15 Fast Food Ads That Promised Way Too Much
These fast food commercials sold us dreams of perfection that reality never quite delivered.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Fast food ads have always been experts at making burgers juicier, fries crispier, and milkshakes creamier than they really are. In the ’80s, ’90s, and even today, commercials have created sky-high expectations that rarely survived first bites. Here are 15 fast food ads that overpromised and left our real-life meals looking a little sad.
1. McDonald’s Big Mac Commercials
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On TV, the Big Mac towered with perfect layers of cheese, lettuce, and a sesame-seed bun. In reality, the sandwich often arrived squished and sliding apart.
2. Burger King’s Whopper Ads
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Commercials showed flame-grilled perfection, with steam rising and toppings stacked neatly. What we usually got was a flat burger with half the lettuce hanging out.
3. Taco Bell’s Taco Supreme
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Those ads made tacos look stuffed to the brim with fresh ingredients. The real thing often had a sad sprinkle of lettuce and cheese with everything sliding to one side.
4. Wendy’s Superbar Commercials
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In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Wendy’s hyped their buffet-style Superbar as an endless feast. Commercials showed overflowing trays of pasta, taco fixings, and salad toppings.
5. Domino’s “30 Minutes or Less” Pizzas
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The ads promised piping-hot, perfect pizzas in record time. Reality was sometimes a slightly smushed box with cheese stuck to the lid.
6. Pizza Hut’s Cheesy Crust Dreams
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Every commercial showed gooey rivers of cheese stretching for miles when a slice was pulled. At home, the crust usually leaked a small amount of cheese and then… nothing.
7. Carl’s Jr. “If It Doesn’t Get All Over the Place” Burgers
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Their commercials showed epic, juicy burgers dripping in slow motion as models took giant bites. The real sandwiches often dripped mostly grease and regret.
8. Dairy Queen’s Blizzard Flip
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Ads showed employees flipping Blizzards upside down with thick ice cream that never budged. Sometimes, yours was melty by the time you got it, and you prayed the cup didn’t spill.
9. Subway’s “Eat Fresh” Footlongs
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Commercials displayed subs packed with layers of meat and vibrant vegetables. Many customers opened their sandwich to find uneven toppings and empty corners.
10. Arby’s Roast Beef Mountains
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Ads promised towering stacks of tender, glistening beef slices. The real sandwich often came flattened, with meat that didn’t quite spill out like the commercial hero shots.
11. Sonic’s Milkshakes
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Television spots showed creamy shakes piled high with whipped cream, candies, and drizzle. A real drive-thru experience might hand you a half-melted shake with toppings sunk to the bottom.
12. Popeyes’ Crispy Chicken
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Commercials made each bite sound like a crunch explosion. In reality, soggy pieces sometimes showed up after sitting under the heat lamps.
13. KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” Buckets
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Promos showed giant, golden pieces of fried chicken glistening in perfect harmony. At pickup, the chicken often had uneven breading and a few broken pieces.
14. Jack in the Box’s Late-Night Munchie Meals
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Ads made them look like mountains of fries, tacos, and oversized sandwiches. Opening the box in your car often revealed smaller portions sliding into each other.
15. McDonald’s McRib Comebacks
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Every time it returned, ads displayed saucy, tender ribs with perfect grill marks. The real McRib was usually a slippery, flat patty swimming in barbecue sauce.