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8 wildly popular dishes from the past that have all but disappeared from restaurant menus

Let's bring some of these babies back!

Photo credit: Canva

These dishes used to be standard menu items.

Trends in food come and go, just as they do in fashion and music and home decor, and when dishes slip out of popularity they fade from view. People might make their oldie-but-goodie recipes at home, but we don't see menus-of-old in restaurants and cookbooks are always being updated with new trends. It's usually not until someone mentions a once-popular dish from decades ago that we say, "Oh yeah, what ever happened to that?"

For instance, if you're Gen X or older, you may remember French and Thousand Island dressings being offered as standard choices when you ordered a salad. Today, you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that serves those dressings at all. Changes in nutrition research and health awareness affect these trends, as do pop culture and marketing pushes from various food industries. But sometimes foods just fade in popularity for no obvious reason.

Someone on Reddit asked people to share "a dish that was extremely popular or trendy on restaurant menus but then virtually disappeared," and it's a mouth-watering trip down nostalgia lane. Some of the dishes people named haven't entirely "disappeared" but they definitely aren't as ubiquitous as they once were on restaurant menus.

Which of these babies should we bring back?

Beef stroganoff

beef stroganoffBeef stroganoff is a classic.Photo credit: Canva

It's a classic. Beef? Good. Mushrooms? Good. Pasta? Good. What's not to love about a dish of beef stroganoff on a cold winter's night? That's right. Nothing.

"Nobody serves beef stroganoff anymore."

"I was just in South America, it’s everywhere there, especially in Brazil. There are even stroganoff restaurants in the food courts at the mall."

"There’s a Russian restaurant near me that does it, but they only do it if you schedule it and have a party of 8 or more."

Blackened (and Cajun) everything


blackened chicken and salmonMmmmm, charcoal.Photo credit: Canva

Yes, we really did burn meat to a crisp all over the country for a while there. Blackened chicken, blackened salmon, blackened shrimp—and throw a little kick in there to make it "Cajun." Nothing like some added carcinogens to really whet the appetite, am I right? (Though the Cajun part was pretty darn good.)

"I credit the original cajun gourmet, Justin Wilson for this. Late 80s/early 90s when more & more people were getting cable TV, he had a few different shows that reached coast to coast. Maybe not iconic, but he was pretty popular and inspired people to have a taste of the culture & cuisine he fondly promoted."

"Add a little... on-YAWN!"

"I gar-on-TEE!"

Pineapple upside-down cake

pineapple upside down cakePineapple upside down cake is soooo good when done well.Photo credit: Canva

Hello, sunshine! Sweet, sticky, yummy and pretty to boot. This is one that you really can't judge til you try. So much better than it sounds.

"In 6th grade home EC we made pineapple upside down cake. With jiffy cake mix and canned pineapple and even the v maraschino cherries. I made that on the regular though the 80s and 90s."

"Oh man, thanks for reminding me of this. I think I’m going to make one today. I made them all the time as a kid in the 70s and a young adult in the 80s. I haven’t had one in years!!"

"It's in my regular dessert rotation. I get requests from family, friends and colleagues for pineapple upside-down cake."

Potato skins

potato skinsTater skins. Yum.Photo credit: Canva

These were all the rage for a bit there. They can still be found sometimes, but potato skins—and baked potato bars—are not nearly as popular as they used to be. Potatoes have gone through the ringer many times when it comes to healthy vs. unhealthy, but few people would argue that they're not delicious when topped with some cheese and bacon.

"Potato skins were pretty big in the 80s."

"That's because they had baked potato appeal; 'cause they're made with potatoes and skins that are real!"

Try to eat a baked potato and you'll be stuffed by the end. i bet that's why they're rarely found on menus anymore."

Salad bars

salad barAnybody miss salad bars?Photo credit: Canva

Ah, the salad bar. The pandemic really messed with this one. They used to be found in most grocery stores, and then pre-COVID there was a big boom of restaurants that were just enormous salad bars. Yet another thing the 'rona stole from us.

"Salad bars. In the 80s every restaurant had one, even some fast food burger places like Wendy’s."

