Earlier this week, Taco Bell did what it does best — got attention from hungry Internet users — when it was confirmed that the fast food chain was testing a Waffle Taco in California. But one intrepid reporter tried the experimental eats and is now questioning the entire idea what it means to be a taco. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Burger King: Hey Guys, McDonald’s Isn’t The Only One Who Can Do A Rib-Shaped Sandwich
By 5.15.13
Thus far in its life, the McRib has had a solitary existence, with nary another rib-shaped piece of meat out there to keep it company. So rejoice, McDonald’s! Your boneless hunk of rib-ish meat will have new friend soon, when Burger King unveils its summer 2013 menu, including its limited-time BK Rib Sandwich. [More]
Is It Okay To Change A Baby’s Diaper In Public If There’s No Restroom Changing Table?
By 5.14.13
The reality of babies and young toddlers it that they’re gonna go when they’re gonna go, and parents will need to change their diapers. But what if a business like Starbucks doesn’t have a changing table in the restroom — is it okay for a parent to take care of diaper duty in the public seating area? One woman did, and Starbucks employees ended up calling the cops. [More]
Taco Bell Asks “Why Not?”, Tests Waffle-Shelled Taco
By 5.13.13
Taco Bell is either onto something brilliant here or they’ve been snorting lines of powdered nacho cheese. Regardless of the company’s inspiration, it is now apparently testing out a taco shell made out of waffles, because it can and what are you going to do about it? [More]
How Much Does A Free Pair Of Gloves Cost? 60 Cents
By 5.10.13
Walgreens, it’s great that you’re trying to encourage sales of your “Nice!” house brand by giving away free coordinating stuff with, say, a bottle of dish soap. It’s the part where you’re underestimating their intelligence that’s kind of bad. For example, charging an extra 60 cents, then saying that something is on “sale” and comes with free stuff. [More]
Vanilla Mountain Dew, Strawberry Pepsi Made Possible By New Soda Fountains
By 5.10.13
Four years after Coca-Cola launched its Freestyle soda fountains that allow users to mix/match/blend/concoct whatever flavor monstrosities they want without the hassle of having to bounce from nozzle to nozzle, PepsiCo has finally gotten on board the Fantasy Flavor Train with a test of a new soda fountain that allows customers to add shots of extra flavor into their sweet drinks. [More]
Wrigley Gets Jitters About Caffeinated Gum, Pulls It From Market For Now
By 5.9.13
Two months after unveiling its Alert Energy caffeinated gum, and shortly after the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into products with additional caffeine, the folks at Wrigley have decided to pull the gum from store shelves, for now. [More]
Legislation Would Push FDA To Investigate Antibiotic Use In Farm Animals
By 5.8.13
As Americans grow more concerned that the antibiotics being provided to farm animals are resulting in new strains of pathogens that are resistant to these drugs, a group of Senators have introduced legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to collect data about this controversial practice. [More]
Healthy Offerings Or No, Study Says Teens Will Pile On The Fast Food Calories Anyway
By 5.8.13
For all that Subway markets its lower-calorie, healthy options, it appears adolescents and teens are going to load up with enough food to rival the calorie counts at places like McDonald’s, according to a new study. Researchers studying teens in Los Angeles say it doesn’t matter what’s on the menu, kids are going to buy meals with a whole lot of calories. [More]
Starbucks Sort Of Implements Suspended Coffee, Donates Food And Drink To Nonprofit
By 5.8.13 — Updated: 5.22.13
Back in March, we simultaneously spread and scorned the “suspended coffee” meme: a concept originating in the Italian city of Naples where customers can order an extra coffee or food item for a stranger in need that they can request at any time. We dismissed the entire concept as something that a global chain like Starbucks would never implement because it is too complicated to administer and prone to fraud. We were wrong. [More]
Taco Bell Returns To Doing What It Does Best With New “$1 Cravings” Value Menu
By 5.3.13
After dipping its toes in the “Look, we offer healthy stuff, too!” waters with its Cantina Bell menu offerings, Taco Bell is now going back to doing what we all know it does best — selling cheap fast food that’s easy to eat to people who just want cheap fast food that’s easy to eat. The company has been testing its $1 Cravings value menu to replace its tiered “Why Pay More” idea, and will roll the $1 prices out nationally soon(ish). [More]
DiGiorno And California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas Recalled Because Plastic Fragments Are Not Desired Toppings
By 5.3.13
People will eat just about anything on a piece of flattened bread and call it a pizza, but most of us draw the line at small plastic fragments. That’s why the Nestlé Pizza Company has issued a recall for some frozen pizzas made under the DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen labels. [More]
FDA Finally Solving The Burning Question Of Whether Antibacterial Soap Is Safe
By 5.3.13
You put it on your hands, wipe your utensils with it before they touch your food, slather it all over your body and generally dunk yourself in it throughout your life — but is antibacterial soap safe? Or rather, is its resident germ-killer, triclosan, ineffective or even not good for you? The Food and Drug Administration is working on an answer. [More]
Study: Nearly Half Of U.S. Consumers Went To McDonald’s In March
By 5.2.13
A new study attempts to determine the businesses that American consumers visit most often. Not surprisingly, the list is dominated by places that sell food; and that McDonald’s was by far the most-visited business in the U.S. [More]
7 Things We Learned About The History Of The Doritos Locos Taco
By 5.1.13
We’ve been writing about Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco for more than two years, since it was just a fast food experiment being tested in small pockets around the country. But we never knew exactly where the idea came from. [More]
Dear Domino’s: Maybe Cut The Marketing Budget, Boost Employee Training
By 5.1.13
Misti has some advice for Domino’s that perhaps would be wise for other businesses to follow: spending money on marketing is all very well and good, but ultimately pointless if you don’t train franchisees and staff on how to not treat customers like crap. [More]
FDA Approves Morning-After Pill For Anyone 15 And Older Without A Prescription
By 5.1.13
The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that the morning-after pill has been approved for girls and women 15 and older without a prescription, as well as putting it out on drugstore shelves instead of keeping it stashed behind the pharmacy counter. [More]
Trying To Sneak Poisoned Juice Into A Starbucks Fridge Is One Way To Get Cops’ Attention
By 4.30.13
It’s quite a day for Starbucks in the headlines, but this time it was the target of some particularly toxic vitriol. As in, a woman is accused of trying to sneak tainted bottles of orange juice into a store display in San Jose. It appears at least one person in the store wasn’t totally immersed in their laptop and saw the shenanigans before anyone got hurt. [More]
