The 15 Best April Fools’ Pranks from Your Favorite Fast-Food Chains
Updated: Mar. 26, 2024
Not content to serve up convenient meals, fast-food chains are getting in on the April Fools' action with stunts to tickle your funny bone
Fast-food chains love to pull a fast one
We look to them for convenient meals at low prices, breakfast treats, and fries, and how do they repay us? With hilarious pranks, breakfast treats, and fries, of course! Yes, although the origins of April Fools’ Day are disputed, centuries of parents pranking their kids and kids pranking their parents have made this holiday the jokester’s favorite. The pranks fast-food chains have pulled over the years have been hilarious, from fake shakes to burger toothpaste. If you’re passing through the drive-through on April 1, make sure you double-check your onion rings and never take them up on any offers to be supersized. Sadly, when a fast-food chain pranks you, you can’t prank them back, but you can surprise your family and friends with the funniest April Fools’ pranks to pull this year.
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Arby’s
In 2018, Arby’s teamed up with eyewear purveyors Warby Parker for the ultimate April Fool’s prank. They introduced “WArby’s,” featuring an Onion Ring Monocle. In a Tweet, Warby Parker put out the following message: “When the only thing you have in common is four letters, but it still feels kind of right. Introducing #WArbys, a new partnership sandwiched somewhere between vision and at least eight different kinds of meat.” These hilarious April Fools’ jokes will make everyone laugh.
Auntie Anne’s
Who can resist the smell of warm buttery pretzels in the mall food court? Auntie Anne’s knows the answer is no one. Their take on an April Fools’ prank is the fake-out pretzel perfume from the “House of A.” Scents included Salty, Freshly Baked, and Cinnamon. We’ll take all three to go, please.
White Castle
We don’t know many people who hit the drive-thru with the intention of ordering a supplement to their workout, but White Castle approached April Fools’ Day with their hilarious Whey Protein Powder. In a press release, the company said, “Each individual serving includes 27 sliders scientifically granulated into 189 grams of pure whey protein, perfect for those who are training to be the next heavyweight champion, or simply looking to maximize their muscle mass for the summer season.”
Krispy Kreme
Spell-check enthusiasts may take umbrage at the name of doughnut chain Krispy Kreme, but you can’t beat their melt-in-your-mouth product. Their U.K. division decided to have a little fun with the spelling, tweeting that they were officially changing the name to Krispy Cream. At least then the brand would have half the name spelled correctly. According to Food & Wine, some media outlets took the announcement seriously, reporting on the change as fact, instead of an April Fools’ joke.
Burger King: The Whopper Toothpaste
If you go to a pediatric dentist, you’re likely to find a slew of fun toothpaste flavors that would appeal to kids, like bubble gum, strawberry, and even chocolate. Burger King’s French division decided to go one further and promote a Whopper toothpaste for April Fools’ Day in 2017. There was even a commercial made for the faux product. As much as we love burgers, a Whopper toothpaste would have to be a hard pass.
The Halal Guys
The French shouldn’t have all of the foodie toothpaste fun. On our side of the Atlantic, Middle Eastern fast-food chain The Halal Guys cooked up their own prank with White Sauce Toothpaste, similar to the brand’s signature sauce used on just about every dish they serve. “Our proprietary teeth whitening recipe not only tastes great, it gives you a more radiant smile! Get it today at your local restaurant,” the chain posted on Instagram. That joke was a big success, unlike some other April Fools’ pranks that went horribly wrong.
Papa John’s
One reason pizza chain Papa John’s has a loyal fan following is because of its signature garlic sauce included with each pie. As an April Fools’ joke, they posted a video promoting a $9.99 Garlic Gallon, essentially a bottle of the stuff the size of a laundry detergent container. Fans were bummed when Papa John’s admitted it was a prank, and the chain responded by offering an extra two cups of garlic sauce with the use of a promo code for a limited time.
McDonald’s: The Micro Mac
Fast-food restaurants are known for super-sizing their menu items. As a joke, McDonald’s decided to go in the opposite direction by introducing the Micro Mac. “It packs all of the flavor of the iconic Big Mac at 1/48 of the size for when you’re only a tiny bit hungry,” the company said in its ad for the minuscule burger.
Burger King: Chicken Fries Shake
Burger King isn’t only known for their Whopper. They have also been known to get a little adventurous when it comes to their treat offerings, like their Scary Black Cherry Slushie for Halloween. As an April Fools’ prank, they promoted a Chicken Fries Shake. The shake was golden yellow with a whipped cream topping, delivered in a cup sporting a chick face—the same as the one as on their Chicken Fries box. Thankfully, in reality, there was no such thing because…yuck.
McDonald’s: The Subscription Box
In an age where you can get a subscription box for just about anything (makeup, snacks, accessories, etc.), McDonald’s decided to prank on the fad with their own version—the Mmm Box—with three varieties to choose from: The Artisan, The Ribster, and The Minimalist. Each had a hilarious description; for example, The Ribster box included a McRib, a mustache-shaped comb, a plaid napkin, and irony.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Many people say breakfast is their favorite meal of the day, and we can hardly blame them. An experience that regularly includes both coffee and bacon? Yes, please. In 2016, Einstein Bros. Bagels decided to tease their customers with Applewood Smoked Bacon Dark Roast Coffee as an April Fool’s joke. Apparently, they thought the best part of waking up would be coffee and bacon in your cup.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is synonymous with its namesake, the almighty chicken. So fans knew something was up when the chain started marketing a Steak Filet Sandwich. Some customers actually believed it to be true, so the brand took to their Facebook page to explain the April Fools joke. “April Fools! We’re glad that you’re fans of the flavor of Chick-fil-A, but we think that flavor is best reserved for 100% all-white meat chicken Monday through Saturday, just like it’s always been. Hope we had you going,” they wrote.”
Jimmy John’s
Everyone is looking for convenience and lightning-fast service these days, which Jimmy John’s aims to provide. Their prank was a send-up of the many meal kit delivery services on the market. The unique selling point was a pretty hard sell, though. Jimmy John’s White Apron would deliver everything you need to make your favorite sammie at home…only so much slower than if you just ordered it up at the nearest Jimmy John’s location.
El Pollo Loco
If you can have an Onion Ring Monocle, you might as well add a Churro Chain around your neck. El Pollo Loco yucked it up in 2017 with a spoof on their menu’s popular cinnamon-dusted treat. If we’re being honest, the idea of having a churro so near at all times is kind of convenient.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell dropped the mic on April Fools’ pranks back in 1996 when they bought full-page ads announcing they had purchased the Liberty Bell. That would make it the Taco Liberty Bell. The ad read something like this: “In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country’s most historic treasures. It will now be called ‘The Taco Liberty Bell’ and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing.”
Sources:
- Twitter.com: @WarbyParker
- PRNewswire.com: “White Castle Enters Fitness Industry”
- FoodandWine.com: “This Year’s Best Food April Fools’ Day Pranks”
- Instagram.com: @TheHalalGuys
- Instagram.com: @EinsteinBros
- Facebook.com: Chick-fil-A
- Facebook.com: El Pollo Loco
- PhillyVoice.com: “Two decades ago, Taco Bell convinced America that it had bought the Liberty Bell”
