Why Isn't Steak On More Fast Food Menus?

Steak is a rare find on fast food menus (no pun intended), and given how much fast food customers love beef, this is a strange (if rarely noted) reality. In fact, there are several reasons steak isn't always a good fit in the fast food realm.

First and foremost, time is of the essence. Fast food joints thrive on speed and efficiency, and cooking the perfect medium-rare steak requires precision — at least more so than what's required to slap a traditional ground beef patty on a grill. Steak also has to be prepared to a customer's desired doneness, which can vary greatly from person to person. Consistency is a pillar of fast food, and nailing the right temperature and color for every order can be daunting.

Another hurdle is cost. Steak is a bit of a diva in the meat world; high-quality steak doesn't come cheap, and fast food is all about affordability. Chains must perform a delicate balancing act between offering a premium product and keeping prices low. This is why you often see burger patties made from ground beef, which is generally a lot more cost-effective compared to premium cuts of steak.

Despite industry-wide tribulations, a handful of fast food items have successfully incorporated steak, at least for a time. Subway's Steak and Cheese sub is one of these. The thinly sliced steak — an homage to a classic Philly cheesesteak — cooks quickly and can be prepared to uniform standards. McDonald's even reintroduced steak into its breakfast fare, including its beloved Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel, after putting it on a years-long hiatus.

In contrast, several steak-centric fast food items were eventually discontinued. Taco Bell's Steak Quesarito, while sorely missed by fans, was a short-lived option. Arby's introduced the Steak Fajita Flatbread in 2015, which, although marketed as a limited-time offer, may or may not have lasted long-term. The complexity of cooking steak to order might have caused strain on these fast-paced kitchens.

While steak may not appear regularly on most fast food menus, it's certainly not because people don't love it; the challenges of time, cost, and consistency have merely limited its presence. When executed well, however, steak is a delicious addition to the fast food landscape. It's all about balancing quality, speed, and cost to give customers the steak-filled experience they crave.