Stuff's article says,

"They didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonald's, and we don't like American Idol, so we're doubly offended," said bass player Gerard Casale.

Comment was being sought from McDonald's.

Devo, who formed in Akron, Ohio, in 1974, are famous for their 1980 hit Whip It, and are credited with helping to usher in the synth pop sound of the 1980s.

The name Devo comes from "de-evolution" - the idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed.

Casale said it was ironic the world's largest fast food chain should appropriate the image of a band known for taking aim at the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society.

"The very same people that wanted nothing to do with Devo and looked down on Devo and condescended (to) Devo... enough time's gone by that they go, 'Hey, you know those guys are synonymous with what was new about New Wave,"' he said.

Ironic indeed. Good luck to Devo!

McDonalds sued over Happy Meal toy [Stuff]
Devo Sue McDonald’s Over Happy Meal Toy [Rolling Stone]

As we've previously suggested, Brandon reported the violation to Mastercard and Visa, as well as to McDonald's headquarters. To reiterate: most credit card companies' merchant agreements forbid merchants from requiring a minimum charge to pay with a credit card, asking for ID when you pay with a credit card, or adding a surcharge for paying with a credit card (merchants are usually allowed to give a discount for paying cash, however, if it's clearly labeled as such), and we encourage readers to report violations directly to the credit card company using the info here.

CR says that an average cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine. While all decaf will have some caffeine, there are no laws that dictate how much caffeine is allowed in decaffeinated coffee.

Their results,

More than half of our decafs had less than 5 mg of caffeine, but some had quite a bit more. One of the six cups from Dunkin' Donuts had 32 mg; one from Seattle's Best had 29 mg; and one from Starbucks had 21 mg. Levels of caffeine in the decaffeinated coffees we tested varied within chains, but in our sample, McDonald's decaf consistently had less than 5 mg.

Our shoppers bought caffeinated coffee at the same chains, and we found a surprise there, too. Caffeine per cup ranged from 58 mg to 281 mg, providing less or more of a java jolt than you might expect.

We suppose it would be more correct to call the stuff "partially decaffeinated" coffee. If you are someone who is trying to avoid caffeine, you might want to limit yourself to one cup of decaf per day and not drink any before bed. Of course, most of our readers would probably prefer a caffeine IV if such a thing existed.

Is it really decaf? [Consumer Reports]

"I told her I could lose weight eating anywhere," he said. "I told her I could do it eating at McDonald's."

So he did. By eating two meals a day (and only two meals) consisting of "wraps, apple-walnut salads and the occasional cheeseburger" Chris has lost 86 lbs since December.

Coleson told AdAge that he's not interested in being the next "Jared," but would like to encourage McDonald's to build playgrounds where parents with disabilities can play with their children.

"I wasn't disabled when I weighed 300 pounds, but it made me think about parents who are," said Mr. Coleson. He currently "works closely with his local YMCA and the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides services to disabled veterans," says AdAge.

Has McDonald's Found Its Jared? [AdAge]
(Photo: meghannmarco )

The article says,

McDonald's began trying the idea four years ago in Illinois and Missouri. Out-sourcing drive-through order workers began in Hawaii two years ago. Recently it has expanded.

KITV went to one drive-through Wednesday and found the company is still working out the kinks. At the Keeaumoku Street McDonald's, the people taking drive-through orders were in another time zone. "I am currently talking to you from El Paso, Texas, sir," the drive-through operator said.

KITV asked the Texas call-takers if they are having a difficult time understanding people from Hawaii. "We've been out here for about seven months, so it kind of takes me a while just to understand," the worker said.

The long-distance call-takers send back the orders to the restaurant via the Internet. There the restaurant employees take the cash and hand over the food.

We suppose that fast food is meant to be fast, so if the system works then why not? Who hasn't been to a drive-thru that could have benefited from a little more speed and accuracy?

