Taco Bell's Naked Chicken Chalupa Plus 4 More Times Fast Food Went Too Far

With so many fast food restaurants out there to choose from, each chain is constantly finding ways to stay relevant and make headlines. An easy way to do this is by crafting a food item so crazy, it might just work … or not, but still get people talking about the restaurant. Call it weird food capitalism. Here are some of the most memorable attempts that pushed the boundaries of fast food, and in some cases, perhaps pushed them a little too far.

Taco Bell’s Naked Chicken Chalupa

It’s a taco. With breaded chicken instead of a taco shell. Taco Bell is no stranger to weird food stunts, and the Naked Chicken Chalupa is one of the taco chain’s most recent concoctions. Some loved it, some hated it, but everyone was talking about it — until Taco Bell took it off its menu after a limited run. Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone, right?

KFC’s Double Down

Looking back, KFC’s Double Down looks a little tame in comparison to what has come in its wake. But back in the halcyon days of 2010, the Double Down — a twist on the chicken sandwich that replaces the buns with fried chicken patties — was big news. It was popular enough to become an intermittent staple on the KFC menu.

Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco

Honestly, you could make a whole list of weird fast foods exclusively with Taco Bell products, but that would almost be too easy. Higher up on the list, however, is their Doritos Locos Taco, which augments the power of a taco with a shell made of Doritos. Simple (and a little off-putting) in concept, yet surprisingly popular in practice, the Locos Taco survives to this day, painting the fingers of diners orange wherever they may be.

Burger King’s Halloween Burger

There are tons of brands that take inspiration from the holidays to tweak their products. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should, though. Take, for example, Burger King, which decided to promote a special burger during Halloween in 2015. The twist? A pitch-black bun on an otherwise ordinary Whopper that makes the sandwich look unnatural, and to be frank, uneatable.

Boston Pizza’s Pizza Cake

The pizza cake, the brainchild of Canadian restaurant Boston Pizza, is a case of food that’s gone too far … but in the best way possible. While the pizza cake, a multilayer pizza monstrosity, was never officially released, it inspired many recipes and ill-fated attempts. Will we ever see the pizza cake on a fast food menu? Here’s to dreaming.