The Discontinued Wendy's Pita Meal From The 90s We'll Never See Again

The '90s were weird and wonderful years when it came to fast food. Just consider the many forgotten McDonald's menu items from the 1990s, including the Beef Wennington and Coke floats. Fast food rival Wendy's also featured some innovative offerings on its menu, including a selection of Fresh Stuffed Pitas. Pitas made their grand debut at Wendy's in 1997 but only stuck around for three short years.

According to a commercial, Wendy's customers could choose from veggie, classic Greek, garden ranch chicken, and chicken Caesar pitas. Despite their relatively short run, these pitas made a sizable impression on fast food fans. One person was even compelled to launch a Change.org petition in 2018 urging the chain to bring them back. Commenters on YouTube were similarly passionate about the discontinued pitas, with one stating, "This was my absolute favorite menu item. PLEASE bring them back!!!!" Sadly, these pitas will probably never return.

Most restaurants aren't very forthcoming when it comes to discontinued items, and Wendy's is no exception. It doesn't appear that the chain has ever addressed the removal of its Fresh Stuffed Pitas directly, which has led to some speculation. Some claim that the ease of making pita sandwiches at home had something to do with their demise. This is a reasonable hypothesis, but it's not backed up by anything concrete.

The most likely reason Wendy's pulled the pitas from its menu is poor sales, which leads to the loss of many menu items at numerous fast food chains. While people are pretty vocal about their love of Wendy's pitas, that doesn't mean the meal was a big seller when it was available. The labor intensity of making the sandwiches might have also been a problem. Turning these pitas out was surely more involved than constructing burgers, such as Wendy's perfectly pleasing Pretzel Baconator. These factors may have combined to cause the Fresh Stuffed Pitas to disappear from menus.

Not all lost fast food items are gone forever. For instance, a discontinued Wendy's sandwich can still be found on the chain's secret menu, much to the delight of customers. As for Wendy's pitas, it's not entirely clear whether they'll return to the restaurant one day. The chain's spring menu does include a Grilled Chicken Wrap that is close to the Fresh Stuffed Pita in spirit. However, this offering lacks the fluffy pita that made the original sandwich so appealing. As stated by a wistful commenter on YouTube, "That bread was like a warm cloud."

It's worth noting that Wendy's pitas were perceived as a healthy alternative to other fare thanks to the abundance of vegetables that came with the sandwich. In a study cited by Consumer Reports, most study participants chose meals with "poor nutritional quality" when visiting restaurants, which means that healthy options may not be as attractive as standard offerings. This customer preference could pose a major roadblock to the pita's return, as Wendy's is unlikely to invest in a sandwich that won't prove profitable.