10 Discontinued Chain Restaurant Appetizers Fans Desperately Want Back

For fans of dining out, a close second to finding out their favorite restaurant shut down could likely include learning that their favorite appetizer had been discontinued. Unfortunately for chain restaurant frequenters, this happens more often than diners would like after those first bites have left their lasting impressions — sometimes carrying on for years after the final taste. Often, appetizers that had been given considerable ado upon premiering in kitchens across the country simply vanish from locations leaving naught but a lingering whisper of the flavor like a phantom limb kicking at your tastebud's memory.

What's more, whether the move to remove an appetizer is brought on by efforts to streamline the menu, declining popularity, or after it has simply run its course to be replaced by something new, desperate fans have little recourse but to continue petitioning for their favored dish to be restored. As it happens, receptive restaurant chains often make note of their customers' wishes, but little else as witnessed in the examples that follow.

On a Tuesday in March 2017, a diner may have found themselves struck with a Taco Tuesday problem deciding between celebrating the unofficial weekly holiday or electing to visit their neighborhood Applebee's. In response to one such quandary, the nationwide chain had posed a question in response, "Or our NEW BBQ Brisket Tacos? Best of both worlds." Indeed, fans of the "Eatin' Good" brand readily gravitated toward the appetizer at a time when it had gone all-in on brisket topped items that included a burger, nachos, and the wildly popular tacos.

Built in a flour tortilla, customers enjoyed shredded beef barbacoa with a Memphis BBQ sauce in the same bite with pico de gallo, cheddar cheeses, crispy onions, and a bit of Mexi-ranch sauce. As enamored as Applebee's eaters were with the appetizer, within a few short years locations had already begun to phase it off menus. That didn't stop fans from checking in every so often to prod the company into considering bringing it back, leaving Applebee's agreeing to at least keep its food and beverage team aware of the lasting interest for the discontinued appetizer.

Tried and true offerings like rolls or breadsticks can certainly motivate repeat customers, like at Texas Roadhouse or Olive Garden. But, some restaurants have catered to a different carb crowd with complimentary biscuits. For a time, Ruby Tuesday locations were like Cracker Barrel and Red Lobster, offering up their own iteration of the baked good with a garlic and cheddar flavor. Unfortunately for diners who'd grown accustomed to the meal warmup from the aughts and through much of the teens, beloved or not, there wasn't a permanent place in Ruby Tuesday's plans to keep the biscuits around.

Not only did customers complain throughout 2017 as word got around that the fate of the biscuits had been sealed before the chance for a proper goodbye, many still longed for their return, suggesting they had been "Devastated!" when restaurants stopped providing them. Such remarks have often been met with the same response from Ruby Tuesday as, while the company didn't rule out a return for biscuits, for the time being they remained discontinued because of "inconsistent" quality.

It may be true that it's impossible to please everyone, but it's also true that Longhorn Steakhouse went back-to-back in upsetting its customers when it ultimately decided to pull a popular appetizer that had replaced another fan favorite. 2018 had marked the end of corn fritters on the menu for the Orlando, Florida-headquartered chain that had been founded in Atlanta, Georgia. However, even as the steakhouse manages to keeps its steaks cheap, the hope of placating those disappointed by the change — with the premiere of fried pickles – was itself short-lived.

The popular alternative to French fries or chips, typically served throughout the South with a ranch-style dipping sauce or some creamy alternative, had debuted on Longhorn Steakhouse menus as corn fritters were removed. Only three years later, customers couldn't comprehend why they'd been taken off the menu as the company had no updates on when, if ever, the item would return to the appetizer lineup beside firecracker chicken wraps, Texas brisket queso, and seasoned steakhouse wings.

In addition to country music and callouts for a Texas-sized yeehaw to celebrate someone's birthday, there was a time that entering a Texas Roadhouse brought with it the satisfying crunch of peanut shells with every step from the front door to your table. Though one may readily assume that concerns over widespread peanut allergies may have been to blame for the once prominent buckets of peanuts facing eviction as fixtures for diners, a much more prominent pandemic was at fault.

Just prior to the expression "15 days to slow the spread" becoming known nationwide, the dawn of the era of social distancing found Texas Roadhouse explaining to customers that sharing with strangers was no longer the norm. Though already individually wrapped in their own shells, the company decided to nix the buckets and instead provide bags of peanuts upon request. As it happened, being out of sight also appeared to make the peanuts out of mind as, like a slew of secret menu items loved by fans and employees, many customers remain unaware that Texas Roadhouse still offers the complimentary appetizer as they indulge solely on the buttery rolls, instead.