McDonald's Using Out-Of-State Workers For Drive-Through [KITV] (Thanks to Gregg!)
Many Hawaii McDonald's Drive-Throughs Use Workers In Texas [KITV]
(Photo: Getty)

Alex writes:

This morning, my girlfriend made a quick run through her local Marysville, CA, McDonald's drive-thru to get a McGriddle Happy Meal for her three-year old. When pulling away from the restaurant, she heard a cry from the back seat. Her son's McGriddle, it appeared, was missing its sausage patty. Annoyed that yet another drive-thru order was bungled, she went into the restaurant to retrieve the missing meat. When she told the manager of the meat-less McGriddle, the manager replied that the McGriddles in the Happy Meals do not come with sausage, just two syrupy buns wrapped in paper. Seriously. Despite charging regular McGriddle prices, their kids' McGriddles arrive sans meat. SANS MEAT! So, my gf complained obviously, but this manager wouldn't budge, not even for the sake of the most base customer service, not even in the face of common sense, not even with a wailing three-year old in her store. She flat-out refused to hand over a a slice of meat that probably cost McD's pennies to pump out of their patty making plant.

I get that shoddy service at mammoth chains like McDs is pretty much the norm, but I'm absolutely perplexed as to why this store would turn logic on its head by packing two buns into a wrapper and call it a McGriddle, then refuse a customer's reasonable request for a tiny slab of cheap-ass meat.

We looked at McDonald's website to try to find a meatless McGriddle meal — but couldn't find nutritional information for such a thing. We asked Alex for some more info:

I believe the McGriddle Happy Meals are only available at certain locations. For example, the closest McDonald's to me in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, has had the meals since the McGriddles were introduced in 2003. (Comes with the usual: choice of drink, toy, hashbrowns, and sausage-enhanced sandwich.) However, the Gorman, CA, McDonald's doesn't carry them at all.

The Marysville location does indeed carry the item on their menu. On the drive-thru menu, it notes the meal comes with "two griddle cakes," but I can't imagine anyone assuming that the sandwich they were purchasing for their kids would solely consist of two syrup-drenched "cakes" without a slice of meat. It's tons misleading, and mind-bogglingly stupid to even make this a Happy Meal-exclusive menu item [and while the sausage McGriddles are a quick find on mcdonalds.com, the nutritional info. for these "cakes" only appears as part of the sausage mcgriddle sandwich. Here's the description from the site: "McGriddles® breakfast sandwiches provide an innovative way for customers to eat warm golden griddle cakes (with the sweet taste of maple syrup baked right in), and different combinations of savory sausage, crispy bacon, fluffy eggs and melted cheese in a convenient sandwich."]

Seriously, who orders a McGriddle without expecting meat?

Yeah, why wouldn't you just order Hotcakes?

Why won't McDonald's sell the 2-hamburger extra value meal (henceforth called the 2HEVM) anymore? Yeah, I know why- they'd have to charge less than a 2-cheeseburger extra value meal (2CEVM). Paying extra for cheese I don't want ticks me off, but the worse thing is that half the time I can't even get a 2HEVM!

Have you ever tried to order a 2HEVM? It confuses the heck out of the register drones. There's no button for it, and as you know: At McDonald's, if there's no button for it on the register it doesn't exist. Some restaurants have it as a "hidden menu" item, so I always ask for it first. The answer is usually "no" (or the clerk doesn't know, which amounts to the same thing). So I have to ask if they will substitute hamburgers for cheeseburgers. Sometimes I'll get lucky, and they'll do that. More likely, though, they'll tell me they don't do sandwich substitutions. Actually, the usual response is "there's no button for that."

As a last resort, sometimes I have to ask for "Two Cheeseburgers, No Cheese." Don't ever do this. As many McDonald's order takers have tried to explain to me "cheese burgers without cheese are just hamburgers." In other words, they are a non-item. A thing that cannot exist. Anathema. They tell me this so patiently, as if I'm on the verge of a mental break down or might burst into tears when confronted with this apparent contradiction.

I've tried getting clever, but it doesn't help. Asking for the cheese "on the side" (even with the utterly believable explanation that I "don't like my cheese to be melted") is useless since there is no button for "cheese on the side" on the register. Asking for a Kosher cheeseburger will only be met with a blank stare or a puzzled/confused glance at the register just to be sure that "there's no button for that."

