14 Fast-Food Sandwiches Washington Loved In The ’80s That Just Vanished
The 1980s were the golden age of fast food in Washington state. Those neon-lit restaurants along the Evergreen State’s highways served up some truly unforgettable sandwiches that captured our hearts and taste buds.
As someone who grew up in Seattle during this radical decade, I still find myself dreaming about these iconic culinary treasures that have mysteriously disappeared from menus, leaving only memories and cravings behind.
From bold new flavors to quirky combinations that seemed ahead of their time, these sandwiches defined an era of fast food we’ll never forget, making us nostalgic for those simpler, tastier days.
1. McDonald’s McRib in Tacoma
Tacoma folks went absolutely bananas when the McRib first hit town in 1981! I remember skipping high school lunch to grab one with my buddies. That pressed pork patty shaped like mini ribs, slathered in tangy BBQ sauce, topped with onions and pickles on that oblong bun was pure magic.
Unlike today’s occasional comebacks, the original ’80s McRib had a special Washington twist – extra sauce and double pickles that made it uniquely ours. The Tacoma Mall location even had McRib eating contests on Friday nights!
What made it special? That sauce wasn’t the national recipe – rumor has it our regional McDonald’s added extra molasses to appeal to Pacific Northwest taste buds.
2. Dairy Queen’s Bellinghammer
Only Bellingham residents remember this legendary creation! The Bellinghammer was a Dairy Queen specialty sandwich that combined a flame-broiled burger patty with cream cheese (a Pacific Northwest obsession) and raspberry jam between toasted sourdough bread.
My college roommate dragged me to Bellingham just to try this sweet-savory masterpiece in 1983. The local franchise owner created it to honor the city’s berry farms, and for about three glorious years, it was the must-have meal for Western Washington University students.
The sandwich even spawned a local eating challenge: finish two Bellinghammers and a large Blizzard in under 15 minutes to get your photo on the “Berry Wall of Fame.”
3. Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Seattle Dog
Cream cheese on a hot dog? Absolutely! Before Seattle-style hot dogs became famous, Jack in the Box test-marketed their own version in 1985. The Jumbo Seattle Dog wasn’t actually a dog at all, but a hoagie-style sandwich that mimicked our city’s signature street food.
Picture this beauty: a grilled polish sausage nestled in a soft hoagie roll with cream cheese, grilled onions, and jalapeños. My first bite nearly knocked my legwarmers off! Every Emerald City location sold these gems for $1.99, and lines wrapped around buildings during lunch hour.
The sandwich mysteriously vanished in 1987, right when Seattle’s food scene started gaining national attention. Coincidence? I think not!
4. Wendy’s Olympia Salmon Burger
Talk about a local legend! Wendy’s briefly tested a wild-caught salmon burger exclusively in Olympia-area locations from 1984-1986. As a teenage fast food enthusiast, I convinced my parents to drive 60 miles just to try this mythical creation.
The sandwich featured a seasoned salmon patty with dill sauce, lettuce, and tomato on a whole grain bun. While most fast seafood was questionable at best, this was surprisingly delicious! At $3.49, it was pricier than their beef options but developed a cult following among state government workers.
Wendy’s ultimately pulled the plug when salmon prices spiked, but old-timers still reminisce about this uniquely Washington offering that appeared decades before the healthy fast food trend.
5. Burger King’s Sasquatch Stacker
Bigfoot fever swept Washington in the early ’80s, and Burger King capitalized on it brilliantly! The Sasquatch Stacker was a Pacific Northwest exclusive that had me searching every BK from Spokane to Seattle.
This monster featured three beef patties, double cheese, bacon, and a special “forest mushroom” sauce on an extra-large sesame seed bun. Each sandwich came with a collectible Bigfoot “evidence” card. My bedroom wall was plastered with the complete set!
Priced at a whopping $3.99 (expensive for 1982!), the Sasquatch Stacker vanished after about 18 months. Local conspiracy theorists claimed the real Sasquatch threatened legal action for using his likeness without permission.
6. Taco Time’s Puget Pounder
Whoever decided to combine Mexican and Northwest seafood flavors was a genius! Taco Time’s Puget Pounder wasn’t technically a sandwich, but this handheld creation definitely qualifies in my book.
Imagine a soft flour tortilla filled with battered cod, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and a tangy sauce that was somewhere between tartar and salsa. My first apartment was dangerously close to the Ballard Taco Time, and my paycheck regularly vanished into Puget Pounders.
The regional chain introduced this marvel in 1986 as a limited-time offering but kept it around until late 1989 due to popular demand. Nothing has quite satisfied my Mexi-seafood cravings since its disappearance.
7. Arby’s Mount St. Helens Fire Roast
Too soon? Not for Arby’s! Just two years after the 1980 eruption, they rolled out this volcanic tribute that had spice-lovers flocking to Washington locations. My mouth waters just remembering it!
The Mount St. Helens Fire Roast featured their standard roast beef piled high with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, spicy onion straws, and “molten lava sauce” on a pumpernickel bun. Each sandwich came with a small bag of ash-colored potato chips called “Volcanic Dust.”
