The Best And Worst Fast Food Items From 2024

2024 was a banner year for enticing new inventions in the fast food world. The biggest chains in the sector filled their menus with singular selections that capitalized on fan favorites or incorporated novel flavors that had never been attempted. Some of these items were limited editions poised for temporary enjoyment, while others joined the easy eating cast as a full-time member of the line-up. In every instance, they were presented by their restaurants as something desirable to consumers, an assumption that doesn't always pan out.

Even when unique fast-food offerings were received with open arms by a hungry public, they didn't always turn out to be the celebrated successes their proprietors had intended. You can only push the bounds of burgers and beverages so far, and ideas like replacing bread with pickle slices or making donuts out of pizza dough seemed destined for the dustbin or relegated to cult status. With the year coming to a close, it's a perfect time to review some of the most enticing fast food items of 2024 — both good and bad — and explore how they fared after hitting the market. We'll explain more about our methodology at the end, but for now here's the best and worst of what this year had to offer.

The tricky folks behind McDonald's Grandma McFlurry must have known what kind of ado this creamy creation would cause. Rather than trying to describe the flavor itself, the sugar-churning geniuses chose a name that represents a feeling, which stirs to life the idea of a flavor that could have turned out to be a whole list of things. That sentence alone demonstrates the intrigue arising from choosing such a name — all without even knowing what's in the cup itself. Score one for the promotional powers of clever fast-food monikers! When it was revealed that the flavor was actually butterscotch, a tribute to the beloved candies found in the bottoms of grandmotherly purses everywhere, McFlurry fans rejoiced.

What did eager patrons have to say about this new release that looked forward and backward at the same time? Mashed writer Mary K. Cahill lauded the new flavor in her Grandma McFlurry review, appreciating the chewable toffee bits on top in particular. She also called out McDonald's goodwill gesture of donating to the Friends of the Elderly organization in conjunction with the flavor's release. It's always sweet times when a fast-food novelty can make you feel good while doing a bit of good for the community too.

A Big Mac with crispy chicken where the two all-beef patties should be? What sort of culinary witchcraft is this? Apparently, it's a curse on the concept of the Big Mac, if customer reactions are anything to go by. What could have been a boon turned out to be a bane, thanks to the overly-ambitious notion that you can replace the quintessential components with something new and come up with a product that's equally loved. This time, the House of Clown fell flat on its red nose.

How was the new-yet-not-entirely-new sandwich received by customers when it showed up on menu boards across the country? Not as warmly as the company would've hoped. Mashed writer Sam Zwick gave the new double-stack the old McCollege try for his Chicken Big Mac review and found the flavor combination to be strange, noticing that the Big Mac design doesn't live up to its former glory with chicken in the mix instead of beef. A Reddit reviewer took the disappointment one step further, labeling the super-stack "gluttony in a box." Ouch.

Spring 2024 may go down in the annals of fast-food creativity as the season of the Dreamsicle Frosty. Wendy's skirted movie launches and trendy flavor combinations with this perky treat, opting instead for a touch of nostalgia that easily got customers' ears ringing with the remembered sound of ice cream truck bells. Rather than going for something wacky like a Grimace-flavored shake, Wendy's kept things realistic and colored within the lines for a pale orange delight that added sunshine to the season.

What wasn't there to love about this lighter-than-air flavor added to an already-loved fast-food dessert? The orange essence brightened up the vanilla of the soft serve, while the vanilla mellowed out the tangy of the orange, creating a perfect balance between the two base flavors. Having tried and reviewed the Dreamsicle Frosty myself, I was anticipating a heavy-handed pump of orange syrup that sat at the bottom of the cup, much like the fudge in a McDonald's sundae. Instead, there was a delicate touch applied for a pleasant mix that brought both tastes together in every mouthful. This is one limited edition that Wendy's should consider making an annual affair.

Anyone who grew up with SpongeBob SquarePants as one of their top pop culture icons — and the numbers are legion — surely found themselves at one time or another wondering what a real-life Krabby Patty would taste like. 2024 was the year Wendy's jumped on the bandwagon to bring a 3D dining experience to cartoon fans that coincided with the show's 25th anniversary. The burger was accompanied by a very special Frosty flavor, in which pineapple syrup shared the cup with Wendy's famous vanilla soft serve.

You might think an imaginative creation like this would set the fast food world on fire, even though it is based on a character who lives under the sea. Despite the joyful spirit in which the "kollab" was created, a Krabby Patty turned out to be just a Wendy's Single with a new sauce. And the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty added a juicy sluice that was difficult to get ahold of on the spoon, according to Mashed writer Matthew Spina's review. Other reviewers agreed that this fast-food pair-up was a swing and a miss. So maybe we haven't been missing anything by not knowing what a Krabby Patty would taste like in the real world after all.