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to cajole them into ordering the 2CEVM and pressing the "grill:no-cheese" button. They'll be nervous about it though. Afterward, they'll stare at the register as if they expect it to blow up or start waving robotic arms around and shouting "DOES... NOT...COMPUTE...."

This will kick off a bizarre chain of events. The guy nuking burgers and condimentizing buns in the back will see a grill order for cheeseburgers, hold the cheese. Fellow employees will be asked for advice. Manuals and build-a-burger charts will be consulted. Finally, two decisions must be made: Will there be cheese? And what color paper will be used to wrap the tasty little paradoxes?

You just never know. It's sort of like Christmas that way. Usually, I just get a couple of cheeseburgers wrapped in orange paper. Bizarrely enough, I've even received a couple of cheeseburgers wrapped in white paper. Either way, I consider this a necessary step, the follow-up to which is to change lines and tell the next clerk "I ordered hamburgers but got cheeseburgers." They happily exchange the sandwiches. Exchanges are something they know how to do. I think there's even a button for it. Everyone's happy, and I go on my way cheeseless and a better man for it.

On other luckier occasions, I actually get a couple of hamburgers. Cause for rejoicing, indeed! Sometimes they'll be wrapped in orange paper, sometimes in white. I don't really care, except it's a pain to have to check every fricking time.

The one thing I try to look out for is when they wrap my hamburgers in orange paper, and then the kid serving the drive-thru window will snatch them up and send them out the window. I don't want some poor schmuck to get drive-thru rage from a case of missing cheese.

All this to get the extra 10cts for always up-selling to the cheese level probably costs them a good $1 per order in salaries (since the whole damn restaurant has to get involved) not to mention the cost of the discarded food.

Seriously, what's so hard about adding another fricking button to the register?

We salute you and your quest, Bagumpity. We should not be forced to endure McDonald's lactose-laden wrath any longer. You are a modern day Bobby Dupea from the film "5 Easy Pieces." The next time a McDonald's employee says, "You want me to hold the cheese?" You say, "I want you to hold it between your knees."

Two Cheeseburgers, No Cheese [Consumerist Forums]

Skinner called such regulatory activists "professional naysayers" and "CAVE people — Citizens Against Virtually Everything."

Why so hostile, Jim? Worried that people will start ordering medium drinks?

McDonald's chief: Menu calorie rules are 'flawed' [Chicago Tribune via WSJ Health Blog]
(Photo: *nomad* )

Yesterday, McDonald’s was giving away free southern-style chicken sandwiches if you purchased a medium or large drink. I went down to the location in my office building, where there were three lines. It was busy, but nowhere near riot status.

As I stood in line, I repeatedly heard the employees telling customers that purchasing a “Sweet Tea” didn’t count for the free sandwich. Some left, some rolled their eyes and ordered a “drink” instead, but all of them were pretty peeved about it.

As it happens, someone in the line ahead of me worked for the ad agency that McDonald’s uses and said she WROTE THE AD COPY. She asked to talk to the manager, because she said that Sweet Tea was part of the promotion.

They made her wait. By the time I had ordered and was waiting for my food, two managers came out from the back looking decidedly hostile. When the ad exec tried to explain the ad to them, they immediately cut her off and shouted “No, No, No” and pretty much told her to get lost.

My curiosity was piqued, so I called McDonald’s customer service hotline to find out who was right. Guess what? The managers were completely wrong. The CSR told me “you could buy a milk chug and get a free sandwich. Any drink!” She offered me free coupons for more chicken sandwiches, but I declined because I didn’t want to give my name and address, especially since I wasn’t directly involved.

So, BOO to the local franchise managers, but way to go Customer Service Rep.

Sincerely,

Thunderpants

Nice investigative reporting, Thunderpants. It's good to know that ad agency people are forces for justice, trying to keep McDonald's honest, but it's too bad they didn't listen to her.

(Photo: Paxton Holley )

From the Chicago Tribune:

McDonald's Southern-style items are simple affairs. The sandwich, which has a suggested retail price of $2.89, comes on plain steamed bun, with butter and two pickles its sole condiments. The biscuit, which goes for $1.89, comes adorned only with butter.

