McDonald's More Credit-Worthy Than USA

Yes, that's right, McDonald's, the fast food chain, is more credit-worthy than the United States of America!

But, maybe it isn't so surprising in these uncertain economic times. With food prices rising, unemployment going up, banks failing, housing prices collapsing, and President Bush pushing a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street (and the question of whether or not the US House and Senate will pass it), I suppose it shouldn't surprise us that the rest of the world sees the US as a risky investment.

How is it that McDonald's is deemed more credit-worthy than the US?

Here's how it is explained in Finland's Helsingin Sonomat (as translated by Watching America):

The insurance risk-premium for a 10-year U.S. treasury bond shifted on Friday up to 0.3% according to a broker in a Finnish bank. In practice this means that if an investor wishes to insure 10 million dollars worth of U.S. T-bonds against a government default the insurance will cost 30,000 dollars. Such an insurance for the same amount of investments on Finnish bonds cost on Friday only about half of that at 16,000 dollars. Even loans to McDonald’s would be cheaper to insure than U.S.-bonds, at 28,000 dollars per 10 million.

CDS-derivative prices are an indicator of investors’ views and mood, but as such they reveal nothing of the true financial state and wealth of their targets. Thus, while Finland’s and McDonald’s risk of bankruptcy is now smaller in investors’ opinion than that of the U.S. this does not mean that Finland and McDonald’s would necessarily be any wealthier and thus safer targets of investment than the U.S.

This being said, it is extremely rare for a fast-food chain’s corporate loan to be viewed as a safer investment than the bonds of the world’s most powerful country.

Little Thickburger Ads From Hardee's

Hardee's has an answer for that eternal question: "What would happen to a Thickburger if you threw it in a cold swimming pool?" (see the first video below)

Hardee's is promoting their Little Thickburgers. So five years after Hardee's introduced their 1/3 and 2/3 pound Thickburgers, they're introducing a 1/4 pound size for smaller appetites: the "Little Thickburger."

“Ever since we first introduced our signature line of Thickburgers in 2003, our research has consistently shown that people recognize and appreciate their superior taste and quality,” said Brad Haley, Hardee’s EVP of Marketing for Hardee’s restaurants. “The only complaint some people have ever had about our Thickburgers is that they were either too big or too expensive to order as much as they would like, particularly in this challenging economic environment. So, we created Little Thickburgers specifically for those people. Starting at just $1.99 and made with quarter pound, charbroiled, 100% Black Angus beef patties, Little Thickburgers may be smaller than the original Thickburgers, but they are definitely not small on taste.”

The Little Thickburgers start at $1.99.

The Little Thick Cheeseburger is 1/4 pound charbroiled Angus beef, American Cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and dill pickles on a sesame seed bun. It has 470 calories and 24 grams of fat, compared to the Original 1/3 pound Thickburger with cheese with 680 calories and 39 grams of fat, or the 2/3 pound Monster Thickburger with 1420 calories and 108 grams of fat. Complete nurtritional information for the new Little Thickburger with cheese:

Two of the ads for the new Little Thickburger campaign are below. They were created by Mendelsohn|Zien. They also brought you the (in)famous Paris Hilton Hardee's ad and the Fake Restaurant ads from earlier this year.

The 'Shrinkage' ad for the Little Thickburger:

The Badonkadonk / Badinkadink Little Thickburger version:

McDonald's Made Fashionable in the UK

McDonald's is always trying to keep the interiors of their fast food restaurants fashionable. Here are some photos of a trendy McDonald's in Britain.

But no matter how hard McDonald's tries, they might never be as hip as some of their biggest fans. Check out this McDonald's fan! (I don't know why, but I'm guessing those are 26" rims!)

Sonic's Angus Bacon Cheeseburgers

Sonic Drive-In is offering 3 hamburgers made with 100% Angus beef.

The new Sonic Angus Bacon Cheeseburgers are available in Hickory, Jalapeño and Classic.

They're served on a ciabatta bun.

The Angus burgers are presently a 'limited time only' menu item.

The Classic Angus Bacon Cheeseburger has 760 calories and 52 grams of fat. Complete nutritional information:

I've already mentioned the Sonic Angus burger, regarding an unfortunate photo of a banner for it, but I didn't have the nutritional details until now.

