15 Fast-Food Sandwiches Arizona Loved In The ’80s That Are Lost Forever
Growing up in Arizona during the 1980s felt like living through a golden age of fast-food creativity. I can still picture those sun-drenched afternoons, cruising down Camelback Road with my dad, pulling into our favorite drive-thrus to grab sandwiches that felt like pure magic.
These weren’t just quick meals—they were flavorful snapshots of a time when neon signs lit the sky, bold flavors ruled the menus, and life felt just a little more carefree.
Many of those beloved creations have long disappeared, but the memories linger. Join me as I revisit the forgotten fast-food favorites that defined an Arizona childhood.
1. McDonald’s McRib Southwest Edition
Remember when McDonald’s created an Arizona-exclusive version of their famous McRib? The Southwest Edition added green chilies and a special adobe BBQ sauce that perfectly complemented those scorching Phoenix summers.
My baseball team would demolish these after Saturday games at Encanto Park. The sandwich featured the same pressed pork patty as the original but with that distinctly Arizonan kick that made it legendary among locals.
By 1989, corporate decided to discontinue regional variations, leaving us desert dwellers with only the memory of that spicy-sweet masterpiece that briefly graced Valley drive-thrus.
2. Taco Bell’s Bell Burger
Yep, Taco Bell once sold burgers! Their Bell Burger was a taco-burger hybrid that Arizona absolutely adored. Half hamburger, half taco, this creation featured a beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and their signature taco sauce on a sesame seed bun.
My friends and I would bike to the Taco Bell on Indian School Road just for these bizarre creations. The Bell Burger represented Taco Bell’s early experimentation before they fully committed to Mexican-inspired fast food.
The sandwich disappeared around 1983, leaving Arizonans wondering what could have been if the chain had continued down this alternate culinary timeline.
3. Jack in the Box’s Cactus Jack
Jack in the Box tested their Arizona-inspired Cactus Jack sandwich exclusively in Phoenix and Tucson markets during the summer of ’85. The Cactus Jack featured pepper jack cheese, green chilies, and a spicy ranch sauce atop a grilled chicken breast.
My mom would grab these on her way home from work as a Friday treat. The combination of heat and cool ranch created a flavor explosion that paired perfectly with those 110-degree summer evenings.
Despite local popularity, the sandwich never made it to national distribution and quietly disappeared from menus by early 1986, leaving a chile-shaped hole in our hearts.
4. Arby’s Desert Heat Roast Beef
Arby’s briefly flirted with Southwestern flavors via their Desert Heat Roast Beef sandwich. This Phoenix favorite added jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, and a chipotle sauce to their classic roast beef, creating a spicy masterpiece that captured Arizona’s essence.
I’d convince my high school buddies to drive to Arby’s during lunch breaks just for this fiery creation. The sandwich came wrapped in special desert-themed paper featuring saguaro cacti and roadrunners.
When Arby’s standardized their menu nationwide in 1988, the Desert Heat disappeared, though some longtime employees would still make it off-menu if you knew to ask nicely.
5. Whataburger’s Prickly Pear Chicken Club
Long before fancy prickly pear cocktails became trendy, Whataburger created a sandwich featuring this desert fruit. Their Prickly Pear Chicken Club combined a crispy chicken patty with bacon, lettuce, and a sweet-tart prickly pear sauce that turned the sandwich a distinctive pink hue.
Grandma would take me to the Scottsdale location after shopping trips, and I’d always beg for this colorful creation. The sandwich perfectly balanced savory chicken with the uniquely Arizonan sweetness of prickly pear cactus fruit.
Discontinued in 1987, this regional specialty remains a fond memory for desert dwellers who experienced its brief but glorious run.
6. Sonic’s Route 66 Roadrunner
Sonic Drive-In created their Route 66 Roadrunner sandwich as a nod to Arizona’s historic highway. This hefty offering featured two beef patties, pepper jack cheese, green chilies, bacon, and a special “roadrunner sauce” rumored to contain both mayonnaise and salsa.
Dad would surprise us with these after Little League games. The sandwich came in a cardboard container shaped like a classic car, complete with wheels that actually turned!
When Sonic standardized their menu across all locations in 1989, the Route 66 Roadrunner raced off into the sunset, though its memory lives on among those who cruised through their drive-ins during the Reagan era.
7. Wendy’s Grand Canyon Club
Wendy’s celebrated Arizona’s natural wonder with their Grand Canyon Club – a three-layer sandwich that mirrored the canyon’s geological strata. The base layer featured ham and Swiss, the middle showcased turkey and cheddar, while the top boasted roast beef and pepper jack.
My first taste came during a school field trip to the actual Grand Canyon, where we stopped at a Flagstaff Wendy’s. The sandwich came in a souvenir box with Grand Canyon facts printed on the sides.
This geological masterpiece vanished from menus around 1986, though it remained available in northern Arizona locations until nearly 1988 due to its popularity with tourists.