Both arrived in stores nationwide within the past two weeks, and a national ad campaign began last week. On Thursday, customers who buy any medium or large drink at McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants can receive a free Southern-style sandwich or breakfast biscuit.

In the South, chicken for breakfast has long been popular, as have simple-but-hearty fried chicken sandwiches like Chick-fil-A's, said West of Stifel Nicolaus. "People in the South love this stuff. The wild card is, will this do as well in the North, in Chicago or Michigan?"

McDonald's says it has extensively tested its Southern-style items in the North, as well as the South, and that both went over well. For those who think chicken for breakfast might sound bizarre, McDonald's Thoma pointed to the McGriddle.

Launched in 2003, the McGriddle—eggs and/or meat sandwiched between two pancakes—was seen by some as bizarre, he said. But it became a big hit and a staple of McDonald's breakfast menu.

"People are venturing outside of their comfort zones," Thoma said.

What say you, Northerners? Are you going to eat a chicken biscuit for breakfast?

No Beef With Chicken Sales [Chicago Tribune]

Rachael writes:

Long story short, McDonalds is the only place near to my home or office that's convenient to grab a quick bite or drink. Not good... but convenient.

I tend to pop in in the mornings for a small breakfast and always order a large coke since it's really the only time during the day that I will be out... and it will last until it's time for me to go home so again, convenient...

Anyway, I always order a large coke... Always get a large coke.

Today, I order a breakfast meal with a large coke. They give me a medium cup. I look at my receipt. It clearly says "large coke 1.59", which is the price of the large. I think the medium is $1.35.

I tell her I ordered a large and she says no, that's the "breakfast large - at breakfast, a large is a medium, a medium is a small and a small is a child's cup"

Now, I used to work at McDonalds in the not so recent past... But recent enough to know how this works. When you order orange juice, that applies. A large orange juice is served in a medium cup. It's the way they have always (at least around here) sized their orange juice. If you order a large soda, you get an actual large. I think the thinking is that orange juice is more expensive so they're basically charging more for it.

But now, all of a sudden, if I order a large soda and pay at the large soda price, I get a medium - simply because of the time of day??? I'm in a really shitty mood anyway this morning and the manager wasn't available and I really didn't feel like arguing with her and being in an even worse mood for a stupid soda... But dammit - everybody's feeling the credit crunch and there they all go basically reaching into my pockets to pad their profits...

ARGH. Could the extra $0.24 mean so much to them? The kicker is.... you know how the movie "supersize Me" made McDonalds discontinue the supersize line? Well.... wanting a large soda (and I mean a real large, not medium - breakfast large), I asked for a supersize soda. Thinking they would downsize it to the real large that I wanted. Nope. I was told they no longer offer supersize. No shit, I just wanted a large soda.

It shouldn't be so hard to get a large soda at breakfast time....

Is McDonald's pinching pennies or was the the work of one rogue agent?

Earlier you said to me, the media has made such a huge deal about all of Starbucks' competition. So tell us straight out what the story is here. Have you been hurt by the premium coffee sold at McDonald's (MCD) or by Dunkin' Donuts getting more aggressive?

"First off, I don't think there's premium coffee being sold at those fast-food places..."

"Second, this is not about the competition. Our customers are not buying a hamburger and fries and then going to get espresso. That's not the case. What is the case is that there's a downturn in the economy. As a result, people are coming in less often than they did a year ago. But we control our own destiny. And what we strongly believe is if we take care of our customers, produce the kind of product that is distinctive, and exceed their expectations, we're going to be in great shape. But we're going to couple that with relentless innovation that you'll begin to see in the marketplace in the months ahead. Uh-oh! That's not what Consumer Reports says! From Consumer Reports' fast food coffee taste test:

McDonald's, $1.35, was decent and moderately strong. Although it lacked the subtle top notes needed to make it rise and shine, it had no flaws.

Burger King, $1.40, looked like coffee but tasted more like hot water. It was a little sour, with an unusual hint of chocolate.

Dunkin' Donuts, $1.65, was weak, watery, and pricier than Starbucks. It was inoffensive, but it had no oomph. (If you brew with Dunkin' beans at home, you can make it stronger.)

Starbucks, $1.55, was strong, but burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open.

