Consumerist
we still do brand wars?
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contests
This Subway Shop In Virginia Promotes Timeshares
Tim thought he was entering an innocent giveaway at his local Subway in Warrenton, Virginia earlier this month. Nope. It was just timeshare bait. We wish the Subway would have known better than to allow the dropbox in their store to begin with, but after reading Tim's story you'll know what to watch out for should you run into a similar contest. More » -
Did you know that in California, if you ask the Subway sandwich mechanic (or whatever they're called) to toast your sandwich, you'll be charged a sales tax, whereas if you go untoasted you won't? Crazy! Thomas Hawk says you should always order your coffee to go at California restaurants, even if you plan on drinking it there, to avoid a similar crazy tax. [Thomas Hawk] (Thanks to Glenn!)
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fast food
McDonald's Remains America's Favorite Fast Food Restaurant
Consumer research company Experian Simmons (yes, owned by Experian), has released a new study of fast food industry covering the past 5 years, and it looks like we still love going to McDonald's more than any other fast food restaurant. More » -
signs
Probably At 4 Cookies The Real Savings Kicks In
Edward found this sign at a Subway shop in NYC. We appreciate that they're doing the addition for us. -
subway
This Subway Sub To Salad Conversion Is Pretty Expensive
Reader Will sent us the above picture and asked why we thought it would cost so much more to substitute a plastic bowl for a piece of bread.
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truth in advertising
Icon Parking Accidentally Reveals Why Their Service Is Cheap
Eli Lansey took photos of recent Icon Parking ads on NYC subway cars and posted them on his blog. They promise customers "$10 for up to 10 hours" of parking at various lots in the city. Wow, that's a good price! On the same ad they have a help wanted section that says they're looking for employees, "no experience necessary." Ah. More » -
subway
Subway Launches Text Message Ordering In NYC
Subway has launched a pilot program called SubwayNow where New York City residents (Manhattan only at the moment, it looks like) can register to place pick-up orders via text message. According to IntoMobile, after registering with your address and providing payment info, which they keep on file, you set up a list of sandwich orders that are saved as a personal menu. When you're ready to use the service, you text "menu" to the Subway shortcode, and Subway sends back your pre-set menu. Then you text back the menu item you want, and Subway responds with a pick-up time. More » -
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subway
This Subway Is Going To Reject Your Coupon One Way Or Another
Dale couldn't redeem his "free 6 inch sub" coupon at his local Subway. Was it because of a particularly lazy employee, poor management, or dire financial straits? Maybe it was all three, considering the string of completely unrelated excuses Dale was given over just a few minutes. More » -
no more free lunch
Subway Institutes $0.75 Refill Honor System?
Jon from NJ says describes his local Subway's new 75 cent refill policy as "silly." Hmmm. More » -
fast food
Which Restaurants Are Making Your Kids Fat?
Unless your kid is named Hansel, he probably doesn't need to be fattened up like a juicy Christmas goose every time you go out to eat. That's not what some of the biggest restaurants think, though: Chili's has a kids' meal that comes in at 1,020 calories, while Burger King and KFC both offer meals that are over 900 calories. Your healthiest option, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is Subway. Here are what some other restaurants are offering, as well as tips on how to make the best of a bad meal when your kid is eating out. For children between 4 and 8 years of age, the recommended amount of calories per meal, assuming three meals a day, is 430. If the child is active, the amount goes up to 565. Using these numbers as a guide, the CSPI looked at the biggest restaurant chains in the country, then whittled their list down to the ones that offer dedicated kids' menus and provide nutritional info. This meant the following were left out of the study because they won't provide nutritional info:- We don't need no stinkin' nutrition
- Applebee's
- T.G.I. Friday's
- Outback Steakhouse
- Olive Garden
- Red Lobster
- IHOP
Chili's has 700 possible kids' meal combinations, but 658, or 94 percent, of those are too high in calories, including one comprised of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples, and chocolate milk (1,020 calories) and another comprised of cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade (1,000 calories). Burger King has a "Big Kids" meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk (910 calories) Sonic has a "Wacky Pack" with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries, and a slushie. KFC has a wide variety of side items, but there are few meal combinations that keep a reasonable ceiling on calories, according to the study. One example of a high-cal combo KFC kid's meal (the chain calls them "Laptop Meals") has popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, Teddy Grahams, and fruit punch, which has 940 calories. (KFC has since dropped Baked Cheetos from its kids' meals, and some outlets vary the number of chicken strips or sides.) Most of the kids'meals (93 percent) at McDonald's and Wendy's are too high in calories, as are the possibilities at Burger King (92 percent), Dairy Queen (89 percent), Arby's (69 percent), and Denny's (60 percent-though its kids' meals don't include drinks). (Since CSPI's study was completed, Burger King has introduced one new children's meal with macaroni and cheese, apple "fries," and 1 percent milk, which has a reasonable 420 calories.) Subway's kids' meals came out on top. Only a third of its Fresh Fit for Kids meals, which include a mini-sub, juice box, and one of several healthful side items (apple slices, raisins, or yogurt), exceed the 430-calorie threshold. Subway is the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with kids' meals.
