Honestly, it is hard to remember when exactly the chili cheese fry burrito first popped up on the Wienerschnitzel menu. It was definitely in the late 2000s as part of the fast food chain’s foray into offering discount items.
Wienerschnitzel has always been weirdly overpriced. Like, the quality is pretty low but they are still expecting you to hand over $2.50 for a pathetic burger because it has some watery chili on it. Before launching its dollar menu, I had been to the eatery maybe three times in the past five years. And that was only when they were doing the three for three combo where you got a chili cheese burger, chili cheese dog and chili cheese fries for three bucks.
Not only was the chili cheese fry burrito on the first Wienerschnitzel dollar menu, but that lineup also featured an ice cream cone, a basic hot dog and a fountain drink among other items. It wasn’t a deep roster. However, I welcomed any and all dollar menus as a kid in junior college not wanting to spend more than four dollars on a given meal.
Let’s just come out and say this now. The chili cheese fry burrito from Wienerschnitzel was not good. The Mona Lisa isn’t good either. That doesn’t stop both from being a masterpiece.
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What made the chili cheese fry burrito from Wienerschnitzel so awesome?
The chili cheese fry burrito consisted of a small amount of French fries topped with a paltry amount of chili and a partial slice of cheese wrapped inside a cold Mission tortilla. I never understood why they couldn’t at least warm up the tortilla.
Anyway, it was 99 cents, but that alone didn’t make it a fast food masterpiece. I mean the McChicken was the same price, yet no one remembers that fondly. What made the chili cheese fry burrito from Wienerschnitzel so awesome was the fact it was inherently ridiculous.
Firstly, the sheer volume of carbs here was farcical. Chili and cheese may have gotten top billing, but this was 75 percent fries and tortilla. Your first two bites were almost always entirely tortilla. If you got lucky, the second bite would have some fries in there. In most cases, the last bite was also nothing but burrito shell and potato.
Secondly, the chili cheese fry burrito from Wienerschnitzel were like Pringles. Once you popped, you couldn’t stop. And because they were so cheap, it was possible to eat five and not feel guilty.
There was also an exciting feeling when you ordered. It seemed liked you were getting one over on Wienerschnitzel by ordering three chili cheese fry burritos as opposed to the standard chili cheese fries. The latter was like $2.99 on its own. It seemed like going with the burritos was a better value play.
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Missing the legend
The chili cheese fry burrito was dropped by Wienerschnitzel sometime in the 2010s when they also did away with the dollar menu. The hot dog eatery has brought it back from time-to-time although without much fanfare. Additionally, it may cost more than 99 cents these days which is a total deal breaker.
But at less than one dollar, there was nothing more satisfying than stuffing your face with a chili cheese fry burrito or three. Even if the tortilla was stale, there wasn’t nearly enough chili on it and you could barely taste the cheese. Not all masterpieces are good. Sometimes what makes them special is their uniqueness.
