Remember when Conan O’Brien visited the test kitchen at Taco Bell HQ and got to taste something whose name sounded like “Case of Lupus”? Well, we correctly guessed that it’s actually called a Quesalupa, and that it involves cheese. More accurately, it’s something that looks a bit like a taco but which uses a shell stuffed with cheese. It’s about what you’d expect from the Bell, but if you want to try it, you’ll have to travel to Toledo. [More]
fast food
What Ended The Short-Lived Marriage Of McDonald’s & Chipotle?
By 2.3.15
Even today, nearly a decade after McDonald’s divested its 8-year-old investment in Chipotle, some people still think the fast food giant owns the chain of burrito eateries. McDonald’s made money off Chipotle, and Chipotle was able to grow because of McDonald’s, so why did the marriage end? A new oral history of Chipotle sheds a lot of light on this odd-couple relationship. [More]
Chipotle’s Non-Burrito Pizzeria Concept Expands Eastward
By 1.29.15
For the last couple of years, Chipotle has been playing around with pizza at the few Pizzeria Locale eateries it has in Colorado. But now the eatery is looking to the east and seeing there are hungry mouths to feed in the Kansas City area, where another Locale is set to open this summer. [More]
“Nacho Cheese” Is Whatever You Want It To Be
By 1.29.15
Those of us who grew up with orange-tinted fingers and salt-cured lips from spending too much time feeding at the Dorito trough know what “nacho” cheese is, or at least we know what it tastes like. But the fact is that, unlike most other well-known cheese varieties, there is no actual definition for what constitutes the cheese we call nacho. [More]
Words Of Neil Gaiman, Jeffrey Eugenides To Appear On Chipotle Cups You Will Discard Without Reading
By 1.27.15
Neil Gaiman is a bestselling author whose work spans multiple genres and formats, from children’s books to literary fiction to graphic novels to screenplays. Now he can add fast food packaging to that list, as he joins other notable writers like Jeffrey Eugenides, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Paulo Coelho, and comedian Aziz Ansari in slapping their work on Chipotle cups and bags. [More]
The Reality Of The KFC Double Down Hot Dog Is Depressing
By 1.26.15
Nearly five years ago, KFC tried to rejuvenate interest in its menu by going the extreme-food route with the Double Down, a bacon and cheese sandwich with two pieces of fried chicken for the bun. Now the fast foodery is trying to push a hot dog version of the Double Down on its customers in the Philippines, and the results leave a lot to be desired. [More]
Fired McDonald’s Employees Say They Were Told “Too Many Black People” Working There
By 1.22.15
A new federal lawsuit filed against McDonald’s and a franchisee for the eatery alleges that more than a dozen black employees were fired simultaneously because they supposedly did not fit into the color palette desired by their employer. [More]
Conan O’Brien Visits Taco Bell Test Kitchen, Creates The Irish “O’Taco”
By 1.22.15
One of the staffers on Conan O’Brien’s show is an aficionado of the fine, authentic Mexican cuisine at Taco Bell, so using the “incredible power” he has in show business, Conan did what any good boss with a TV talk show would do — took the staffer to the Taco Bell test kitchen for a segment. [More]
Driver Ticketed For Eating McDonald’s While Driving
By 1.20.15
Even though eating in your car is a time-honored tradition for many drivers, at least one police officer in Georgia believes that gulping down your McDonald’s double quarter-pounder with cheese while behind the wheel is enough of a safety risk to merit a ticket. [More]
Wendy’s Dropping Soda From Kids’ Meals
By 1.15.15
More than a year after McDonald’s announced plans to remove sodas from Happy Meals, the folks at Wendy’s have reportedly decided that they should also stop including the sugary drinks in their kids’ meals. [More]
Taco Bell Suggests Fans Tweet #SaveTacoBell To Preserve Original Bell Building
By 1.14.15
Earlier today, we told you how the original Taco Bell building in Downey, CA, now faces possible demolition after its most recent tenant left the place empty in December. We asked Taco Bell corporate for comment on the story and its response is apparently to start a social media campaign — though we’re not exactly sure to what end. [More]
World’s First Taco Bell Building Facing Possible Demolition
By 1.14.15
If you drive past 7112 Firestone Blvd. in Downey you’ll see the shuttered remains of a restaurant called Seafood and Tacos Raul that seems like it may have been trying to ape look of an old-school Taco Bell. What a lot of people don’t know is that this building is the fountainhead from which flowed decades of gorditas, chimichangas, chalupas, and Dorito-shelled tacos — and now it faces an “imminent threat of demolition.” [More]
McDonald’s “Signs” Commercial: Heartwarming Message Or Crass Cash-In?
By 1.12.15
Over the weekend, McDonald’s extended its latest “lovin'” campaign with a new ad featuring a series of McDonald’s restaurant signs bearing messages about everything from natural disasters to the Boston Marathon killings to birthday greetings. Some viewers had their hearts warmed by the reminders that local fast food franchises can spread messages of more than just Happy Meals, while other viewers were less won-over, viewing the ad as a crass way for McDonald’s to attach itself to national tragedies. [More]
Banks Report Possible Data Breach At Chick-Fil-A Restaurants
By 12.31.14
2014 has been a year of point-of-sale data breaches, so why should the last day of the year be any different? Chick-Fil-A is the newest member of the Possible Breach Club, and is currently investigating reports of fraudulent transactions on customer credit cards. The reported breach would have started on December 2, 2013 and lasted until September 30, 2014. [More]
Shake Shack To Go Public, Become Subject Of Endless “I Ate There Before…” Rants
By 12.29.14
If you live in a city that doesn’t have a Shake Shack, you probably have a friend (or a Facebook acquaintance) who has remarked on how much better the food is there than at other burger joints. Now comes the news that Shake Shack is going public and planning to continue its growth, meaning you may finally be able to judge for yourself, but that the aforementioned friend will now regularly refer to how he or she used to wait in line for hours when there was only one Shack blah blah blah. [More]
Was McDonald’s Right To Refuse Service To Diabetic Walk-Up Customer At Drive-Thru?
By 12.29.14
While we understand why a fast food place would only serve late-night customers through the drive-thru window, we’ve never quite understood why these eateries refuse to serve customers who pop by on foot or on bikes. Someone else who doesn’t get this policy is the diabetic man who claims that McDonald’s workers shrugged off his concerns of an impending hypoglycemic attack and refused to serve him because he wasn’t driving. [More]
For The Love Of God, McDonald’s Is Not Getting Rid Of The Big Mac Or Apple Pie
By 12.23.14
You’ve probably seen your Facebook news feed overrun in recent days with people bemoaning the death of the McDonald’s Big Mac and apple pie. But there’s no need to start a petition or put on mourning garb, it’s just another hoax. [More]
The Big McRib Is The Secret Menu Item McDonald’s Should Think About Offering
By 12.22.14
For years, McDonald’s franchisees have been complaining about an abundance of limited time offerings that use ingredients alien to the rest of the menu. But here’s an idea that some believe could invigorate the Golden Arches’ sagging sales without having to worry about millions of unsold frozen chicken wings. [More]