Arby's New Mac & Cheezers

Arby's now has a new snack item they're calling "Mac & Cheezers."

Arby's describes them as "Creamy cheddar cheese and classic macaroni...battered and fried into golden brown triangles of flavor."

They sound a lot like Jack in the Box's Cheesy Macaroni Bites.  And remember, Pizza Hut now has Bacon Mac 'n Cheese Pasta.  It seems like Mac and cheese is a favorite for fast food to capitalize on this year.

A regular order of Mac & Cheezers contains 5 and has 390 calories and 18 grams of fat.  Complete nutritional information:

World's Best Wendy's is in Colorado

A Wendy's fast food restaurant in the small town of Firestone, Colorado has been chosen as the best Wendy's in the world.

It won over other finalists in Charlotte, NC, Valdosta, GA, and Auckland, New Zealand. The Wendy's were judged on quality, service, cleanliness, food safety and leadership.

The manager of the Firestone, CO Wendy's, Vance Gray (pictured with his award) won a new Pontiac Solstice convertible. The management team and crew will also receive more than $15,000 in prizes, but Grays says it's more than just about the prizes.

"For some of my teenagers here they're 16 and 17 years old. For me to go up and say, ‘You know what? You're the best in the world at what you do.’ That can inspire them for a lifetime,” said Gray.

Here's an interview with the winning Wendy's manager Vance Gray on Denver, Colorado's NBC affiliate KUSA-TV Channel 9.

The 'best' Wendy's crew:

Hardee's Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Breakfast Biscuit

Hardee's has announced the return of their Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit. And now they've added gravy.

It follows the Southern cuisine popularity Hardee's found with the success of their Chicken Fillet Biscuit.

"We first introduced a pork chop biscuit a few years ago and, even though we stopped selling it last year, we still get many requests from people asking us to bring it back," said Brad Haley, Hardee's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "And, since we had many reports from our restaurants that people were ordering a side of our famous sausage gravy to dip the biscuit in, we decided to re-test it with sausage gravy already on it and it was more popular than ever. So, I guess the old saying among our test kitchen people is true: 'The only way to make it better is to add gravy to it!'."

The Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit features a breaded, boneless pork chop and sausage gravy on a 'made from scratch' biscuit. It is priced at $2.99, or in a small combo for $4.59 (with hash rounds and a drink).

It has 680 calories (370 from fat) and 42 grams of fat. Complete nutritional information:

Carl's Jr. Expands Bacon Guacamole Burger Line

Carl's has a coupon right now for $1 off their Guacamole Bacon Burgers.  They're celebrating the success of their guacamole-topped burgers and chicken sandwiches.  (Carl's makes their guacamole fresh every day.)

“Carl’s Jr. has always had great success introducing menu items that deliver more authentic tastes and flavors than our competitors would ever attempt,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. “So, we naturally wanted to prepare guacamole like people do at home, with real avocados and fresh salsa, to make our Guacamole Bacon Burgers taste like something you’d be more likely to find only in sit-down restaurants."

The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger ($4.99) was introduced in 2003 and won Citysearch's "Best Burger of 2007."  And this year it is the official burger of the 2008 California Avocado Festival.  Now Carl's is also offering a Single Guacamole Bacon Burger ($3.29) and a Double Guacamole Bacon Burger ($4.29).

Other fast food eats that we've written about that include guacamole are Quizno's Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sub, Taco Bell's Guacamole Bacon Grilled Burrito, and El Pollo Loco's Chicken Nachos.

The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger offers 130% of your daily fat intake and 145% of your saturated fat intake* with 1140 calories and 85 grams of fat.  The Single has 850 calories and 66 grams of fat.  Complete nutritional information:

McDonald's Dollar Menu in Crisis?

Has McDonald's Dollar Menu finally fallen victim to US economic woes?

The Consumerist reports on Joe in Northwest Chicago who has spotted "at lesat 2 McDonald's where the dollar menu no longer includes the Double Cheeseburger or the McChicken Sandwich."

Joes says both these sandwiches are now priced $1.19.

We want your reports.  Please leave a comment below regarding disappearing Dollar Menu items at your local McDonald's.