CR's take. Try McDonald's, which was cheapest and best, or make your own coffee—just call it something special. The other three were all only OK, but for different reasons.

Howard Schultz on Reinventing Starbucks [BusinessWeek via Starbucks Gossip]
Starbucks wars [Consumer Reports]

An employee in the franchise office told Wade about what the woman had said. Wade said, "The employee had stated to her, 'Imagine if you saw a snake or a spider, how would you respond?' And that employee said she understood that. And I said, 'That's unbelievable. I am a human being.'"

"How could you compare the fear of a snake and spider to a human being? That makes no sense to me," Wade said. "I've seen kids kind of react like that. Understandable. But grown adults to act like that? That's just not acceptable."
 
The restaurant deferred comments on the matter to the franchise office.
 
The person who answered the phone at the franchise office when WYFF News 4 called said the only people who could discuss this case are the franchise's attorneys, insurance company and the owner, but they refused to give out any of their names.

After WYFF spoke to a media spokeswoman at the corporate level, the franchise owner, Cynthia Samour, released a statement saying, "We take these matters seriously and do our very best to serve our customers with the utmost care and respect."

Here are our criteria:

• Had to be from a top nationwide burger chain.
• Had to be on the regular menu.
• Had to be a burger. No chicken.

Special Awards:

Most Ominous New Burger: McDonald's 1/3 Angus Deluxe with Bacon has 860 calories, but isn't available everywhere yet. When it's nationwide, it'll bump the Baconator™ off the top 5.

Some Burgers With Fewer Calories:

A WHOPPER JR.® has 370 calories. You could eat 3 full WHOPPER JR.® sandwiches (bun and toppings and mayo) and it would still be less calories than the TRIPLE WHOPPER® with cheese. A Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger has 310 calories. [ed. note—In the interest of fairness, a friend who recently ate one says that the Baconator™ is significantly more delicious than the 2.6 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers he could eat for the same calories.]

Best Name for A Butt-Blimping Burger:

Baconator™, duh.

Wendy's
McDonald's
BK

(Photo:MortonFox)

CEO Howard Shultz also announced that breakfast sandwiches were on the way out. From Starbucks Gossip:

** The warm sandwiches "are going to be out by year's end." In the meantime, they will be "de-emphasized."

** Serving sandwiches got in the way of employees' "ability to make the perfect shot of espresso." In other words, spending time on sandwiches took away from the focus on coffee.

** The sandwiches will be replaced with "a breakfast menu that delivers what our customers are asking for."

Starbucks to get rid of warm breakfast sandwiches [Starbucks Gossip]
(Photo:cleverclaire)

(Photo:Marike79)

Merola said the McDonald's employees told her to wait there for her food. Merola was handcuffed behind her back and put in the cruiser. Another officer arrived and took her to the Pinellas County Jail .

Merola said she was searched, photographed and fingerprinted. Jail records show she was released about 90 minutes later on her own recognizance.

Imagine waiting until 75 to start your life of crime. What a procrastinator.

Grandmother Arrested At McDonald's Drive-Thru For Not Pulling Car Forward [Local 6 via BoingBoing] (Thanks, Everyone!)

Health advocates are setting their outrage phasers on kill over a McDonald's ad appearing on the report cards of Seminole County, Florida elementary schools. The ad promises free Happy Meals to kids with good grades, despite promises by McDonald's that they would " ban advertising to children under 12 or limit them to food and snacks that meet certain nutritional guidelines."

From ADWEEK:

The Seminole County district said it has created such partnerships for years. Pizza Hut had been a partner for a decade and opted not to participate for the 2007-08 school year. McDonald's took its place. Under the terms of the deal, McDonald's fronted the bill ($1,600) for the printing costs associated with produced report cards for 27,000 students.

"McDonald's has a long-standing and rich heritage of supporting education and academic excellence," said William Whitman, a rep for McDonald's USA, Oak Brook, Ill. "McDonald's does not advertise in schools. However, we continue to support education initiatives in the communities we serve."

McD's Report Card Ads Draw Fire [ADWEEK]
McDonald's Ads Hit New Low [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo:Chicago Tribune)

Regular readers will be familiar with all the twists and turns in the report, but its worth watching if only to see Wendy's try to convince Lesley Stahl that putting calories on menu boards is impossible and that the chain isn't worried about sales dropping.

