Fast Food Test Kitchens: 10 Menu Items That Never Made It Past the Trial Run

Fast food test kitchens are where chains figure out whether a new menu idea can survive real customers, busy drive-thrus, and tight food costs. The National Restaurant Association’s 2026 culinary forecast says comfort, nostalgia, health, and value are shaping restaurant menus, which helps explain why not every flashy trial item makes it nationwide.

McDonald’s Hula Burger

The Hula Burger is one of the great early fast food what-ifs. Ray Kroc pushed the meatless sandwich as a Lent-friendly option, with a grilled pineapple slice and cheese on a bun. It was tested against Lou Groen’s Filet-O-Fish, which McDonald’s says began with Groen’s Cincinnati-area need for a Friday option customers would actually buy. The fish sandwich won; the pineapple burger became a punchline.

McDonald’s Onion Nuggets

Before Chicken McNuggets became a fast food staple, McDonald’s played with Onion Nuggets. The company says former executive chef Rene Arend was testing Onion Nuggets in the 1970s when the work helped lead toward Chicken McNuggets. The idea was not terrible: bite-sized fried onions sound like a cousin of onion rings. The problem is that customers already understood fries, burgers, and later chicken. Onion Nuggets never found that same everyday purpose, though Reddit users still occasionally say they wish they could try them.

McDonald’s McPizza

McPizza was not a tiny experiment. McDonald’s tested pizza through the late 1980s and early 1990s, and some reports say the test eventually reached hundreds of locations. The problem was speed. Pizza could take around 10 minutes or more, which clashed with a restaurant built around fast burgers and fries. Older customers may remember seeing it on the menu, but it never became the national fixture McDonald’s wanted. A cheap pizza sounds practical, but not if it gums up the whole kitchen.

McDonald’s McPlant

The McPlant had modern hype behind it, but the U.S. test still fizzled. McDonald’s expanded the Beyond Meat burger test to about 600 restaurants in the San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth areas in 2022 to measure demand. Later that year, the U.S. test ended “as planned”, with industry reports pointing to weak sales speculation. It may have worked better in some international markets, but in the U.S., many customers apparently did not go to McDonald’s looking for a plant-based burger.

McDonald’s Gilroy Garlic Fries

Garlic fries sounded like a smart local upgrade, especially in California. McDonald’s first tested Gilroy Garlic Fries at four South Bay locations in 2016, using garlic from Christopher Ranch, then expanded the item to nearly 240 Greater Bay Area restaurants. The fries got attention because they felt regional and more restaurant-like than regular fries. But they also added prep steps, stronger flavor, and a messier eating experience. They never became a permanent national side.

McDonald’s Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries were another attempt to make McDonald’s sides feel a little more current. In 2015, the chain tested them in about 18 Create Your Taste restaurants in the Amarillo, Texas, area, with an average price of $2.49 for one size. They fit the era’s interest in “better-for-you” swaps, but they also competed with one of the most famous fries in America. That is a tough assignment. For many customers, if they are already at McDonald’s, the classic fries are the value play.

Wendy’s Spicy Black Bean Burger

Wendy’s has tested veggie burgers more than once, but the Spicy Black Bean Burger never turned into a permanent national answer. In 2021, Wendy’s announced the sandwich for Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; and Pittsburgh, pricing it at $5.79 in test markets. The chain promoted it as flavorful, fresh, and not another fake-meat patty. That was smart, but still tricky. A black bean burger has to win over vegetarians without slowing down a burger chain built around beef. The broader rollout never arrived.

Chick-fil-A Cauliflower Sandwich

Chick-fil-A’s Cauliflower Sandwich was one of the more interesting recent tests because it looked so much like the original chicken sandwich. The chain tested it in Denver, Charleston, South Carolina, and North Carolina’s Greensboro-Triad region for a limited time through May 20, 2023. It was breaded, pressure-cooked, and served with pickles on a bun. The downside was obvious for budget-conscious diners: cauliflower can feel like a hard sell if it costs close to a chicken sandwich but does not satisfy the same craving.

Taco Bell Kit Kat Chocoladilla

Taco Bell has always been willing to turn a tortilla into almost anything, and the Kit Kat Chocoladilla proves it. The chain tested the dessert item in select Wisconsin restaurants in 2017, folding melted chocolate and Kit Kat pieces inside a grilled tortilla. At $1, it had the right fast food price, but the idea was more curiosity than habit. Reddit users still bring it up as one of those odd Taco Bell tests they remember but never got to try. It was fun, cheap, and probably too gimmicky to last.

KFC Beyond Fried Chicken

KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken had one of the splashiest tests on this list. The first Atlanta test sold out in less than five hours in 2019, and KFC later tested it in markets including Nashville, Charlotte, and Southern California. It even received a nationwide limited-time run in 2022, but that was not the same as becoming a permanent menu staple. Some customers liked the familiar KFC breading, while others complained about texture or price.