Consumerist:  Double Cheeseburgerless Dollar Menu Spotted At McDonald's

McDonald's Hamburger from 1996

I've always wanted to do this, but never got around to it. Morgan Spurlock did it in Super Size Me, but for only about a year as I recall.

But Karen Hanrahan has kept a McDonald's hamburger since 1996.

Yup, she's had this burger for 12 years!

And it still looks ready to eat. That's frightening!

McDonald's (and presumably other fast food joints) use a lot of preservatives to keep their food fresh-looking (note that I say 'fresh-looking,' not 'fresh') during it's production, transportation, and storage. This keeps their food looking fresh a lot longer than is natural. (See the end of this post for the current ingredients in a McDonald's Hamburger bun.)

Trust me, if you grilled a burger and put it on a bun and put it in a container for a month, you'd have to scrape the mold off just to see it.

As Karen says, "Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here."

Karen is a wellness consultant and uses the 12 year old burger as a prop in her talks. See all the photos and read Karen's description on her blog, "Best of Mother Earth ~ Creating Healthier Lives".

UPDATE: Regarding the hamburger wrapper in the photo that is clearly a more current wrapper with the "I'm lovin' it" slogan, Karen explains this in her post: "The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 - to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn's idea."

---------
McDonald's Hamburger Bun ingredients (as of 2008):
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, canola oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, soy flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride, baking soda, sorbic acid, deactivated dry yeast, dough conditioners (may contain one or more the following: distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, enzymes, guar gum), calcium propionate & sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.
Note: Calcium and Sodium Propionate are 'mold inhibitors,' hence the fresh looking 12 year old bun!

Fast Food Biscuits

J. Scott Wilson at WPBG-TV, the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida has written an article about and review of the various fast food biscuits.

As Wilson says in his article, "In the South, making good biscuits is almost a religion." Which means fast food biscuits have a lot to live up to in the South in order to draw customers to their breakfast menu.

Wilson rated the fast food biscuits as follows (from best to worst): Chick-fil-a (A+), Hardee's (A-), Burger King (C+), McDonald's (C), and Jack in the Box (D).

Of Chick-fil-a's biscuit (pictured above) he wrote that they are "light, fluffy, lightly buttery marvels that taste like they're produced by an army of highly experienced grandmothers living somewhere in the back of the restaurant. The crust is perfect, lightly brown and slightly crispy, and the middle simply melts in your mouth."

read it all: What Chain's Biscuits Beat Grandma's?

For what it's worth, I love biscuits, I like them more than English muffins, but I continue to order an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's solely because McDonald's biscuit just doesn't cut it. I'm glad someone else agrees.

BK Oreo Sundae Shake, Which is it?

Burger King is now taking your vote on the matter of their Oreo Sundae Shake.

Is it a Sundae, or is it a Shake?

When you vote you are registered to win some prizes:
20 Grand prizes: 80GB Apple® iPod® classics,
100 First prizes: Apple® iTunes® $10 Gift Cards
100 Second prizes: $10 BK™ Crown Cards

In addition to your vote, they're also taking your address, phone number, e-mail address and a couple other survey questions. At least they give you the option as to whether or not you'd like to receive "additional marketing communications about Burger King" or "ure correspondence from Kraft® regarding products and promotions."

Oh, and a few nutritional facts about the Oreo BK Sundae Shake. The medium chocolate one conveniently gives you 100% of your recommended daily intake of Saturated Fat all in one place! It also supplies almost 1,000 calories and 32 grams of fat (that's half your daily recommended intake).* But heck, that all makes sense, the thing ways over a pound! Plenty of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) for all!

The rest:

*for a 2,000 calorie diet

Franchisees Complain of Quizno's Deceptive Business Practices

Quizno's fast food sandwich shops around the country are operated by franchisees who pay Quizno's for the right to open one of their restaurants (and for the building and equipment, etc).

In August of 2007 some of these franchisees filed a lawsuit against Quizno's over some of Quizno's business practices. Last week additional Quizno's franchisees joined the lawsuit and additional complaints were added.

