Update: To clarify, Pizza Hut isn’t changing its name. It’s co-adopting “The Hut” is a secondary branding mark, or something like that. (Thanks to William!)
restaurants
This Subway Shop In Virginia Promotes Timeshares
By 6.17.09
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.
White Castle Refuses To Serve Electric Scooter Rider Via Drive-Through
By 6.15.09
A White Castle in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a 24-hour establishment, but it locks its dining room doors at 11 pm. Unfortunately, its drive-through service is restricted to customers in cars, so the employees refused to serve a 37-year-old woman who pulled up on an electric mobility scooter. Now she says she’s madder than fish grease, which is pretty mad, and she wants to sue them for discriminating against customers who can’t drive.
National Menu Labeling Law Moves Closer To Reality
By 6.12.09
As states continue to adopt laws requiring chain restaurants to include nutritional information on menus, Congress has been considering proposals for a national menu-labeling law. This week, members of Congress, the restaurant industry, and consumer groups reached agreement on a proposal that they hope to introduce this summer.
Red Robin Tipping Message Lost In Translation
By 6.12.09
Anyone who speaks multiple languages is used to rolling their eyes at bad and inadequate translations. There is probably a perfectly reasonable, non-bigoted explanation for the differing English and Spanish texts on this Red Robin receipt.
Take Currency Symbols Off The Menu, Restaurant Patrons Spend More
By 6.10.09
Have you ever noticed that the menus in nice restaurants leave the currency signs off prices, or spell them out in words rather than Arabic numerals? The intended effect is pretty much what you would assume – to remove the association between prices on the menu and actual money. Now, there’s actual academic research showing that half of this theory is true.
TGI Friday's Learns That Serving Decomposed Snake Heads Is Bad For Business
By 6.1.09
Back at the beginning of May, Consumerist broke the story of a man who discovered a decomposing snake head in his side order of broccoli at TGI Friday’s. We even had charming pictures. The next week, Albany, NY-area news media reported that the snake wasn’t steamed with the broccoli, but the restaurant and police still don’t know who the herp perp could be. What they do know is that the notoriety from the snake incident has hurt business.
50 Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free Or Cheap
By 6.1.09
With times calling for tighter wallets and tighter belts, FrugalLivingTv’s list of 50 restaurants where kids eat free or cheap is like manna from heaven.
On The Border Asks: Do You Love Me?
By 5.31.09
Um, we’re a little sketched out by a survey question from the Mexican restaurant On The Border asking customers to agree or disagree with the statement: “I love On The Border.” Sure, sometimes we LOVE Mexican food, but we don’t really love any restaurant. It’s just too large a step to take with an eatery, you know? Reader Max is equally confused…
KFC Free Meal Rainchecks Come With Generous Helping Of Potatoes
By 5.27.09
You forgot about the free grilled chicken meals from KFC, didn’t you? Well, I did. Melissa in Maine reported that she was able to use her raincheck coupon, and was satisfied with her meal. Or at least the side dishes.
If You Used Your Credit Card At Olive Garden They Might Owe You Some Dough. Or At Least Some Bruschetta
By 5.26.09
If you paid with plastic at Olive Garden in 2006-2007 then they might just owe you a $9 appetizer. The Italian eatery was recently sued in a class-action lawsuit stemming from a 2006 change to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which made it illegal to print more than the last five digits of a customer’s credit card number on a receipt. Olive Garden never stopped its practice of printing the last six digits, and could soon be issuing $9 “apology” vouchers to every customer affected.
"Frighteningly Loyal" Jack in the Box Employee Now Working A Sane Schedule
By 5.21.09
Remember Blake, the north Texas Jack in the Box employee Consumerist featured and described as “frighteningly loyal” a few weeks ago? Kevin, the person who originally introduced us to Blake, printed out a copy of the page and drove around with it in case Blake happened to serve him on a snack run. A few days after we posted the story, he did!
P.F. Chang's Eats Recessions For Lunch
By 5.20.09
It’s easy to dismiss P.F. Chang’s as the Applebee’s of Chinese food, but judging from the way the chain is handling itself during the recession, there’s more fresh, original thinking behind the scenes than the somewhat bland menu would indicate.
Menu Labeling Controversy Reaches Congress
By 5.17.09
California and New York City already require chains to display calorie counts alongside menu items, but if two Members of Congress have their way, menu labeling legislation will soon apply to chains and fast food restaurants throughout the nation. The Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) would go even farther than existing state and local regulations by requiring chains to disclose fat, carbohydrate and salt content on their printed menus. The food industry, of course, is supporting a more palatable bill with an equally snappy acronym…
Barbecue Restaurant Mannequin May Need A New Career
By 5.15.09
Modeling is a tough business, but the career of Barbe Q, restaurant spokesmodel, may end prematurely. She’s up against not Tyra Banks, but the Reading, Ohio city review board.
Snake Head On T.G.I. Friday's Plate Wasn't Cooked With Broccoli
By 5.8.09
Lab tests are back on the side dish serpent an upstate New York man found on his plate at T.G.I. Friday’s (a story we broke, with pictures). The snake wasn’t cooked with the broccoli. It wasn’t cooked at all.
Red Lobster Finally Makes Nutritional Info Available
By 5.8.09
Last May, we reviewed which fast food and chain restaurant websites were sharing nutritional information with customers and which ones weren’t. Red Lobster has always been stingy about nutritional info, so we’re happy to report that they’ve finally changed their ways and now offer an online and downloadable nutrition guide. The only thing we can’t figure out is how their “1 1/4 lb” steamed lobster is only 45 calories—that works out to about 1.5 ounces of actual lobster. (Thanks to zlionsfan!)
