Key Takeaways

• Fast-food and nostalgia have long been intertwined, and a number of chains are cashing in on the feeling.

• McDonald's recently announced the 2025 return of its Snack Wraps, which have been off the menu nationally since 2016. Taco Bell and Burger King have also recently brought back items.

• Researchers have said people typically remember the past more fondly than they think of the present, especially when it comes to fast food.

Fast-food giants McDonald's (MCD), Taco Bell and more are tapping into nostalgia to win back customers they may have lost to inflation in recent years.

McDonald's earlier this month became the latest to revive an old offering when it announced the return of its Snack Wraps which were available nationally from 2006 to 2016. The fast-food giant confirmed the wraps will return next year, but didn't provide a specific date.

The announcement followed the company's move to bring back its occasionally-available McRib earlier this month—and similar moves from other fast-food players in recent months.

In October, Yum! Brands' (YUM) Taco Bell kicked off a "decades" menu, bringing back one item per decade from the 1960s, when the chain launched, through the 2000s, for a limited time. And Burger King, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International (QSR), last month reintroduced Cini Minis, miniature cinnamon rolls that left the menu in 2012, though that started in just two Florida markets.

Social media often plays a role in reviving old menu items. Arby's parent Inspire Brands said earlier this year that "potato cakes" had been mentioned 10,000 times on social media since it discontinued the hashbrowns in 2021. Arby's named actor Kyle MacLachlan the leader of "The Order of the Potato Cake," and launched a line of limited-edition merch when the side dish temporarily returned to menus in July.

Of course, for every person who gets a taste of their favorite dish again, another is still looking for their fix. On social media, people responded to the McDonald's snack wrap announcement with requests for the return of deep-fried apple pies, the McSalad Shaker, and super-sized fries.

Nostalgia Is Powerful—But People Can Be Disappointed

Restaurants can run the risk that their reboots fall short of the public's expectations. "The problem is people’s memories are fallible; they’re not perfect. So when the manufacturer brings back the old packaging or the old item, we’re disappointed because it isn’t exactly how we remember it,” Krystine Batcho, a professor of psychology at Syracuse University, told marketing firm Quikly.