the Whopper in Japan, however. McDonald's in Singapore has the cucumber-topped Nasi Lemak burger, and in New Zealand, they have the Kiwiburger, topped with beetroot.

Seems like McDonald's can put an "Mc" on anything and sell it. Which one of these didn't they try for real?

No McPotato is waiting for you out there, though McDonald's obviously has fries and hash browns. The McSoup is actually Campbell's soup, McCrab was a sort of McLobster spin-off, and McRice is a staple in Middle Eastern McDonald's locations.

Burger King has renamed their fish sandwich a few times. Which one never existed?

The Big Sea Sandwich was never a name for Burger King's fish offering, but they do change the name a lot so you never know. It originally started as The Whaler to compete with the Filet-o-Fish.

Sometimes you have no idea what something is based on the confusing name. Which one of these vaguely named items never existed?

Taco Bell doesn't have a mega melt on the menu. Burger King did have a Yumbo, which was a ham and cheese sandwich and the Thome Triple at McDonald's was named for baseball player Jim Thome. The Cheezilla was a chicken sandwich on top of a breaded cheese patty all served on a bun.

Sometimes a restaurant will try to innovate how it serves drinks. Which one of these isn't the real deal?

There's no Twin Freeze cup out there, but KFC did have an edible coffee cup and McDonald's tried a cup that had an ice compartment to keep your tea cold. Meanwhile, a South Korean fried chicken chain invented the Col-Pop, which holds nuggets in a cup over your drink.

Taco Bell is always making something weird. Which one didn't they try out?

Of all the things Taco Bell ever stuffed into something else, Bugles never made the grade. All the rest were legit menu items, even the Pop Rocks.

A hot dog is an American classic, even though most big restaurants don't sell them. What chain has never sold a hot dog?

Taco Bell has never sold a hot dog, which is ironic because founder Glen Bell opened a hot dog stand before he began Taco Bell. McDonald's and Burger King both sold hot dogs and Subway in Japan even had a hot dog on their menu.

There's an art to naming a hamburger. Which one of these extreme burgers is a fraud?

Whataburger has never created a What What Burger, but they do have a Triple Meat Whataburger that looks like it might be hard to get through.

Sometimes you need to reinvent the French fry. Which fries were never invented in the first place?

There's no such thing as a KFC Double Dipped Crunch Fry and that's probably for the best. Taco Bell sells Fries Supreme in Canada, Garlic fries were tested in 2016 and so were Cheetos Chicken Fries.

Salty snacks and fast food go together like fast food and salty snacks. What kind of snack chip has never been on a burger?

Told Gold Pretzels have never been on a burger (probably) but Cheetos have, as have Fritos and even Pringles.

McDonald's McFlurry is pretty popular all over the world. What flavor have they yet to try for real?

There's no tangerine ginger in your McFlurry future, but the other flavors all exist. Even Bubblegum Squash is real, but it's worth noting that didn't mean squash the vegetable, it was referring to marshmallows.

Some fast foods seem to exist just to get attention. All of these broke the internet, except for one which never existed at all.

There's no Triple Crown out there but all the rest caught the attention of everyone on social media for being pretty extreme.

Chicken is usually served in its natural form, but not always. What chicken innovation isn't legit?

There's no chicken shingles out there, even though that sounds like a real thing. Rings, chips and fries exist alongside sandwiches and nuggets.

Everyone needs a vegan option on the menu. Which one of these meatless choices wasn't a true choice at all?

Wendy's didn't produce anything called a Veganator, but McDonald's does offer a McVegan while Red Robin also has a fully vegan burger. The Taco Bell Power Menu bowl is literally just beans and vegetables in a bowl unless you add meat or cheese.

Not every fast food place is good at dessert. Which one of these odd dessert ideas was too odd for reality?

KFC will not fry fudge, but all the rest of these questionable dessert options have been available at some time or other.

You need a drink with your meal. Which one of these drinks never hydrated anyone?

Taco Bell has no Lava Guava anything but all the other options have appeared on menus at some point in time.

It's always a popular option to sell a tiny version of something. Which mini menu item wasn't real?

Taco Bell has no tiny taco option but all the others have existed. The Son of Mac was also called Mini Mac and Baby Mac.

Lots of restaurants have kids' menus. Which menu item for little tykes wasn't real?

There's no Lil Beefy at Arby's but all the rest exist. Whether your kid will like them is another matter.

Secret menus are all the rage. What secret menu item is so secret it's not even real?

No such thing as a Burger King Beef Bonanza. Animal Style does exist at In-N-Out and features grilled onion, sauce, and cheese on your fries. The Land, Sea, and Ar burger has fish, beef and chicken involved and The Incredible Hulk is a five-layer burrito with guacamole instead of nacho cheese.

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