"I love salad bars. I remember the Soup n' Salad chain. That was good."

"Salad bars were all the craze. Nice restaurants to Wendy’s. Salad bars everywhere!"

Quiche

quicheSheesh, quiche was popular.Photo credit: Canva

Ah, the French egg pie we all knew and loved. Maybe we still do, and maybe we make them at home, but quiches aren't the staple menu item at restaurants that they used to be.

"Quiche. Back in the 80’s."

"Quiche, In the late 70s and the 80s. Every fern bar restaurant like TGI Fridays featured quiche, and people were cooking quiche. The popularity of quiche even inspired the title of the book Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche. That book inspired the humorous meme of "Real Men Don’t (fill in the blank).'"

"I still make quiche once in awhile. It's ridiculously easy."

Sun-dried tomatoes and pesto

pesto pasta with sun dried tomatoesIs there anything more 90s than a sun-dried tomato and pesto pasta?Photo credit: Canva

Right around the time when we were all sudden super into Gregorian chants for like a year, sun-dried tomatoes were being put into everything. Pesto, too. Roasted peppers, too. It's like our collective inner Italian came out with flags a-flying.

"I can’t think of a specific dish but there was a period in the 90s when pesto was EVERYWHERE and so were roasted red peppers."

"Sun dried tomatoes were freaking EVERYWHERE for a while there."

"They even had sun dried tomatoes flavored potato chips."

Fondue

fondue potFondue was all the rage in the 60s and 70s.Photo credit: Canva

There are fewer foods more fun than fondue, but you just don't see it much anymore—with one notable exception. The Melting Pot is an all-fondue restaurant chain, so fondue-lovers do have a place to go if they want to dip all the things in melted cheese (and then in chocolate for dessert).

"My mom told me about how after the 70’s she’s fine not touching fondue ever again. Everyone got a fondue pot for their wedding which they used precisely twice before it found its way into storage."

"People are talking about fondue in the '80s and '90s, but it got really popular in the 1960s. My family got a fondue pot then even tho we weren't very trendy food-wise. But being able to cook beef and melt cheese in it ticked all of my dad's boxes!"

"Hot pot is the new fondue."

What else should be added to this list?

food
Joy

Restaurants and their customers are happily saying goodbye to QR code menus

It seemed like they'd be around forever.

via Alba Lantigua/Unsplash

A delicious-looking Mexican meal with a QR code menu

There’s a concept known as “app creep,” where every aspect of our lives is slowly becoming tethered to our smartphones in one way or another. If you spend a day at Disneyland, you must download an app to reserve your spot in line for certain attractions. Many kids’ toys now require an app to operate them or for you to download one to get the instructions. And good luck getting into a concert without transferring your tickets from your Ticketmaster app to your iPhone wallet.

Before the pandemic, we could all go to restaurants to relax and have face-to-face conversations without any help from technology. But after COVID-19 arrived, many restaurants replaced menus with a QR code on a sticker in the middle of the table.

Time previously spent poring over a menu was replaced with people staring at their phones, sometimes squinting at the text. What about a second cocktail? How about dessert? Time to fish the iPhone out of your purse or pocket to see what’s available and hope the site loads.

Even though the QR code menu didn’t ruin the entire dining experience, it’s still been seen as an infringement on the normally tech-free space by the vast majority of people.

According to CNN, a recent survey by Technomic found that about 88% of respondents preferred paper menus to digital QR codes, and 66% agreed or strongly agreed that they didn’t like QR codes because they involve pulling out your phone as soon as you sit at the table.

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed felt that QR codes were “hard to read” and browse through.

So it appears that, in a rare reversal of app creep, people are pushing back on digital intrusion and demanding to see an old-school menu at their tables. A new report by MustHaveMenus, a menu management and printing platform with about 7,000 customers across the United States, shows that restaurant QR code use is declining.

According to a report in The New York Times, “From April 1 to May 16 of this year, the total number of [QR] scans has dropped by about 27 percent compared with the same period in 2021.” Mark Plumlee, the senior content manager at MustHaveMenus, added that “Fewer restaurants are creating new QR menus” and that “75 percent of their existing QR codes are essentially dormant.”