Known for pulling double-duty at some establishments as both an appetizer and an entrée thanks to its shareable nature, there once was a time when those looking for an Australian-themed night out could also enjoy some quesadillas. When these sizzling beauties had been available, diners at Outback Steakhouse had their choice between the Steakhouse and the Alice Springs iterations in what amounted to a choice between steak and chicken. Trouble came for fans of these combinations of meat and melted cheese when the restaurant chain saw fit to simplify its menu, topping the charts with the most appetizer options, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to one customer inquiry about the fate of the quesadillas, Outback had made note of the decision to discontinue the appetizer while reminding its regulars that the base flavors could still be enjoyed by ordering the Alice Springs Chicken entrée. That had proven an unsatisfactory response and, though the steakhouse chain had not reversed its decision to discontinue the item, it did publish a video on social media instructing fans in need of a fix on how to assemble their own Alice Springs quesadilla by ordering the meal to go with a side of mushrooms. Then, all one needed to do was add bacon and cheese — as well as a tortilla — and evenly distribute the ingredients before folding the quarters and grilling to the desired doneness.

Along with complimentary appetizers, diners often express their favor for complementary items like the renowned combination of surf and turf. So it was that, for a time, the menu at Saltgrass Steakhouse restaurants found many a satisfied guest by offering a bowl of Seafood Fondeaux with some crusty garlic bread for dipping. Introduced in 2017, this appetizer incorporated sautéed crawfish tails and shrimp with mushrooms, spinach, and onions into a roux built with white wine and sherry that was then topped with cheese melted to a golden brown in the oven.

Fans of the Landry's, Inc.-owned chain readily enjoyed the often skillet-served appetizer ahead of a steak entrée or other seafood dish for a few years before it began to appear at fewer locations. By 2022, advertisements made note that the Seafood Fondeaux could only be found at select restaurants before it was pulled altogether. Now those seeking to find out how seafood and cheese are meant to be together before their meal were left pairing the shrimp cocktail with either cheese fries or the queso fresco.

A staple of bars, pubs, taverns, and restaurants, be they boneless or bone-in, diners delight in ordering chicken wings. What often sets one wing apart from another is the sauce slathered on or served beside the bite-sized finger food for dipping. As it happens, years after tantalizing tastebuds with some Asian flavors, fans are still squawking about how they long for another serving of Chili's Shanghai wings.

This appetizer relied on a citrus and ginger glaze for the wings themselves that featured garlic and soy sauce as well as some red pepper flakes. Further balancing the sweet with some heat, the combination of buttermilk ranch, horseradish, and wasabi made for a dip with a kick. The wings had such an impact on fans that even after having not tasted them for roughly 20 years, they continue to reach out to Chili's in hopes that a comeback could be in store for the discontinued flavor. After all, it happened for the Awesome Blossom.

Before Red Lobster faced a fiasco with endless shrimp that found it on the list of chains that filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and later rebranding the promotion as "SpendLESS Shrimp," the popular nationwide seafood haunt had guests and employees alike showing their support for shrimp nachos. Considered by one fan to be "peak" Red Lobster, this appetizer was exactly what you'd expect from its name.

A plate of hot tortilla chips were topped with a melted cheese sauce before a smattering of pico de gallo was distributed over the combination. Then the shrimp, boiled with Old Bay seasoning, were spread atop the pile before some chopped cilantro was sprinkled over everything. Optional additions included dollops of sour cream and slices of jalapeño peppers. While once it may have looked unlikely that fans could see a return of the appetizer a decade after it was taken off menus, fanfare and Red Lobster's efforts to rebound from bankruptcy likely increased the odds of popular opinion having an impact on future promotions.

For about three years, fans of Olive Garden found themselves growing acquainted with the Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta after its launch in 2013. Combining cups worth of the namesake cheese with an equal portion of provolone, as well as a comparable hint of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, the lot was baked together with sour cream, thyme, cayenne pepper, and red pepper before being garnished with parsley and tomatoes.

The gooey concoction, that satisfied palettes until 2016, came with toasted bread to convey heaping helpings of the Fonduta to the mouths of happy customers. That same year, the smoked mozzarella variety was sidelined as the Five Italian Cheese Fonduta took the appetizer menu stage, only to also get nixed from restaurants before the decade was out when bowls of melted cheese were no longer featured. Even with a successor, the original continued to hold a special place in the stomachs of fans, leaving Olive Garden's social media team passing along the message that the hopeful may one day be reunited with these decadent appetizers.

Bubbling helpings of hot, melted cheese weren't the only appetizers that Olive Garden pulled from its menu, as the risk for burns was precisely why many believed stuffed mushrooms had gone the way of the dinosaur. Specifically, in 2019, a Texas woman had filed suit after she claimed to believe she faced an imminent death during a 2017 dining experience where a piece of the appetizer had become lodged in the back of her throat. In seeking damages anywhere between $200,000 and $1 million, Danny Howard had contended that the restaurant had not properly conveyed to her how dangerously hot the mushrooms were.

While many speculated that the suit had led to Olive Garden's decision to remove the stuffed mushrooms from the menu, the timing of the legal case more directly coincided with a purported change in recipe not long before COVID-19. Worldwide lockdowns made the matter moot as the restaurant, like others, shifted focus to limiting the offerings until businesses could reopen as usual.