Also included in the report is an interview with Brian Wansink, a nutrition and marketing professor at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating. If you're at all interested in the ways that food marketing manipulates you, you should check out Brian's research at Cornell's food and brand lab. One of the best parts of the report is the look on one customer's face when Wansink tells him the Subway combo he thought had 300 calories really has 1300.

Wansink then asked another consumer who had chosen the same combo:

"Well, let's say for instance that we would have had the calories listed on the menu when you ordered something like that. Would that influence what you ordered?" Wansink asked a man.

"Absolutely. I don't think I would have gotten it. I mean, 1,350 calories for a Subway," the man replied.

Expert: Many Underestimate Calories [60 Minutes]

That is how we do it. Obviously, we have a lot to learn.
Eugene writes:

My friend Dmitriy went to the McDonald's on First Avenue 71st st in Manhattan to pick up lunch for us. I decided to go with the new Mushroom and Swiss Angus Burger. I'm not a big fan of McDonalds but decided to give it another go.

Unfortunately, it was a bad decision. Dmitriy brings the food back to our college, on 68th and Lexington, and I take a bite, tasting delicious mushroom and swiss cheese, but that is the only thing I taste. I open up the sandwich to see that all I have is just that-mushroom and swiss cheese, no burger, no meat. It was too late to go back to that McDonald's to exchange it because I had class starting in 15 minutes. Let's just take it as a warning-make sure your 1/3 pound Angus burger is just that.

There are vaccines to prevent infection available to anyone who ate at the location less than 14 days ago. If you've already been vaccinated or had Hepatitis A in the past, you're in the clear.

Hepatitis A isn't life threatening or anything, and people usually recover in a month.

There are potentially thousands of people that would have been at that restaurant over that period of time," Dr. Judy MacDonald (ha, ha, her name is "MacDonald") told the Calgary Sun.

"It's impossible to know the extent of (or) even if people were actually exposed to hepatitis A." Ick.

Thousands exposed to Hep A [Calgary Sun] (Thanks, Vlad!)
(Photo:Morton Fox)

The burger Trent assembled cost $1.83, while the McDonald's double cheeseburger was $1.06, but he still thinks he got a pretty good deal.

Is The Value Menu Really A Value? Comparing The Homemade Double Cheeseburger To The McDonald's $1 Version [The Simple Dollar] (Thanks, T!)

We hope that someone just ordered a ton of McDonald's food for their office, because the idea that McDonald's thinks the subway is as good as a refrigerated truck is a little too hard to believe. In any case, that's a lot of McDonald's.

(Photo:Thanks, Christopher!)

The legislation is similar to controversial regulations in New York City and King County, Washington, but if Governor Schwarzenegger signs this bill, California will be the first state to make nutrition information on menu boards a requirement.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is happy about the bill:

"Without nutrition information at the point of decision-making in chain restaurants, it's hard for people to make informed choices for themselves and their children," said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at CSPI. "Who would expect that some coffee drinks at Starbucks have more calories than a Big Mac, or that a tuna salad sub from Subway has more calories than a roast beef sub?"

California Legislature Passes Historic Menu Labeling Bill [CSPI]
(Photo:CSPI)

PREVIOUSLY: Seattle To Require Calorie Labeling At Chain Restaurants, Cut Trans Fat
Subway Is Not Ashamed: First Fast Food Restaurant To Put Calorie Info On Menus
NYC Restaurant Group Sues Over Nutritional Info Regulation

The police officer says the burger made him sick—and Kendra Bull, 20, spent a night in jail because of it. According to Kendra, she accidentally spilled too much salt on the hamburger meat, tried to remove it, notified her coworkers, then took a break. During the break she says she ate a burger made from the salty meat.

Officer Wendall Adams got a burger from the over salted batch, took a few bites and came back to confront Kendra. From WISTV:

Bull admitted to spilling the salt on the burger, and the officer asked her to step outside, where he questioned Bull further, she said.