From Blue Mau Mau:

"The crux of the lawsuit focuses on what franchisees label as an illegal and deceptive business scheme, which they say has been played out since 2000 to induce unwitting prospects to purchase and operate Quiznos sandwich shops and pay franchise-related fees. They depict it as Quiznos' way to exploit its control and power "in order to extract exorbitant and unjustifiable payments from franchisees." In perpetrating their plan, Quiznos is accused of implementing slick sales tactics and marketing the "American dream of business ownership in the fastest growing franchise in the United States." The complaint states that Quiznos preyed on ordinary consumers with little experience in operating a business and little understanding the legal ramifications of its one-sided, non-negotiable franchise agreement."

read the rest of the story at Blue Mau Mau.

Del Taco: 99 Cent Classic Taco

Del Taco has introduced their "Classic Taco" for 99 cents.

“Our menu has always featured a number of items for under $1 and now we’re adding the Classic Taco to the list,” said Sharon Fogg, senior vice president of marketing. “We already know how much our fans love our tacos and we’re showing our appreciation for their loyalty by giving them twice the meat, twice the freshly grated cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes and more attitude for just 99 cents.”

You can also "make it a meal" for $3.99: 2 tacos, small fries, small drink.

Del Taco's Classic Taco, complete nutritional information:

200 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams fat.

The Classic Taco is being promoted with this ad,

1,000 Free Pizzas from Domino's Today in Houston

Domino's has announced that they will be giving away 1,000 pizzas to recovery workers and citizens displaced by Hurricane Ike in Houston.

Domino's will set up a mobile unit in front of the Galena Park Independent School District Admin building at the intersection of Beltway 8 and Woodforest Blvd in Houston.  This is where the pizzas will be given away from Noon to 5pm today (Sunday, September 21, 2008).

"Local Domino's Pizza franchise owners, store managers and other volunteer team members are gathering food and other supplies in order to provide a hot meal to citizens in one of the most hard-hit areas in Houston," said Scott McLeod, area vice president of franchise operations for Domino's Pizza. "The local area Coca-Cola bottler is also donating one six-pack of Coke products for every pizza given away," McLeod said.

"There are about 8-10 stores that are still shut down in the area, and we're working to reopen them, but in the meantime, we want to do our part to the help the community that has supported us for so many years," McLeod said. "We're working out the logistics, signing up volunteers and we'll be able to provide 1,000 pizzas to people who haven't had a hot meal in some time."

Taco Bueno's New Flame-Grilled Menu

Taco Bueno has added new flame-grilled items to their menu, including Fajita Tacos, Gourmet Burritos and Gourmet Bowls.

These items can be ordered with either flame-grilled chicken or steak.

There are also 2 new low-fat, vegetarian side items: Black beans and Cilantro Lime Rice.

Taco Bueno Senior Vice President of Marketing Scott Terraciano-Spence says, "Taco Bueno is proving its commitment to scratch cooking by adding flame grills to our restaurants. Many other quick-serve brands advertise grilled products, but all too often the 'grilling' takes place in a faraway factory. At Bueno, the new fajita steak and chicken are cooked over fire all day long at each of our units."

Taco Bueno is installing the flame grills in all their restaurants for the new menu and all stores should be equipped by the end of September.

These photographs were taken at a Taco Bueno in Granbury, TX.

No nutritional information yet, but check back, we're trying to get it.

Arby's Agency Hijacks Atlanta Billboards

Adrants reports of ad agency Fletcher Martin hijacking billboards in the Atlanta area for their client Arby's.

The concept is to float balloons with the Arby's logo above the heads of people appearing on billboards (like local TV weather gals), in support of their "I'm thinking Arby's" campaign.

The "I'm thinking Arby's" thought ballon concept isn't new. When Arby's launched their new website in June 2006 visitors could create their own thought balloons with their favorite Arby's menu item.

This is a subtle campaign, and something Fletcher Martin is probably only doing in their HQ of Atlanta... a little guerrilla marketing fun for their creative department.

But we couldn't help thinking that maybe a custom 'thought balloon' like this one, although not as subtle, might have been even better.

Consumerist: No Free Refills at NJ Subway

A sign of the times? Just as we're trying to save money in these trying economic times, the fast food giants are trying to make enough money to cover their expenses.

But still... "No Free Refills" is a hard change to swallow.

This photo is from a Subway in New Jersey according to our pals at The Consumerist.

