Introduction
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and fast-food restaurants have been providing us with convenient and delicious breakfast options for decades. Unfortunately, some of our favorite breakfast items have disappeared from the menus of these restaurants over the years. From the McRib Egg McMuffin to the Taco Bell Breakfast Crunchwrap, here are 11 fast-food breakfast items that have sadly disappeared.
11 Fast-Food Breakfast Items That Have Disappeared
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and fast-food restaurants have been offering up delicious breakfast items for years. Unfortunately, some of these beloved breakfast items have disappeared from menus over the years. Here are 11 fast-food breakfast items that have disappeared.
1. McDonald’s McSkillet Burrito
The McDonald’s McSkillet Burrito was a breakfast burrito filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and potatoes. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2013.
2. Burger King Croissan’wich
The Burger King Croissan’wich was a breakfast sandwich made with a croissant, sausage, egg, and cheese. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2013.
3. Taco Bell Waffle Taco
The Taco Bell Waffle Taco was a breakfast item made with a waffle wrapped around sausage, egg, and cheese. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2015.
4. McDonald’s Hotcakes and Sausage
McDonald’s Hotcakes and Sausage was a breakfast item made with hotcakes and sausage. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2015.
5. Burger King French Toast Sticks
Burger King French Toast Sticks were a breakfast item made with French toast sticks. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2015.
6. Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator
The Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator was a breakfast sandwich made with bacon, egg, and cheese. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2016.
7. McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal was a breakfast item made with oatmeal, dried fruit, and maple syrup. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2017.
8. Burger King Chicken Biscuit
The Burger King Chicken Biscuit was a breakfast sandwich made with a fried chicken patty and a biscuit. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2017.
9. Taco Bell Breakfast Crunchwrap
The Taco Bell Breakfast Crunchwrap was a breakfast item made with a crunchwrap filled with eggs, bacon, and cheese. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2018.
10. McDonald’s Egg White Delight McMuffin
The McDonald’s Egg White Delight McMuffin was a breakfast sandwich made with egg whites, Canadian bacon, and white cheddar cheese. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2018.
11. Burger King French Toast Sticks
Burger King French Toast Sticks were a breakfast item made with French toast sticks. It was a popular item on the menu, but it was eventually discontinued in 2019.
These are just a few of the fast-food breakfast items that have disappeared over the years. While some of these items may be gone, there are still plenty of delicious breakfast items to choose from at your favorite fast-food restaurants.
During the big menu purges of 2020, breakfast items frequently found themselves on the chopping block. With commuters working from home and children not attending school, drive-thru breakfast service at fast-food restaurants declined. Instead, many families turned to their own kitchens to whip up bowls of oatmeal or eggs any style.
And while some beloved items have since returned to menus, the following breakfast fast-food items are still missing in action (and likely won’t be making a comeback).
This just in: The Chick-fil-A bagel is history, according to a company announcement. The chain began testing a bagel-less breakfast as early as Jan. 2020, and it looks like the simplified menu paid off—the cut will roll out nationwide in the months ahead. Meanwhile, the chain confirmed that, contrary to popular belief, it never discontinued the Spicy Chicken Biscuit—a breakfast favorite for many.
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Chick-fil-A has announced several moves that will consolidate its menu. Alongside the bagel, the latest item to get the boot is decaf coffee. Last fall, the company upgraded its hot coffee with a specialty-grade custom blend made from coffee beans grown in Central and South America. While both regular and decaf options featured the new blend, the decaf option just didn’t seem to be popular enough.
Loyal McDonald’s fans know the chain went through quite a few menu changes last year. In order to streamline operations during the pandemic, McDonald’s discontinued several menu items and even stopped serving All-Day Breakfast (though you can still get it at some rogue locations). While bagels, the Bacon McDouble, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla ice cream cones all eventually found their way back to the menu, the yogurt parfait did not.
Taco Bell also underwent extensive menu cuts, and Mini Skillet Bowls seem to be a permanent casualty of those cuts. At least the chain brought back potatoes, so you can still get a Potato Taco or Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes.
Though this sweet-but-not-overwhelmingly-so bagel option left Panera’s menu last year, the chain has about a dozen other bagel options. If you like a sweet breakfast, you may want to give the Chocolate Chip or Cinnamon Swirl bagels a try instead.
Panera, in fact, ended up cutting several breakfast options once the pandemic hit. According to CNBC, the beloved Maple Bacon Scrambled Egg Wrap was one of the items that didn’t make the cut, and the Cheese Brittany was another.
Denny’s is known for its big menu, but even this chain had to streamline operations last fall. They ended up cutting several breakfast options, including the Sizzlin’ Supreme Skillet and Choconana Pancakes. Some of the cuts were only temporary, however, as you can currently get the two items at some Denny’s locations.
IHOP used to have a 12-page menu, which they replaced with a 2-page, disposable menu last year. The change “required a lot of reductions,” Brad Haley, IHOP’s chief marketing officer, told CNN Business. Naturally, some of the more complicated but less popular items found themselves on the chopping block. The cuts took place across several categories, including breakfast, where the Simple and Fit omelet was discontinued. The breakfast option was a favorite for those who wanted a light breakfast, but unfortunately, it isn’t likely to come back any time soon.
A breakfast sandwich we noticed missing from Starbucks’ menu since last year is the egg and cheese sandwich that featured chorizo instead of sausage. However, you can now get a similar creation with the regular sausage or a plant-based Impossible sausage patty.
Up until last year, oatmeal was a breakfast option on Burger King’s menu. And the company wasn’t just ringing up any ol’ oatmeal. It was serving Quaker oatmeal, which came in two flavors: Original or Fruit-Topped Maple. While there’s still a myriad of heftier breakfast options on the King’s menu, this one is missing.
Burger King also got rid of its sausage burrito. They still have a burrito option on the breakfast menu, and the Eggnormous Burrito has everything—eggs, cheese, hash browns, and bacon—but the sausage.
For more, check out 12 Discontinued Fast-Food Burgers You’ll Never See Again.
Mura Dominko