The news that QR codes are on the way out inspired a fun conversation on Twitter.

The world was drastically turned upside down during COVID-19, and now we are all working out ways to get it back to a new normal. The upside is that some significant advancements came out of the pandemic that people like for the most part and have made the world a better place, such as curbside pickup, cocktails-to-go, mRNA vaccines, telehealth, working from home, direct cash payments, free school meals, eating on sidewalks and streets, voting by mail and wearing a mask when you should be considerate of others’ health.

The world has spoken, and although some COVID-19 changes are here to stay, it’s time to make the QR code menu a thing of the past. Oh yeah, and while we’re at it, can we scrape the “6 Feet Distance” stickers off the supermarket floor already? They’re starting to look a little worn.

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Texas restaurant's signs have people around the country chuckling

El Arroyo/Instagram

I don't know about you, but humor is about the only thing keeping me from curling up in the fetal position and wailing these days. The fact that people can be so darned witty, even in the midst of a global pandemic, brings me great delight and hope that not all is lost.

One restaurant in Texas has its finger on the pulse of quippy one liners. El Arroyo, which serves up Tex-Mex in Austin, posts constantly changing sayings on their sign, and they're simply chuckle-worthy. The restaurant's sign is so popular it even has its own dedicated Instagram account.

Some of the sayings undoubtedly come from memes floating around the interwebs. Others are sent in by fans. I can only assume some are the brainchild of some creative mind filling tacos in the back. Who knows.

But check some of their out their signs, shared by Heidi Kleyn on Facebook:








In recent weeks, El Arroyo has hopped on the pandemic humor train, and they have not disappointed.








Thanks for the laughs, El Arroyo!

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Heroes

Texas Roadhouse CEO giving up his salary and bonus to pay workers during coronavirus outbreak

There are so many things we're missing in this coronavirus pandemic. First dates, family reunions, heck even the mundane routine of heading into the office. Times of crisis change the world and as we're learning in real time, often reveal a lot about people's true nature.

The sad and disappointing stories continue to dominate the headlines and that's understandable when there's so much bad news going around the world right now and right here at home. But there are stories of selfless and inspiring behavior happening every day. And sometimes they come from a delicious steakhouse chain.

Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor announced on Thursday that he is forgoing the rest of his 2020 salary and bonus and instead directing the funds toward paying his employees during the coronavirus outbreak. The remaining salary and bonus both amount to $525,000 each for a total of $1,050,000.

"Kent Taylor has always said that Texas Roadhouse is a People-company that just happens to serve great steaks. His donation of his salary and bonus to help employees is the embodiment of that saying," a Texas Roadhouse spokesperson told The Hill. "We are blessed to have his leadership."

The spokesperson also told The Hill that Taylor has already donated $5 million of his personal funds to Andy's Outreach, a non-profit run by Texas Roadhouse to help employees in times of need.

Taylor's charitable move has been earning his all kinds of praise online. As one commenter on Reddit put it:

"I've always loved the Texas Roadhouse for steaks, now I love them for more than just that. Kent you're a hero, thank you!"


Photo by Enrique Macias on images.unsplash.com


Like so many of America's restaurants, Texas Roadhouse is staying open during the coronavirus, trying to find a way to make things work while also providing a valuable service to people who need food, can't get to grocery stores or simply need a break with some comfort food delivered to their front door. The 500 store chain is offering delivery and curbside service. However, as with most restaurants nationwide, there's little doubt that the demand for delivery and takeout is keeping pace with the normal amount of business done when the restaurant is fully open for business. Still, whatever income that is coming in makes a world of difference for companies like Texas Roadhouse, and more importantly, for the people they are able to keep on their payrolls.

"We are open for business and still serving America even though many of our dining rooms are temporarily closed," Taylor said in statement pinned to the top of his company's website. "As the President and other officials have stated, restaurants play a vital role in our nation's food supply, and we are going to help fill the gap where and how we can."

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