This BK Is "Out of Meet"

I love this shot from the door of a Burger King:

"Sorry we closed
We out of meet"

via Reddit

Fast Foodies on Forbes 400

The Fast Food Maven perused the 2008 Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans to find food industry giants on the list. Here are the ones who made their billions with fast food (we added BK's king):

#161 David Bonderman, Founder/Owner of TPG which owns Burger King.

#301 Michael Ilitch, Owner of Little Caesars pizza empire.

Also at #301 Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck of the Subway fast food chain.

Nelson Peltz owner of Arby's and now Wendy's may not be on the list, but according to Forbes his home "Montsorrel" in Palm Beach, Florida is one of the most expensive homes in the US at $50 million.

New Addition to BK Branded Snacks

Fast food giant Burger King got into the snack food business earlier this year with 2 potato snack flavors you might have seen in vending machines or your grocery store.

Now Burger King has announced the addition of Onion Rings to their existing line of Burger King branded Snacks.

The Inventure Group is producing the BK Onion Rings snacks and also the "Ketchup & Fries Flavored Potato Snacks" and "Flame Broiled Flavored Potato Snacks" with the Burger King brand.

The Onion Rings snacks remind me of Frito-Lay's Funyuns.

All three branded snacks are currently available in a variety of sizes and price points in vending machines, convenience stores, warehouse clubs, drug and grocery stores. Onion Rings are available in single serving sizes of .75-ounce bags and 1.125-ounce bags in vending machines, 2-ounce bags are available in convenience stores, and 3-ounce bags are available in grocery stores. Nine and 12-ounce bags, as well as variety packs, will also be available in club stores and additional outlets this fall.

"During concept testing, Onion Rings continually received high ratings from consumers," said Russ Klein, president, global marketing, strategy and innovation, Burger King Corp. "The popularity of our Onion Rings menu item translated to this new snack product. The familiar flavor profile of Onion Rings rounds out the snack line as we begin to distribute the snacks internationally."

"We are thrilled with the initial success of the BURGER KING Snack launch," said Steve Sklar, senior vice president marketing, The Inventure Group. "We know that the Onion Rings will add excitement and a great tasting product to the snack line up."

Complete Nutritional Information:

The .75 oz bag has 110 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Wing Street Planning National Expansion

WingStreet, the world’s largest delivery wing restaurant announced today that it is on track to double in size in 2008. Fueled by consumer demand, the wing chain is expected reach the 2,000 restaurant milestone by 2009.

“The WingStreet brand is picking up momentum and continuing to expand rapidly across the United States,” said Lisken Lawler, marketing director, WingStreet. “We successfully opened 1,000 restaurants in the first five years of the concept. It’s hard to believe that we will double that number this year alone. It just goes to show you that customers love our award-winning wings.”

WingStreet is undergoing an aggressive expansion strategy as it plans to add more than 4,000 new points of access within newly built and existing Pizza Hut restaurants within the next three years. WingStreet restaurants will open this month in several new markets including Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis.

World's Largest French Fry Found at Arby's

In June of 2003 Simon Holland sold his 6.75 inch french fry from Culver's in Wisconsin for $200 on ebay! 

In July of 2006 a 9.5 inch fry was cooked up at Bobu's Steak House in Topeka, KS.  The restaurant's owner, Bob Radke, said it came out of the bag of frozen fries just that way.  Radke named it the "Patriot Fry" and put it in his freezer.

And here's a kid on Flickr with a giant fry.

But they have NOTHING on a teen from Traveler's Rest (aka 'TR'), South Carolina.

Hannah Odom went to an Arby's in Hendersonville, SC and ordered some curly fries with her meal.  When she reached in to eat one of the curly fries, she couldn't get it out of the package.  When she finally got it out it was quite lengthy.

How lengthy?  Almost 24 inches, yes, 2 FEET long.  And that's not even stretched out all the way.

Odom is hoping her french fry makes it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest french fry.  She resisted both primary temptations: to eat it and to sell it on ebay.

She has wrapped it in foil, put it in her fridge and contacted the Guinness Book of World Records.

A 2 foot long fast food french fry! That's got to make it into Guinness.

She expects to hear from Guinness in 3-4 weeks. We'll keep you posted, but for now, watch this local news story on the super fry:

Merged: Arby's and Wendy's

Shareholders of Arby's parent company Triarc and Wendy's approved the merger of the two fast food restaurant chains.