8. Carl’s Jr. Sonoran Chicken Sandwich
Carl’s Jr. captured the essence of Sonoran cuisine with their limited-time offering that had Tucson residents lining up around the block. The Sonoran Chicken Sandwich featured a marinated grilled chicken breast topped with roasted poblanos, Cotija cheese, and a cilantro-lime aioli.
My cousin from Tucson brought me one during a weekend visit, carefully wrapped in foil to preserve its glory during the two-hour drive. The sandwich came served on a slightly sweet telera roll rather than a standard bun.
Market testing ended in late 1988, and despite passionate letters from Arizona fans, corporate decided not to add it to the permanent menu.
9. Dairy Queen’s Scorcher Sandwich
Dairy Queen created the perfect contradiction: a spicy sandwich from a place known for cold treats. The Scorcher featured a breaded chicken patty dipped in buffalo sauce, topped with jalapeños and pepper jack cheese, then cooled with ranch dressing.
After softball practice, my team would hit the DQ on Thomas Road, half of us ordering Blizzards while the brave ones tackled Scorchers. The sandwich came with a promotional “heat meter” sticker that changed color when touched, supposedly measuring your spice tolerance.
By mid-1989, DQ refocused on their frozen treats, and the Scorcher melted away from Arizona menus, though its legendary heat lives on in local fast-food folklore.
10. Del Taco’s Navajo Taco Pocket
Del Taco created a handheld version of the beloved Navajo taco that became an instant hit across Arizona. Their Navajo Taco Pocket wrapped seasoned beef, beans, cheese, and lettuce in fry bread that was folded and sealed like a pita.
My Navajo friend’s grandmother would scoff at the authenticity but secretly admit they were convenient for road trips. The sandwich came with a side of honey – a traditional accompaniment to fry bread that confused out-of-state visitors.
Cultural sensitivity concerns eventually led to its discontinuation in late 1987, though many Arizonans still fondly remember this unique fusion of traditional Native American and fast-food cuisines.
11. Long John Silver’s Desert Mariner
Long John Silver’s briefly offered a Southwestern twist on seafood with their Desert Mariner sandwich. This curious creation placed a crispy fish fillet on a green chile-infused bun with prickly pear slaw and a chipotle tartar sauce.
Mom called it “desert meets ocean” and would treat me to one whenever I aced a spelling test. The sandwich came in a special treasure chest-shaped box with Arizona landmarks illustrated on the sides.
When new ownership took over in 1989, regional specialties were eliminated in favor of a standardized national menu, sending the Desert Mariner to Davy Jones’ locker of discontinued fast-food items.
12. Hardee’s Copper State Melt
Hardee’s celebrated Arizona’s mining heritage with their Copper State Melt, a burger that featured copper-colored cheese sauce (thanks to paprika) flowing over a third-pound patty with grilled onions on toasted sourdough.
During my first teenage job at Phoenix Mall, I’d spend my lunch breaks devouring these messy masterpieces. The sandwich came wrapped in copper-colored foil with facts about Arizona’s mining history printed inside.
When Hardee’s pulled out of several Arizona locations in 1988, the Copper State Melt disappeared along with them, though the distinctive copper-colored cheese sauce occasionally appeared at other chains under different names.
13. Roy Rogers’ Grand Canyon Roast Beef
Roy Rogers restaurants created a towering tribute to Arizona’s natural wonder with their Grand Canyon Roast Beef. This massive sandwich stacked three layers of thinly sliced roast beef separated by different sauces – horseradish on the bottom, BBQ in the middle, and cheddar cheese sauce on top.
Grandpa would drive us 30 minutes just to get these behemoths. The sandwich came in a cardboard sleeve with a cross-section of the Grand Canyon that matched the layers inside.
When Roy Rogers locations began closing across Arizona in the late ’80s, this geological marvel was buried in the sediment of fast-food history, never to be excavated again.
14. Schlotzsky’s Sedona Sunset Sandwich
Schlotzsky’s captured Arizona’s famous red rock sunset colors in sandwich form with their Sedona Sunset creation. This artistic offering featured layers of turkey, roasted red peppers, orange cheddar, and a sun-dried tomato spread on their signature sourdough bread.
My art teacher would bring these to our class during our study of Southwestern landscapes. The sandwich even came with a collectible postcard featuring Sedona’s famous Cathedral Rock that changed with the seasons.
When Schlotzsky’s streamlined their menu in 1989, this colorful creation faded like the setting sun, though some longtime employees would still make it by request if they had the ingredients on hand.
15. Blimpie’s Saguaro Special
Blimpie’s created their Saguaro Special as a towering tribute to Arizona’s iconic cactus. This massive sub featured a “trunk” of roast beef topped with “arms” of turkey and ham, all decorated with olive “spines” and pepper “blossoms.”
My science teacher would reference this sandwich during desert ecosystem lessons. The creation came wrapped in paper printed with saguaro facts, including the surprising detail that these cacti don’t grow their first arm until they’re 75 years old!
Menu simplification in the late ’80s caused the Saguaro Special to go extinct, though its creative presentation inspired numerous local sandwich shops to create their own Arizona-themed culinary tributes.