McDonald’s brings back the Fried Apple Pie fans never forgot
McDonald’s is bringing back the fan-favorite Fried Apple Pie. See if it still tastes just like USA TODAY’s Mike Snider remembers.
Fast-food chains are looking to the past for their latest big menu makeover.
Music and clothing from past decades have resurfaced, so why not food? In mid-July, Pizza Hut introduced the Throwback Value Menu with special menu items and prices, along with vintage Hut Originals clothing adorned with iconography from decades ago.
Now, Buffalo Wild Wings and Taco Bell have launched their own throwback menus. Buffalo Wild Wings has brought back some early 2000s menu items including Mini Corn Dogs and Hot BBQ Sauce, available starting Wednesday, Aug. 19.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, Taco Bell debuts its third Decades Menu, this one inspired by the chain’s 2016 menu, with returning items including the Naked Chicken Chalupa and Beefy Crunch Burrito.
Taking a trip down the menu memory lane isn’t new in fast food. McDonald’s regularly brings back its McRib sandwich, which became available nationally in 1982 and was on the menu until it was removed as a permanent item in 2005.
More recently, McDonald’s brought back its Fried Apple Pie, which in 1992 was discontinued and replaced with a healthier baked version. More than one in 10 U.S. households (11.7%) have tried the Fried Apple Pie, a success rate approaching the 14% that tried McCrispy Strips over a comparable period following launch, according to analytics firm Numerator.
You don’t have to have noshed on nostalgic menu items to enjoy their return, said Gretchen Hill, a restaurant industry analyst with Numerator. For instance, one-third of Gen Z consumers connect with classic menu items, she said.
“Nostalgia resonates with millennials and Gen Z, even when they didn’t experience the original era firsthand,” Hill said. “For restaurants, bringing back a familiar favorite can spark conversation and give longtime fans and younger consumers a compelling reason to visit, helping drive trial, traffic and sales.”
Buffalo Wild Wings’ Throwback Menu
Buffalo Wild Wings’ limited-time menu, which reconnects with the early 2000s, became available Aug. 19 at participating sports bar restaurants and Buffalo Wild Wings Go locations nationwide. Here’s a breakdown (prices vary by location):
- Buffalo Chips: Fried, thick-cut, crispy potato slices.
- Mini Corn Dogs: Bite-sized hot dogs wrapped in a crispy cornmeal batter.
- Beef on Weck Sliders: Tender shaved sirloin topped with creamy horseradish aioli on a caraway-seeded kaiser bun, served with savory au jus for dipping.
- Garlic Mushrooms: Crispy, fried lightly breaded garlic mushrooms, served with zesty Southwestern Ranch.
- Hot BBQ Sauce: A bold twist on classic BBQ, blending smoky sweetness with a kick of spicy heat.
- Buffalo Zoo Cocktail: Made with Bacardi, Grey Goose, Jim Beam, peach schnapps, grenadine, pineapple juice and orange juice.
Buffalo Wild Wings has also collaborated with apparel brand Von Dutch on a limited-edition “Von Dubs” collection, which includes a limited-edition Von Dubs trucker hat, a hoodie, baby tee and classic tee, becoming available Sept. 21, on the Von Dutch website.
“With early 2000s culture making a comeback, this felt like the perfect time to revisit some of the menu items that helped define Buffalo Wild Wings for a generation,” said Scott Nelson, chief marketing officer at Buffalo Wild Wings, in a news release. “From the Throwback Menu to our Von Dubs collection, we’re giving guests new ways to reconnect with why they fell in love with B-Dubs in the first place.”
Taco Bell’s 2016 nostalgia menu
The Mexican-inspired fast-food chain’s Decades #TBTB menu, available at participating locations for a limited time while supplies last, has four returning 2016 menu items:
- Naked Chicken Chalupa ($5.99): A crispy chicken shell, made with marinated all-white-meat chicken filled with cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes and creamy Avocado Ranch Sauce. (Also available in the $9 Discovery Luxe Box, with a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, Crunchy Taco, Chips & Nacho Cheese sauce and a Medium Fountain Drink.)
- Meximelt ($2.99): Seasoned beef, pico de gallo and a warm three-cheese blend wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.
- Beefy Crunch Burrito ($2.79): Made with seasoned beef, Flamin’ Hot Fritos, seasoned rice, reduced-fat sour cream and nacho cheese sauce.
- Caramel Apple Empanada ($2.99): Warm apple pieces and caramel inside a golden crispy pastry.
“Whether you remember 2016 or another era of Taco Bell, the Decades Menu is about reconnecting with the flavor and feelings that fans loved the first time around, while giving a new generation the chance to discover it for themselves,” said Luis Restrepo, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell North America, in a news release.
Starting Aug. 25, check the Taco Bell mobile app to play a scavenger hunt game to unlock exclusive offers over a three-week period, with a new offer each week. Also beginning Aug. 25, Taco Bell Rewards members can try to snag Tuesday Drop merch from collaborations with streetwear brand Anti-Social Social Club and screen-free digital camera brand Camp Snap.
White Castle’s bag of 10 sliders
White Castle is going way back with its 10 Original Sliders for $8.99 deal available now through Aug. 23 at participating locations nationwide for dine-in, drive-thru or mobile order.
“White Castle has always believed hard working families everywhere deserve hot, tasty and affordable food,” said Jamie Richardson, chief marketing officer at White Castle, in a statement. “The 10 Sack of Original Sliders for $8.99 is a vivid example of that commitment – as relevant today as when we opened our first restaurant 105 years ago.”
Members of the Craver Nation Rewards loyalty program can also get members get two free soft drinks when they purchase a 10-sack. Other member deals (good through the month) include buy one, get one Cheese Sliders, $2 off any combo, BOGO Dessert-on-a-Stick and a late-night Chicken Rings deal.
Pizza Hut’s Throwback Value Menu
The pizza chain kicked off its Throwback Value Menu on July 14. Available for a limited time nationwide, the menu includes a $10 medium one-topping stuffed crust pizza, a $3 one-topping Personal Pan Pizza, $4 breadsticks, $4 cinnamon sticks and a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi for $3.
Resurrected menu items can attract customers old and new, says David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University.
“Throwback promotions can be an effective way to stimulate restaurant traffic and sales, particularly at a time when many consumers are more careful about spending money away from home,” he said. “A familiar discontinued item can trigger an emotional connection for people who remember it. And it also gives younger customers something novel to try and share. That dual appeal is partly why chains keep returning to the tactic.”
The limited-time availability is important, Ortega said. “It creates urgency. Customers know the item may not be available later, so it gives them a reason to make a visit now rather than put it off.”
The nostalgia factor of throwback menus can also imply the customer is getting a deal, too. “Pizza Hut’s version is explicitly called a ‘Throwback Value Menu’,” he said. “Framing a discount as a celebration lets a brand compete on price without repositioning itself as a ‘discounter’.”
However, restaurant chains must deftly lean into throwback menus. “One potential risk I’ll note is saturation,” Ortega said. “When several major chains announce throwback menus around the same time, nostalgia stops functioning as a differentiator.”
Contributing: Gabe Hauari
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.