I’m sure most Halloween-heads are fully aware of Burger King’s A1 Halloween Whopper from a couple years ago. It featured a sesame bun that was supposedly black in hue due to A1 sauce being baked right into the bread. However, widespread rumors of some who ate it experiencing dark-green colored stool for days after leads one to believe perhaps the bun was black from added colorings. Just a hunch. As unappetizing as it might have appeared, my horror/Halloween obsessed ass took myself to a local BK to try it out. As I pulled up to the drive-thru, in one of the windows I noticed the typical flat-gold crowns given out with every kiddie meal had been replaced. The new crowns were black, adorned with bones instead of paper gems and emblazoned in the center was the BK logo printed in blood red. It didn’t matter that I was a fully grown adult, I wanted one!
As I pulled up to the window to hand the young woman my money, I asked simply, “Can I get a crown?” Her eyes jumped a bit and then she practically leaned out the drive-thru window, scanning my car. She craned her neck searching…searching for a child or at least a car seat. There was none. Once I realized what she was doing, I responded “Oh, it’s not for me!” with an understanding chuckle. She seemed relieved as she smiled, handed me my change and my crown. It proudly sat atop my head as I pulled to the next window to receive my spooky Halloween meal. The burger? It was okay, and I thankfully avoided any toxic colored BMs.
In the pantheon of Halloween themed fast food gimmicks, the A1 burger isn’t really that special. There have been far more bizarre dishes, head scratching combinations, and some truly-simply adorbs treats from quick service chains across the world. In honor of these Franken-foods, lets bite into a list of some of the most wicked Halloween delectables.
Pizza
Some promos are just plain cute. This jack-o-lantern shaped pie has been available the past few years at take n’ bake pizza chain Papa Murphy’s. Usually these pepperoni-pumpkin plagiarists are made available the last week of October. No announcement has been made this year as to whether you’ll be able to pluck one up to throw in your own oven.
A more frightening example of pizza promotion comes in the guise of the Black Halloween Pizza from Pizza Hut China. This limited time treat featured a crust made with cuttlefish powder, diced pumpkin topping, and a sweet mayo sauce to form the spider’s web. Of course, the actual spider is formed from leftover “cuttlefish powder” dough(?).
McDonald’s
Not to be outdone by the BK A1 burger, Mcdonald’s in Japan rolled out two specialty items, an “Orange and Black” burger and a ghostly white crab-meat sandwich. According to the site Brand Eating, both dishes are describes as follows:
“The Squid Ink Burger features black sesame buns, cheddar cheese, two beef patties, a black squid ink sauce, crispy fried onions, and an orange chipotle sauce….The Camembert Chicken Filet comes with white buns, a creamy white Camembert cheese sauce, lettuce, and a crispy chicken filet.”
Yum. Naturally, they couldn’t miss out on the “everything pumpkin” craze as well. Enter choco-pumpkin fries. The name pretty much says it all. These are McDonald’s french fries covered in two sauces: chocolate drizzle and a pumpkin spice sauce. Even as a die hard “basic” who will inject pumpkin into everything (I’ve already handmade pumpkin ravioli and ice cream this season as well stocked up the ingredients for pumpkin chili), I don’t think I could get down with these fried slivers of potato product.
Starbucks
No stranger to gimmicky promotions (looking at you Unicorn Frap), Starbucks has offered the Frappula Frappuccino for the past two years as a limited edition beverage. It’s really just white chocolate milk blended with ice and topped with some strawberry goo. While that certainly doesn’t scream Halloween, the presentation is bloody beautiful.
While this gory beverage might not be on the chalkboards this season, Starbucks Secret Menu breaks down just how simple it is to order this drink any time of year:
How to order (off season):
- Mocha sauce on the bottom of cup
- White chocolate sauce, milk and ice blended together
- Finish with a drizzle of raspberry syrup and whipped cream on top
BONUS BEVERAGE: Fans of Harry Potter can bring one of the book’s more fantastical drinks to life – Pumpkin Juice! Simply order an Iced Apple Juice with Pumpkin Spice and sip away like your cruising on the Hogwart’s Express. Personally, I love driving a butternut squash through my juicer with an apple and a fresh piece of ginger. Ahh. Refreshing.