Bull, who has worked at the restaurant for five months, said she did not know a police officer had ordered the burger because she could NOT see the drive-through window from her work area.

Bull said Adams insisted the burger must have had something worse than salt on it. Adams actually did NOT eat the entire burger, and samples were sent to the state crime lab to find out what was in or on the burger that made Adams sick.

Union City public information officer George Louth said Bull was charged with reckless conduct because she served the burger "without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it."

McDonald's employee charged after serving oversalted burger [WISTV] (Thanks, D-Bo!)
(Photo:mrbill)

Supersize Me's effects have worn off. Burger King takes market share by introducing more calorie rich items. And, you need something for the new 42 oz Hugo to wash down.

The "Hugo"? What the heck is a Hugo?

The Hugo is McDonald's new drink size, available only in certain markets, the Hugo is 42 oz and when filled with regular soda weighs in at an impressive 410 calories.

It's priced as low as $0.89. A hell of a deal! But who needs that much soda? From the NYT:

"People, I believe, tend to drink more during the summer," said Danya Proud, a McDonald's spokeswoman. "People are out and about."

She said the Hugo was being offered because of customer demand, and so far, it has sold quite well. Ms. Proud cautioned about comparing the Hugo to McDonald's old Supersize menu.

"That's not what this is about," she said. "You have to put it in context with the rest of our menu."

Did McDonald's Give In to Temptation? [NYT]
(Photo:Noah Berger/NYT)

And do you wish the "viral" invite system had, oh we don't know, animated guitars and "Adult Swim"-style "witty" title cards?

We don't either. Meet "BurgerCon."

From the BurgerCon News Release:

"Plan your own BurgerCon.

Step 1: Taunt your friends by flaunting your burger-eating prowess.

Step 2: Throw down the gauntlet. Delcare BURGERCON via our electronic invitation.

Step 3: Go to McDonald's. Order burgers and prepare for ensuing awesomeness.

BurgerConItsOn
Burger News [McD] (Thanks, Tom!)

She says McDonald's offered her a $10 gift certificate as compensation.

From WREX (emphasis ours):

Dawn Larson was born with Holt-Oram Syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes abnormalities in the hands, arms, and heart. Her tiny hands are about 6 inches from her shoulders, so she does most things with her feet.

Dawn says her disability's never stopped her from leading a normal life. "I do everyday things like everyday people." But on November 3rd, she says that changed. Larson pulled up to the McDonald's drive through on Kishwaukee Street and ordered food for her and her sons. She drove to the first window, gave the cashier her credit card with her foot, and pulled up to get her food. Dawn says, "The first girl said, 'Girl, you ain't got no arms' and the manager said she couldn't hand me her food and she just kept sticking to the fact that I didn't have no arms and she was disgusted by it. I had the right to eat my dinner and feed my kids and they took that away from me."

At what point did someone at McDonald's read a complaint this awful and say, "Know what? Humiliated over a cheeseburger? $10 ought to do it."

Rockford Woman Sues McDonald's After Allegedly Being Denied Food [WREX via BoingBoing] (Thanks, gleenyc!)

Amused, Mickey D's was not, as the manager refuses service and calls in the duo's license plate number.

Apparently, it's only okay for the McJobbers to conduct transactions in a hard-to-understand, robotic, voice.

Optimus Prime is Refused Service at McDonalds, Shows Mercy to Feeble Humans [Gizmodo]

Currently, about 1/4 of McDonald's locations have switched over to the new, healthier oil. An email sent out last Friday to franchisees and employees gives instructions on dealing with the public.

To successfully manage customer expectations nationwide, we are not disclosing the full list of markets which have been already using the oil as part of our test program. We will only acknowledge use of the oil in New York City due to its requirements," said the e-mail, which was reviewed by Dow Jones Newswires.

While it predicted that "customers in all our restaurant locations will become increasingly interested in whether their favorite fries are being cooked in the new oil or not, (w)e ask the entire system to hold any further acknowledgment of our deployment markets until we can announce as a full system that we are zero grams" of trans fat, the message said.

"If you are in a market which has been involved in oil tests, do not identify the change to your crew, customers or media," it continued. "We want to avoid comparisons of menu items and restaurants during this conversion.... You will be notified later this year of our full deployment plans and when we can cross the finish line and announce our success together," it said.

