It’s bad enough when a fast food manager assists in the robbery of the very store she’s entrusted to manage. It’s even worse when the person robbing the business is that manager’s boyfriend. But helping that no-good boyfriend pull off three robberies in only a few months, well… to quote Jaime Lannister, “The things I do for love.” [More]
fast food
Burger King Resurrects Creepy Subservient Chicken, Minus The Chicken
By 4.28.14
Ten years ago, Burger King launched what is still one of the more bizarre marketing ploys of the Internet era — the Subservient Chicken, a “webcam” featuring a person in a chicken suit doing the bidding of visitors to the site. Because there are now people old enough to drive cars and go to college who missed this exceedingly creepy campaign the first time around, BK has (sort of) brought it back… though not quite. [More]
Taco Bell To Break From Its Authentic Mexican Roots With New American-Inspired Taco Joint
By 4.24.14
As everyone knows, Taco Bell’s deeply authentic Mexican roots go back to the company’s humble beginnings in 1843 as Taco Campana, a family business selling flatbreads to hungry travelers outside of Hermosilo. For more than 150 years, the Bell has been a leader in bringing the finest in Mexican cuisine — from the Meximelt to the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Loaded Griller to the Crunchwrap Supreme — to U.S. diners aching for the exotic flavors one can only find south of the border. So it’s surprising that the company has announced a new initiative to create a chain serving “American-inspired” tacos… and booze. [More]
Dunkin’ Donuts Profits Hurt By Crappy Weather, Moves Up California Opening Spree
By 4.24.14
When the Northeast experienced exceedingly nasty winter weather earlier this year, do you know what people didn’t do? They didn’t venture out of their houses for hot coffee, apparently. Dunkin’ Donuts announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2014, and they blame the crappy weather for profits that are $800,000 lower than last quarter. [More]
Doughnut Ice Cream Sundaes Coming To Krispy Kreme This Summer…In Japan
By 4.21.14
Here in the United States, hot donut shop Krispy Kreme might stick a little bit of coffee in its pastries, but otherwise lets outside companies do strange and wonderful things with its food, like using a doughnut as the base for a Sloppy Joe sandwich. In Japan, the chain puts together its own unreal and slightly nauseating creations. Like the Doughnut Sundae. [More]
McDonald’s Trying To Stop Differentiating Between “Girls” And “Boys” Toys In Happy Meals
By 4.21.14
McDonald’s has long offered two types of choices in its Happy Meal toys — one targeted to boys and one aimed at girls. But not every boy wants a robot fighter and not every girl craves a pink winged pony; an idea that a number of McDonald’s employees didn’t seem to understand. So in response to concerns that the fast food mega-chain was ignoring some young customers’ requests, McDonald’s is now teaching workers to leave gender out of the Happy Meal discussion. [More]
It’s Totally Unfair That This Hilarious ‘Newsroom’ Fast Food Parody Isn’t A Real Show
By 4.15.14
Walk with me. You should know there’s no love lost between some members of the Consumerist team and Aaron Sorkin. Not now, not ever. But doesn’t this country stand for something, something more than those who like West Wing and Newsroom and those who think it’s too much fast talking while walking, dammit? That’s why there are Sorkin parodies that are better than the real thing. Because this is America. We need to get this post up, damn it. We owe it to ourselves. [More]
Burger King China’s PooPoo Smoothie Is Apparently Better Than Its Name Would Imply
By 4.14.14
Here’s another to add to the list of product names that don’t travel well: Burger King China’s PooPoo Smoothie, which may conjure up images of… well, I’d rather not say, but your inner grossed-out 8-year-old knows what I mean, but which has nothing to do with excrement and is apparently not awful. [More]
Taco Bell Employee Guilty Of Threatening Co-Worker With Knife In Front Of Customers
By 4.11.14
Dear Taco Bell employees: If you’re going to threaten one another with knives (which, for the record, we do not recommend), kindly do so out of the view of customers; and certainly don’t threaten your fellow employee while he or she is in the middle of taking an order from a customer. [More]
Starbucks Listens To Customers, Brings Back Some Less-Fancy Baked Goods
By 4.1.14
Have the pastry offerings at your local Starbucks gotten too fancy-pantsy for you in recent years? Do you miss having a slice of lemon cake with your coffee? Apparently you’re not alone, as the coffee colossus has heeded the call of complaining customers and decided to bring back foods that had been deemed not sexy enough by the chain. [More]
McDonald’s Giving Away Free Coffee For Two Weeks
By 3.28.14
In an effort to combat recently launched breakfast efforts at Taco Bell and others, as well as trying to score some positive publicity amid months of negative news and lawsuits regarding its labor practices, McDonald’s is acting like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning, gifting free coffee with a smile for two weeks starting Monday. [More]
After Being Denied McFlurry, Woman Sets Car On Fire In McDonald’s Parking Lot
By 3.19.14
While I personally think the McFlurry is nothing special (probably because I spent the better part of my adolescence making top-notch Blizzards at Dairy Queen), even the world’s most ardent fan of the McDonald’s dessert would probably agree that it isn’t anything worth setting someone else’s car on fire over. [More]
Quiznos Makes Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Official, Must Win Back Customers And Franchisees
By 3.14.14
Quiznos announced today that, as we reported a few weeks ago, the company will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move that will let the chain cut its debt load by about 2/3. That’s great news for the corporate headquarters, but will dissatisfied franchisees be happy with the plan? [More]
McDonald’s Employees In 3 States File Wage-Related Lawsuits
By 3.13.14
Over the last two days, McDonald’s employees in California, Michigan and New York have filed a total of seven class-action suits against the fast food giant and various franchise operators, alleging a range of violations, from failing to pay overtime, to making employees work undocumented hours. [More]
Hamburglars Rob McDonald’s, Caught After Crashing Into Mayor
By 3.12.14
In a scenario that any number of Happy Meal-raised kids played out with cheap plastic McDonald’s toys on their living room carpet, a robbery attempt at an Illinois Golden Arches was thwarted when the robbers crashed into the mayor’s car. [More]
McDonald’s Customers: We Were Asked To Leave Because Our “30 Minutes Were Up”
By 3.10.14
Most stories about elderly customers possibly overstaying their welcome at fast food restaurants have focused on patrons who spent hours in the eateries, often buying little more than a coffee and a snack. But an octogenarian couple in Virginia say they were recently told to leave the McDonald’s they visited every afternoon because they had stayed beyond some imaginary 30-minute time limit. [More]
Taco Bell Continues Tradition Of Wrapping Food In Other Food With “Quesarito”
By 2.28.14
In its quest to make sure that every food item is encased not just within a wrap of some sort, but in a wrap made from another food item, Taco Bell says it is currently testing an unholy hybrid of burrito and quesadilla, which is of course called a Quesarito. [More]
Chipotle Rolls Out Vegan Tofu Option Nationwide
By 2.27.14
While customers have a bunch of options when building their burritos or bowls at Chipotle, the core of those components has remained reasonably unchanged for two decades. So it’s news that not only has the eatery chain made its first major menu addition in 20 years, but that this addition is tofu. [More]