Roland Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Triarc, said: “We are very pleased that the shareholders of both Triarc and Wendy’s have approved the merger, and we look forward to working together with employees of both companies in setting a new course for Wendy’s/Arby’s Group. We believe our combination represents a major strategic opportunity to create significant long-term value for all of our stakeholders, and we are working on a comprehensive integration plan and organizational structure to support enhanced operating performance at both brands. We intend to share more detailed plans regarding the new company as soon as practicable after the transaction closes.”

The two chains are not expected to merge their menus, though, despite being part of the same company. The Arby's and Wendy's brands are likely to remain separate and distinct in the eyes of consumers.

ACLU Files Complaint Against Kentucky McDonald's

The ACLU has filed a complaint with the Louisville Human Relations Commission in response to an incident that occurred at a Louisville, Kentucky McDonald's on July 26, 2008.

On that day Ryan Marlatt, Teddy Eggers and three other friends stopped for lunch at the McDonald's restaurant while visiting Louisville for the weekend. While they waited for their food to be prepared, an employee allegedly referred to them as "faggots." When the customers asked to speak to a manager the employee started arguing with them and calling them other names (that we won't print here).

The supervisor on duty refused to refund the group's purchase and several attempts by Martlatt to contact the general manager and corporate office have yielded no response.

According to the ACLU Louisville has a local human rights ordinance which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in public
accommodations such as restaurants.

Marlatt and Eggers say they want an apology, a refund of the $28 they
spent on the McDonald's meal, and appropriate disciplinary action for
the employees involved.

El Pollo Loco: Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll

Over the weekend El Pollo Loco introduced their new Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll. It has citrus-marinated, grilled chicken with Jack and cheddar cheeses rolled in a flour tortilla and grilled.

The Tortilla Roll comes with a choice of 3 dipping sauces: avocado salsa, creamy cilantro, or queso sauce. It sells for $1.99.

"Despite their increasingly demanding schedules, people today want far more than fast food," says Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer for El Pollo Loco. "They seek bold flavor, great value, and the opportunity to customize menu selections to their individual tastes. El Pollo Loco's new Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll delivers on all accounts and is served with a choice of dipping sauce from three signature recipes available only at El Pollo Loco."

Nutrition Info:

387 Calories, 144 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat.

Fast Food Origami

Okay fast food fans, here's a new project for you! Make your own 'Burger Shop' tray of fast food out of paper!

J-Box, an online store specializing in Japanese products sells an Origami kit called 'Burger Shop.'

Decorative paper is supplied for you to fold your own meat patties, buns, lettuce, tomato and even fries.

Flickr member marc0047 got the kit and posted photos of it and his finished product.

via A Hamburger Today

The Top 20 Pizza Chains

PMQ Pizza Magazine has published their list of the Top 200 Pizza Chains.

We'll just give you the Top 20 from that list (and the number of units/locations):

1. Pizza Hut: 14,759
2. Domino's Pizza: 8,641
3. Papa John's Pizza: 3,238
4. Little Caesars: 2,000
5. Noble Roman's Pizza: 1,400
6. Casey's Carry-Out Pizza: 1355
7. Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza: 1,073
8. Sbarro's Italian Eatery: 1,040
9. Godfather's Pizza: 656
10. Cici's Pizza: 631
11. Hungry Howie's Pizza: 575
12. Pizza Pro: 552
13. Chuck E. Cheese's: 537
14. Round Table Pizza: 505
15. Papa Gino's: 365
16. Pizza Inn: 335
17. Fox's Pizza Den: 315
18. California Pizza Kitchen: 239
19. Simple Simon's Pizza: 227
20. Uno Chicago Grill: 225

By the way, my favorite pizza place from my childhood comes in at #58 with 60 locations: Shakey's Pizza. I haven't been to one in many years, but I remember some good times and cool hats!

Taco Bell Feeds Indie Bands

If you're in a band and hungry (synonymous?) you need to hurry over to Taco Bell's Feed the Beat site.  There's only a few days left to sign up for free food!

Taco Bell is giving free Taco Bell food to 100 independent bands.  That's a lot of bands!

