Italian cuisine is known and cherished by people around the world, so it is only logical that fast food and restaurant chains alike attempt to capitalize on its popularity for financial gain. While some re-creations are better than others, here are five of the worst examples of “Italian” food in the quick service and fast casual industries:
1. McSpaghetti from McDonald’s
The McSpaghetti was introduced by McDonalds in the early 1970s, featuring pasta, marinara sauce, meatballs, and a cheese topping. Although the dish was not popular from the get-go and was largely discontinued just years later, it is still sold among locations in the Phillippines and even at a US location in Orlando, Florida. It was a bold attempt for Mickey D’s to expand into a new category, but it is safe to say that the fast food juggernaut should stick to burgers and fries.
2. Mozzarella Sticks from Burger King
I rarely find myself disliking Italian cheese, but trying this take on an Italian-American appetizer at Burger King was a mistake, to say the least. Not only was the cheese in the mozzarella sticks hard and lacking taste, but the breading was less than appetizing as well. Even the accompanying marinara sauce tasted odd, making for a low-quality experience.
This isn’t the first time that Burger King has tested the waters of “Italian” food, previously selling a menu item known as the Italian BK® Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Unsurprisingly, this entrée left as much to be desired as the mozzarella sticks.
3. “Chizza” from KFC
In a desperate attempt to regain relevance with the rise of competitors like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, KFC recently released a menu item in the United States that no one could have expected, and I am fairly sure that no one asked for: “Chizza“
A hybrid of fried chicken and pizza, this menu item is more akin to a chicken parmesan than anything else and includes two 100% white meat Extra Crispy™ fried chicken filets topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Like the McSpaghetti, the Chizza has also found a home in the Philippines since 2015. However, it remains to be seen if this more Italian-American influence on KFC’s menu will have a positive or negative impact on their sales in the US market.
4. Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s
Although Wendy’s “Italian” Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich is similar to the Italian BK® Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich mentioned above, this menu item warrants its own spot on this list for several reasons such as its dryness, a poor meat-to-bun ratio, and an overly acidic marinara sauce that almost tastes sour. When the fast food chain originally released the sandwich, it boasted about delivering “familiar flavors of a homemade Italian dinner.” It is safe to say that Wendy’s fell short of this promise.
5. Shrimp Alfredo from Olive Garden
It is hard to choose only one menu item to add to this list from Olive Garden, but their Shrimp Alfredo definitely qualifies as a poor take on Italian-American food.
Founded in 1982 as a unit of General Mills, the restaurant chain made changes to traditional recipes for Italian favorites like red sauce, lasagna, and other dishes. This was done to appeal to a wide variety of Americans instead of Italians or Italian-Americans specifically, contributing to overwhelmingly negative reviews from these groups, and for good reason. Not only does Olive Garden use cream in its alfredo sauce for mass appeal, but the chain also overcooks its pasta rather than serving it al dente, which any Italian knows is a non-starter when it comes to Italian food.
While some of the menu items above may be more affordable than a trip to an Italian restaurant, you get what you pay for, so it’s probably best to stick to authentic Italian food rather than these low-quality imitations.