There have been few occasions in the history of fast food when a new introduction of chicken nuggets has failed to cause a stir. Taco Bell throwing Crispy Chicken Nuggets into flight for 2024 falls in line with the long list of celebrated successes. With the Bell already using crispy chicken strips in its south-of-the-border offerings, it was bound to be a manageable manipulation to chop them into bite-size bits and toss them in a cup instead of wrapping them in a tortilla.

Would these nuggets make a compelling enough case to get Taco Bell eaters to forgo their favorite shelled selection and wrapped wonders? The tortilla chip-based breading encasing juicy white meat chicken served with Hidden Valley Fire Ranch and Jalapeño Honey Mustard dipping sauces turned out to be premium fare, according to Mashed reviewer Mary K. Cahill and her helpful cohort, Margaux St John. Their review of Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets confirmed they are a must-try for fast-food fans who think they know what chicken nuggets are all about.

Geometrically speaking, the Venn diagram overlap of doughnuts and pizza is pretty obvious; they're both circular foods that represent the pinnacle of enjoyment-based eating, and they're available at fast-food outlets pretty much everywhere. But that doesn't mean they should occupy the same space at the same time. The possibility of blasting a dough-based black hole in the fabric of low-cost dining is immense, a concept Domino's Giant Doughnuts failed to anticipate before rolling out the dough in its Australia locations for a pi-based pastry to pair with pizzas.

What could possibly go wrong with an enormous doughnut designed to accent your pizza order? Maybe the fact that the same low-rise dough used for the crust of your pie is used as the base for your pastry. While it's easy enough to doctor pizza dough to create a sweet treat, the result this time is arguably like eating an empty calzone shell slathered in icing. That may sound like a good time to anyone who doesn't know what doughnuts actually taste like. The flavor seemed decent enough, according to several TikTok reviews. The greater issue here according to those who tried it was the size; it was impossible to eat a whole doughnut without encountering sweetness overload. Maybe Domino's should stick with its more sensibly-sized Cinnamon Bread Twists to use up extra dough.

Dr Pepper is pretty lowkey with its flavor reinventions, keeping the specialty syrups light and tight over the years. But something switched over at Sonic with the appearance of something called Sparkling Sugar Cookie Dr Pepper. It sounds like a seasonal shift toward a vanilla-heavy cream soda swirl, soaking that fantastic Sonic pebble ice — like syrup over a cup of Christmas snow.

What does a sugar cookie-flavored version of Dr Pepper end up tasting like? Like a disposable tumbler filled with holiday cheer, as it turns out! Sweet cream and caramel syrup partner with the cherry profile of the Dr Pepper, creating an intriguing cookie-like mélange that Mashed writer Sam Zwick called out in his Sonic 2024 Winter Menu review. YouTuber The Soda Jerk also commented in his review that the vanilla-and-cream sugar cookie component outshines the Dr Pepper base, but the overall impression of a real sugar cookie makes for a tasty sip. Sonic has come up with a fun addition to the 2024 advent calendar of holiday flavors that doesn't dip into the spice cabinet or depend on peppermint to recreate the seasonal spirit.

You would think slapping the words "million dollar" on a bagged burger would attract gold-plated attention from anyone sliding through the drive-thru in search of something new to wrap their taste buds around. Burger King went for the big prize with three Million Dollar Whoppers, the result of a million-dollar contest prompting fans to come up with their own unique Whopper combinations.

A mixed reception was waiting for these gold-generating patty stacks. With its queso sauce and tortilla chip toppers, Mexican Street Corn Whopper drew praise on Reddit and The Impulsive Buy, both of which also downplayed the enjoyability factor found in the Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper. Joe is Hungry also lauded the concept of the Mexican Street Corn Whopper while lamenting that his was just shy of being hot enough (not the sandwich's fault, obviously). The Impulsive Buy was also generous regarding the Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper, which nosed ahead of the other two Whoppers thanks to the sugary goodness of its sauce. And Tony Cu took to Instagram to try all three, declaring Mexican Street Corn to be a Taco Bell-Burger King hybrid, Maple Bourbon BBQ to be a bit too sweet, and Fried Pickle Ranch to be "pickley" — no surprises there. With three sandwiches to rank, there were bound to be winners and losers and this one might just come down to personal taste preference. 

If a palm-sized cookie is a gift to the dessert lover, imagine how much more of a boon having a footlong cookie would be, especially around the season of sweetness? Subway added a Holiday Footlong Cookie to its ongoing Footlong snack array, a fudge brownie-looking near-yardstick of chocolatey bliss, adorned with glittering candy cane sprinkles and extra chocolate chips just to make the situation more indulgent. It's a real stocking stuffer of a dessert that treat fans would be thrilled to find in their own goodie bag on the big day.