"Taco Bell wants to support up-and-coming bands with free Fourthmeals, the late night meal between dinner and breakfast.  It's perfect food for late night dining after a gig.  If your rock band is interested in getting free food while touring this year, fill out the submission form by September 18, 2008.  Selected bands will receive up to $500 in Taco Bell Bucks."

What could possibly sound better to a starving rock band than free fast food?  Well, okay, I can think of a couple of things, but still!

Way to support new music Taco Bell!

Chipotle to Raise Prices

In reporting their 3rd quarter financial trends last week, Chipotle mentioned that they are "working on national pricing plans for the fourth quarter of 2008 to offset rapidly rising food costs."

Details of their new prices will be announced in October.

Chipotle Founder, Chairman and CEO Steve Ells: "Our preliminary view of the third quarter reflects a further deceleration in comparable restaurant sales combined with continued increases in food costs. We attribute current trends to the same macro-economic pressures that have affected other restaurant companies. Despite these short term challenges, we remain focused on delivering an extraordinary dining experience to each and every customer, by serving great tasting food made with the best ingredients we can find."

In other words, the economy is in bad shape, food prices are really high and people are spending less.

We can expect the same from other fast food restaurants soon if the economy doesn't improve.

Chipotle is hit harder by rising prices because they have a limited number of suppliers for the organic and local ingredients they use.

Even McDonald's is affected, though. Some of their stores have cut their Dollar Menu "Double Cheeseburger" back to one slice of cheese and renamed it the "Double Hamburger with Cheese.

Little Caesars Voted Best Value

A new report has ranked Little Caesars as the best value in the quick service (fast food) industry.

The report is part of Sandelman & Associates Quick-Track research studies which tracks consumer behavior and attitudes for all major fast food chains. Surveys for the report were conducted among more than 84,000 quick service restaurant customers in 70 major markets across the US.

Little Caesars was also ranked highest among pizza chains for "Convenience of Locations" and "Speed of Service."

"Customers are telling us that Little Caesars Pizza is the best value in America," said Brian Pattison, vice president, midwest operations, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. "This recognition...clearly validates our market position as the value leader."

Little Caesars built more stores in the U.S. in 2007 than any other pizza chain and today is the largest carry-out chain internationally with restaurants on five continents.

Burger King's Seth MacFarlane Cartoons

Burger King has a new online advertising vehicle: "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy."

The short comic cartoons were created exclusively for Burger King. BK's 'The King' appears at the beginning of them.

Seth MacFarlane is the creator of the highly acclaimed and hilarious, animated US televisions series "Family Guy" and "American Dad!"

There will be new episodes each week. The first 2 appeared on YouTube yesterday, but you might also see them as mini-video ads on other web sites. And, of course, you can watch them below.

It is an innovative, and funny, way for BK to set itself apart in the fast food realm.

At the BK YouTube site, you can also enter the "Buy Seth Dinner Sweepstakes." The winner gets to buy Seth MacFarlane a meal at Burger King. (Click on "Buy Seth Dinner.")

The BK Calvalcade video is called "Super Mario Rescues The Princess." Here it is:

The second is called "A Dog on the $25,000 Pyramid." Watch, laugh, and enjoy...

The Hot Beef Sundae

Flickr member Matthew Stoller captured the sign below on the side of a food truck (aka Roach Coach or mobile fast food) in Nebraska.

The sign is selling a specialty of the truck: The Hot Beef Sundae.

The Hot Beef Sundae is described (in another photo of Matthew's) as:

"Golden mashed potatoes covered with a generous portion of our roasted and seasoned to perfection top round beef. Then aged cheddar cheese, more golden mashed potatoes smothered with our special beef gravy, more aged cheddar cheese, a slice of buttered toast and a cherry tomato on top. A delightfully satisfying meal that you will crave time after time, year after year."

Reminiscent of a KFC Famous Bowl?

I sure don't have (and wouldn't want to see) the nutrition facts for this baby!

The cherry tomato on top is a nice touch though!

via And I Am Not Lying blog (where you can also see photos of signs for Pizza on a Stick!)

UPDATE: Failing to find a Hot Beef Sundae to buy, The Davis', on their Off The Strip blog, have come up with their own Hot Beef Sundae recipe.

UPDATE2: BoingBoing: "Hot beef sundaes: an unstoppable trend" has another fair photo.