McDonald's Mum on Trans-Fat-Free Fries [Forbes]
(Photo: Ben Popken)

Burger King is now offering the Spam Platter—which is "two slices of Spam nestled between white rice and scrambled eggs." You can also get a Croissanwich or Biscuit Sandwich with Spam.

The Spam Platter costs $3.49 at BK. McDonald's Spam Platter (shown above) is almost identical, but is 10 cents cheaper.

Hawaiians consume 5 million pounds of Spam a year, about 6 cans per person. You can get lots of varieties of Spam in Hawaii, some of which we'd never even heard of.

"There's Spam Garlic, Spam Bacon, Spam with Cheese, Spam with Tabasco, Spam Turkey and Spam Lite, which featured less sodium and less fat." Who knew? Hawaiians, we assume. —MEGHANN MARCO

Burger King Ignites Spam War [NBC11]
(Photo: aprilandrandy)

The company is leading a "word battle" on behalf of the wider service sector. The object, according to David Fairhurst, a senior vice-president of McDonald's, is to change the definition of McJob to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime."

Can McDonald's Alter the Dictionary? [Time]
(Photo: Tom Simpson)

Starbucks and Cracker Barrel fared well, along with several upscale chains, including Bonefish Grill, Ruth's Chris, Legal Sea Foods, and Morton's. The survey attributes the faltering satisfaction levels to record expansion and a lack of innovation.

"They all drowned in the sea of sameness," he said, asserting that they had failed to innovate and largely had similar menus. "They overbuilt and underwhelmed."

Eateries found failing to deliver [Chicago Trib]
Restaurant-Beverage Demand Today 2007 [Kanbay Research Institute]

"We're going to be testing Angus burgers later this summer in one of the Northeast markets," said King, McDonald's East Division president. "With all test products we want to get a sense of different geographies and demographics so we're going to take it around the block here in the East."

Anyway, the pictures make the burger look pretty tempting, but since we've not eaten a McDonald's burger in 12 years, (don't ask, you don't want to know) we'll probably be able to resist. How about you?—MEGHANN MARCO

McDonald's to expand test marketing of Angus burger [LA Times]
McDonalds Of Southern California

It'll feature Shrek collectible glasses, Shrek Happy Meal toys and, uh, milk and apples. Other, less "healthy" options will also feature the big green guy, so... call us cynical. Cartoon character fast food marketing is cartoon character fast food marketing.

Incidentally, McDonald's idea of healthy food (according to its press release) includes "Chocolate Milk Jugs" and "Apple Dippers" with "optional low fat caramel dipping sauce." The chocolate milk has 170 calories and 25 grams of sugar. Regular milk has 100 calories. The apples have 35 calories, the dipping sauce? 70 calories and 9 grams of sugar. Healthier than the 250 calories in a package of small fries, yes. Healthy? Maybe stick to regular milk and plain apples. —MEGHANN MARCO

McDonald's Unveils Global 'Shrek' Movie Promotion [AdAge]
McDonald's Brings the Joy of Shrek to Customers Around the World [McDonalds]

McDonald's sells more chicken than KFC [AZCentral]
(Photo: Morton Fox)

In Chicago, some McDonald's restaurants are offering free hotcakes to people who early-vote in the local runoff elections! My friend cashed in this morning and enjoyed her hot breakfast.

This is almost certainly a violation of Illinois law:
(10 ILCS 5/29 1) (from Ch. 46, par. 29 1)
Sec. 29 1. Vote buying.
Any person who knowingly gives, lends or promises to give or
lend any money or other valuable consideration to any other person to
influence such other person to vote or to register to vote or to
influence such other person to vote for or against any candidate or
public question to be voted upon at any election shall be guilty of a
Class 4 felony.
(Source: P. A. 78 887.)

UPDATE: We took our Chicago knowledge for granted. Yes, the pancake flier does name the candidate up for election: Alderman Howard Brookins. From Chicagoist:

According to the person who spoke with us at the campaign headquarters (who refused to give a name) this is a "campaign contribution" from a business leader in the community who supports Brookins.