So how do you improve the nutrition of your kid's meal the next time you eat at a restaurant? A spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association gave the following advice:"Don't be too alarmed even when [studies] come out and seem hopeless," said Dawn Jackson Blatner, an American Dietetic Ass>ociation spokeswoman. "With a few swaps and switches, people really can make healthier choices at these fast-food joints, especially when the decisions are made before going in. "Many of these restaurants have the nutrition information online that you can print out and go over with your kids even before you go, so that everybody is on the same page before they pull up to the drive-through or [head] to the counter," Blatner said. She also suggested that "instead of getting the fries, go with the apple slices. Many [restaurants] offer carrot sticks or apple slices or no-sugar-added applesauce or oranges, which make a big difference over deep-fried fries." And pay attention to how food is cooked. "Instead of the deep-fried nuggets, go for something like the grilled chicken, and you will save fat grams and calories," Blatner said. You'll also save calories by switching the soda, she added: "You can't go wrong with unsweetened iced tea, water or a skim milk."
As for the restaurants that refuse to provide nutritional info, maybe you should just eat elsewhere. Click here for some specific replacement suggestions from the Chicago Tribune. You can download a copy of the full CSPI report here. (Photo: Getty) -
grocery shrink ray
15 Victims Of The Grocery Shrink Ray
The Grocery Shrink Ray continues its miniature spree across the supermarket aisles of America. Here's 14 more victims that have surfaced in the past week, as spotted by our watchful bands of deputized Consumerist reader-investigators... More »
2:59 PM on Fri Aug 1 2008
By Ben Popken
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subway
Subway Says Get Off Your Phone Or Go To The Back Of The Line
Sean says he approves of the this sign that he saw at an Idaho Subway location today, but his wife wasn't a fan... More » -
transportation
Are Unlimited Ride MetroCards A Good Deal? Not For A Lot Of People Who Use Them
The New York Times had an article today about the 10 year anniversary of the unlimited MetroCard and how it has transformed way people use the subway. They even included a graph that showed how many times people are using their cards in a month. What they didn't mention is that a lot of people are buying the card and not hitting the "break even" point of 46 rides per month. Hmm. More » -
taking it seriously
Subway Takes Knife In Sandwich Very Seriously
WHO: Subway
WHAT: A man says he ate a subway sandwich and it had a 7-inch serrated blade inside.
WHERE: NYC man says he found knife in Subway sandwich [AP] (Thanks to Jeff!)
THE QUOTE: "Subway restaurants spokesman Kevin Kane says food safety and customer comments are taken "very seriously" and that the company is "investigating the facts." More » -
mcdonalds diet
Man Loses 86 lbs Eating 1,200-1,400 Calories Per Day Of McDonald's Food
Chris Coleson, a businessman from Richmond, VA told his wife he could lose weight by eating anywhere — even McDonald's. More » -
subway
Subway's Gift Card Machine Is Indefinitely Broken
Reader Kristina was hungry and ready to make use of her Subway $20 gift card, however, when she tried to redeem it at the Subway store at Water and Wall St. in Manhattan, the transaction unfolded like this:
Me: *offers gift card as payment*
Employee: "Nope."
Me: "I'm sorry?"
Employee: "No gift cards."
Me: "But this is a Subway gift card. And I am in Subway."
Employee: "No gift cards."
Me: "It says on the gift card that this is used like cash in a Subway."
Employee: "Machine's down. You want your sandwich or not?"This might seem like a routine glitch, but over a month later, "the machine" is still inoperative. Kristina's letter, inside... More »
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public health
There Are Bed Bugs On The Subway Benches. Yes, Really.
Bedbugs are usually thought of as something that only hotel guests have to worry about, but apparently New Yorkers who like to sit on benches while they wait for the subway should be concerned about the bloodsuckers as well. More »