Whether it's something to share among fellow fast-food revelers or a super-sized stocking stuffer to indulge in alone, this extended confection provides bite after bite of chewy-gooey enjoyment. Anyone who's tried the Footlong snack selections knows that Subway heats them up before serving, which means you're bound to get a gooey cookie straight out of the oven no matter when you order it. TikTok reviewer Morgan Chomps explains that the texture is soft and chewy without being underbaked, giving the impression of a brownie more than a traditional cookie, though she notes that a little more peppermint extract would be welcome to kick up the cool factor. It's something for Subway to think about for next year.

In what world does a soda-flavored gelato sound like a solid idea? Not in the world of 2024 fast-food fun, according to consumers who took it for a test scoop. Taco Bell presented Baja Blast Gelato, a dessert flavored with the Windex-blue tropical sweetness of its exclusive Mountain Dew formulation. It was part of the 20th anniversary of Baja Blast being added to Taco Bell's menu as a custom-crafted carbonated flavor, but it was a celebration that had a chilly reception.

There wasn't quite as much excitement as there was hype for this so-called special item. The thought of it alone is enough to shut down the enjoyment centers in the brains of even the most daring diners. Gelato is supposed to be creamy and soothing, but the thought of a tangy soda syrup used as a flavor base brings to mind licking a battery. Reddit users called out the too-icy texture and the lack of bold flavor that fans of Baja Blast are used to finding. With online reviews dubbing it mid at best, it turned out to be a Taco Bell item best left off the menu. Lesson learned.

Some clever creative in the Jimmy John's test kitchen picked up on a new way to entice bread deniers who'd love to rock a sub sandwich loaded with all the interior goodies. What else can explain the company's introduction of the Picklewich, a homespun food fad that sounds like something a hungry college student came up with while avoiding finals. And yet, born out of this fast-food fantasia was a breadless champ that turned the familiar sandwich blueprint inside-out.

The middle of the Picklewich was a copycat of the chain's Vito sandwich, a combination of Italian ham and salami with a familiar pile-on of veggies and dressings. There was also a turkey version for poultry lovers to enjoy, with both sandwiches being available for little more than two weeks. TikToker Jessica Kent was encouraged by her audiences to take a bite of the tangy novelty and ended up dazzled by the bright flavor, while fellow TikTok food reviewer Grace Mary Williams paired her Picklewich with Jimmy John's limited edition Dill Pickle Potato Chips for a double-dose of tongue-twisting zing. This inspired bite was gone by mid-November, but it was loved while it lasted.

If a name can indicate the quality and predict the performance of a fast-food novelty, then the Chizza from KFC was destined for failure the minute it hit the marketing department. The concept may have sounded like a tasty add to the 2024 carousel, but this odd launch sputtered out without reaching the stratosphere of savory stuff to try at the Colonel's House. But instead of adding its famous fried chicken as a pizza topping, KFC flipped the script and topped pieces of chicken with pepperoni, sauce, and cheese. What ended up in the box looked like a homemade Frankenfood created by middle-schoolers making the most of leftovers.

Despite KFC thinking it had come up with a sure-fire winner, the Chizza laid an egg for the most part. It's really just a mix of two classic Italian dishes, chicken parmesan and chicken pizzaiola. So how does a legacy fast food establishment get customers onboard with such a sharp left turn on the menu? Considering that the YUM Corporation runs Pizza Hut as well as KFC, it could have been a matter of cross-promoting the two outlets merging in a single crafty creation. But KFC's customer base doesn't show up at the counter for Italian dining, and pizza-topped chicken may have been a step too far. With customer complaints that the flavor missed the mark and that it would have made a better sandwich, the Chizza flying the coop is probably for the best.

With the deep catalog of new fast-food items hitting the market in 2024, there was a rich selection to choose from when creating the list. I started by checking into releases that Mashed has reviewed throughout the year; using the existing brain trust of well-researched opinions seemed like a solid place to begin. I looked for a balance of good and bad to pull back the curtain on which success and failures had shown up on the radar. To flesh out the selection, I dug deeper into items I had heard about through the year, some of which had piqued my curiosity and some that had made late-year debuts as holiday menu options.

To add a more well-rounded overall opinion of what qualified as worst and best, I consulted online reviews of the chosen items to see if there was a general consensus for each. Once I had clarity, I compiled my list of the best and worst fast food items for 2024, a noteworthy mix of things worth trying once, things worth trying again, and things worth forgetting as quickly as possible.