It’s one thing to ask for a funny joke to go along with your dinner delivery, but when one customer received a pizza box with a very unfunny racist comment written inside, a franchise owner in Massachusetts says he fired the worker responsible. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Dairy Queen Pulls Franchise From Owner Who Addressed Family With Racial Slurs
By 1.10.17
It’s unusual to see a crowd of people toting signs and celebrating that a local restaurant has closed. The people outside the Dairy Queen in Zion, IL, had originally planned a protest urging people to boycott after the franchisee reportedly called at a customer and her children by a racial slur, but Dairy Queen pulled his franchise and the restaurant closed in the interim. [More]
Video Shows Jimmy John’s Workers Using Dough As Jump Rope
By 1.10.17
When visiting a fast food restaurant for a bite to eat, we’re generally left in the dark about the goings-on behind the scenes. But every once in a while we get a glimpse of what’s happening in the kitchen, and it’s usually not that great — or sanitary. To that end: a new video appears to show workers at a Jimmy John’s restaurant in Florida using dough for anything other than making bread. [More]
Seasonal Twinkies And Other Snacks Recalled Due To Contaminated Milk Powder
By 1.10.17
The Great Powdered Milk Recall of 2016 is extending into 2017, affecting even more snack items with candy coating. Products included in this round were mostly marketed as holiday season treats, and have the potential to include a not-so-festive dose of Salmonella. [More]
Chipotle’s Sales Suffer In Latest Quarter…. Because Of Avocados?
By 1.10.17
Chipotle’s sales fell in the last quarter of 2016, and the company is no longer blaming the less-than-stellar performance on its inability to bring back customers after its very public bout of food borne illness issues. Instead, the falter is the result of spending too much money on ads, promotions, and avocados. [More]
Instacart Shoppers Say Change To Tipping Policy Has Led To Pay Cuts, Deactivated Accounts
By 1.10.17
Things between Instacart and the people it uses to deliver grocery orders have been a bit contentious ever since the company decided to overhaul its tipping practices last fall. Months later, it doesn’t appear to be getting any better, as shoppers tell Consumerist the company has cut their pay by way of decreasing delivery rates, prevented them from picking up orders, and at times, deactivated their accounts. [More]
Restaurants Sorting Out Weird Calorie Issues Before Menu Rules Go Into Effect
By 1.9.17 — Updated: 5.3.17
When your salad comes with dressing and croutons, should a menu board calorie count include those toppings? Does a restaurant have to calculate and post the calories in a seasonal item like an eggnog latte? Restaurants and vending machine operators only have a few months to figure this out before the Food and Drug Administration’s calorie-count requirement becomes mandatory. [More]
Woman Sues Chipotle For $2.2 Billion Over A Photograph
By 1.9.17
If you walked into a restaurant and saw yourself in a photo on the wall, maybe you’d be flattered, or perhaps slightly embarrassed if it’s not a great likeness. You also might not really care. One California woman has had a bit of an extreme reaction to seeing herself on the wall at Chipotle, and is suing the company for $2.2 billion. [More]
Starbucks Ends Boozy ‘Evenings’ Menu At 439 Locations
By 1.6.17
Turns out that people want coffee at coffee shops and beer and wine at other places. Eighteen months after Starbucks expanded its “Evenings” menu of booze and small bites, the company plans to pull the plug on the offering. [More]
More Than 125,000 People Call On Burger King, KFC, Starbucks & Others To Curb Antibiotics Use
By 1.5.17
While a handful of fast food chains have made at least some commitment to reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock, the majority of these restaurants still have no policy when it comes to this issue. This morning, CEOs of those companies are receiving a petition signed by more than 125,000, asking them to do their part to help prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [More]
Chipotle Launches “Dietary Options” Tool For Better Burrito Personalization
By 1.5.17
As the saying goes, “One man’s burrito is another man’s dietary nightmare.” And because it’s not always easy to know exactly how many calories will be in that chorizo burrito, or which ingredients are part of a particular diet — whether it’s paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, or what have you — Chipotle has released an online tool. [More]
Taco Bell Says It’s Ditching Extra-Large Sodas, Will Cut Down On Preservatives “Where Possible”
By 1.5.17
Let’s be honest: Most of us gave up on the idea of new year’s resolutions a long time ago, and few people who make resolutions stick to them. However, that didn’t stop the folks at Taco Bell from rolling out a list of “commitments” for the future of the fast food chain. [More]
Coca-Cola Accused Of Illegally Misleading Consumers About Sugary Drinks
By 1.4.17
In a new federal lawsuit, public health advocates accuse Coca-Cola and the American Beverage Association of engaging in a “pattern of deception to mislead and confuse the public” and waging an “aggressive campaign of disinformation about the health consequences of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages.” [More]
People In Philadelphia Aren’t Psyched Over New Soda Tax
By 1.4.17
With the start of the new year comes the start of several new laws, including a tax on sugary drinks in Philadelphia. While shoppers knew the extra cost was coming, that hasn’t stop them from being surprised when they set that bottle of soda on the checkout counter. [More]
Report: Amazon Launching Its Own Line Of Workout Apparel
By 1.4.17
After launching private label clothing brands last year, Amazon is now reportedly aiming its sights on the lucrative world of exercise apparel with its own line of workout clothing. [More]
Group Handing Out Free Marijuana At Inauguration In Push For Federal Legalization
By 1.4.17
Will handing out thousands of free joints convince the federal government to legalize marijuana? That may be unlikely, but there will be free weed exchanging hands on Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C. [More]
Chicken McGriddle Coming To McDonald’s All-Day Breakfast Menu — In Florida
By 1.4.17
Nearly a year after McDonald’s began slapping a McChicken on its syrup-flavored McGriddle bun in Ohio, the Chicken McGriddle will become the latest all-day breakfast item to grace menus in Florida. [More]
“Vile And Amazing”: Fans Of Jack In The Box Tacos Defend Their Undying Devotion
By 1.3.17
There are some experiences that experiences that are difficult to explain to those who haven’t had firsthand knowledge — being pregnant, how it feels to fly in a dream, or eating a taco from Jack in the Box, something Americans do 554 million times every year. This, despite the fact that the deep-fried, American-cheese filled tortillas have been called, “stale, greasy, spicy, crunchy, saucy, and just plain strange,” among other things. [More]