Geology professors at UW called the promotion tasteless, but that didn’t stop the sandwiches from selling out daily. After six months, Arby’s corporate pulled the plug, claiming the special sauce was too expensive to produce.
8. KFC’s Rainier Cherry Chicken Sandwich
Colonel Sanders went surprisingly local with this sweet-savory masterpiece! During Washington’s cherry season in 1983 and 1984, KFC locations throughout the state offered the Rainier Cherry Chicken Sandwich as a summer special.
The sandwich featured a crispy chicken fillet topped with a Rainier cherry glaze, cream cheese spread, and lettuce on a butter-toasted bun. My summer job was across from a KFC, and I blew half my earnings on these beauties.
Local cherry farmers actually supplied the fruit for the glaze, making this a farm-to-fast-food pioneer. When cherry prices doubled in 1985, KFC scrapped the sandwich rather than change the recipe, breaking cherry-loving hearts statewide.
9. Skipper’s Grilled Salmon Melt
Before Skipper’s fully committed to their fish-and-chips identity, they experimented with a sandwich menu that included this Pacific Northwest gem. The Grilled Salmon Melt was only available in Washington locations from 1981-1983, and it still haunts my seafood dreams.
The sandwich layered a wild-caught salmon fillet with melted Swiss cheese, spinach, and tartar sauce on grilled sourdough. My dad and I had a standing Friday night date at the Everett Skipper’s just for these sandwiches.
At $4.25, it was pricey for fast food, but worth every penny. When Skipper’s rebranded to focus exclusively on fried offerings, this grilled masterpiece sadly swam away forever.
10. A&W’s Geoduck Po’ Boy
Only in Washington would someone put our state’s weirdest shellfish into a fast food sandwich! A&W restaurants in coastal Washington towns briefly offered the Geoduck Po’ Boy in summer 1982, creating both curiosity and controversy.
The sandwich featured thinly sliced, fried geoduck clam on a hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato, and a special remoulade sauce. I tried it on a dare during a beach trip to Ocean Shores and was shocked to discover it was actually delicious!
Limited supply and preparation difficulties meant these sandwiches were only available on Fridays and always sold out by noon. After just one summer, A&W corporate ended the experiment, claiming it didn’t align with their drinks and burger image.
11. Dairy Queen’s Apple Cup Clash
College football rivalry inspired this limited-edition sandwich that appeared only during Apple Cup week from 1980-1985! As a divided household (Dad went to UW, Mom to WSU), we made it a tradition to eat these before watching the big game.
The Apple Cup Clash was a unique hot sandwich featuring sliced roast beef, apple slices, two types of cheese (yellow for Wazzu, white for Huskies), and a maple-mustard sauce on a pretzel roll. Dairy Queens near both campuses sold out within hours whenever they were available.
You could order it “Husky style” (more white cheese) or “Cougar style” (more yellow cheese). The tradition ended when DQ’s regional manager, an Oregon Duck fan, canceled it out of spite.
12. Pizza Hut’s Puget Sound Seafood Pocket
Before calzones went mainstream, Pizza Hut tested these stuffed seafood sandwiches exclusively in Western Washington. During my mall job years (1986-1988), I spent every lunch break devouring these forgotten treasures.
The Puget Sound Seafood Pocket featured a pizza dough pocket stuffed with tiny shrimp, crab, mozzarella, herbs, and a creamy sauce, then brushed with garlic butter and baked. The commercials featured local fishermen delivering seafood directly to Pizza Hut kitchens!
At $3.99, these were positioned as a premium fast food item. When Pizza Hut standardized their national menu in 1989, regional specialties like this disappeared, leaving seafood-loving Washingtonians high and dry.
13. Dick’s Space Needle Special
Our beloved local chain Dick’s Drive-In created this commemorative sandwich for the 1982 World’s Fair in Seattle. Though I was just a kid, my parents took me downtown specifically to try this limited-time offering.
The Space Needle Special featured two beef patties, special sauce, cheese, and caramelized onions on a triple-decker bun with a souvenir plastic Space Needle pick holding it together. The most expensive item ever on Dick’s menu at $2.50, it came with a collectible World’s Fair napkin.
Lines stretched for blocks during the fair’s six-month run. Despite customer petitions to keep it permanently, Dick’s returned to their famously limited menu when the fair ended, citing their commitment to simplicity and speed.
14. Taco Bell’s Mount Rainier Melt
Taco Bell’s brief flirtation with non-Mexican menu items produced this Washington exclusive in 1984. As a high school sophomore with a newly-minted driver’s license, I drove 30 minutes just to find a Taco Bell serving this legendary item.
The Mount Rainier Melt was essentially a patty melt with a Tex-Mex twist: a beef patty with pepper jack cheese, green chiles, and “snow cap sauce” (spicy mayo) on grilled sourdough. The TV commercials featured skiers coming down from Mount Rainier directly to Taco Bell.
Available for just four months, the sandwich was part of Taco Bell’s strategy to compete with traditional burger chains. The experiment flopped nationally but was surprisingly popular in Washington.