Free Coffee Smoothies at Smoothie King

Smoothie King is promoting their 6 new coffee-based smoothies by giving away a FREE 20oz. Coffee or Mo'cuccino smoothie anytime before 10:30 AM on Thursday, September 18. Mark your calendars!

The coffee smoothies include Gladiator protein to for an energy boost, while the Mo'cuccino mixes java with ice cream and protein.

"Because the coffee in Smoothie King's new line of smoothies is cold-brewed processed, more than 70 percent of the bitter acids and oils are removed, providing a smoother flavor and resting easier on the stomach."

The Coffee Smoothies and Mo'cuccinos come in 3 varieties: Caramel, Mocha and Vanilla.

Panera's New Tomato & Mozzarella Panini

Panera has introduced a new Panini, the Tomato & Mozzarella. It includes fresh mozzarella, roasted and fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and sun-dried tomato pesto on Ciabatta.

Panera has also brought back their Orchard harvest Salad which includes d'Anjou pears, dried cherries, toasted pecans, Gorgonzola, field greens, and romaine with cherry balsamic vinaigrette.

Man eats 23,000 Big Macs, claims OCD

A Wisconsin man says he had a Big Mac attack everyday since 1972... and he's saved the receipts to prove it.

That brings his Big Mac total to 23,000 since May 17, 1972.

He claims his obsessive-compulsive disorder feeds his Big Mac desires. Ya think!?!?

That about says it all, but if you want to read more....

KFC Secret Recipe Publicity Stunt

KFC is making a big deal about moving Col. Sander's original, hand-written, top-secret "Original Recipe" to a new, more secure location. Clearly a way to get their name (their new name, KFC, not the original name, Kentucky Fried Chicken, since their afraid of the word 'fried' now) into the news cycle this week.

And I'm buying into it by writing about it!

KFC recently applied the recipe to their new chicken strips, so I'm sure that's what the publicity is for.

The recipe is being moved for the first time in 68 years.

The recipe and vials containing the herbs and spices used in the recipe will be locked in a briefcase that is handcuffed to a security expert who will board an armored car that will have a police escort to the new location.

Supposedly, only two company executives at any time have access to the recipe. The company doesn't release their name or title, and it uses multiple suppliers who produce and blend the ingredients but know only a part of the entire contents.

more here.

Update: It's pretty silly, but we'll tell you about it anyway. As part of this publicity, KFC now has a website where you can store your secrets. Yup, that's all it does. You type something in and it disappears. Whew!

UPDATE #2: The stunt is complete, the move as been made. You can watch the official AP news coverage of the event here. Better than the real news I guess, banks failing, prices rising, Obama v. McCain, Biden v. Palin, oh yeah, and a couple wars!

Fast Food Burger Reviews from 1978

Thanks to a new Newspaper archive at Google News, we can go back in time 30 years to read what one food critic in Pittsburgh had to say about the fast food burgers available then.

The article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dining Out section by Mike Kalina was called "Wendy's Grinds Out Foes in Burger Taste Test."

Here's the burgers reviewed:
Wendy's "Wendy's Single" - price: 85¢ - Rating: A
Burger Chef's "Super Shef" - price: $1.09 - Rating: B
Burger King's "Whopper" - price: $1.09 - Rating: C-
Hardee's "Deluxe Huskee" - price $1.10 - Rating: C-
Winky's "The Great One" - price $1.09 - Rating C-
McDonald's "Quarter-pounder" - price: 95¢ - Rating: D

Today, 30 years later, a Whopper costs $2.59. That's up 238% in 30 years.

Other things were different then, too. McDonald's was the old stand-by, all the other chains were "feisty newcomers:"

"For years, McDonald's hamburgers dominated the fast-food scene, but in recent years the firm's success has been challenged by feisty newcomers."

The Post-Gazette's taste test "revealed unequivocally that Wendy's puts out the best hamburgers."

Also noted, as Wendy's has been promoting heavily of late, Wendy's hamburger meat is "ground fresh daily, which greatly enhances its taste (most chains use frozen patties)."

About McDonald's, Kalina wrote:  "The burgers...contained fewer garnishes than any others we sampled and were the poorest-tasting.  The sesame-seed rolls, however, were very good...The patties...had the texture and look of shoe leather."

And about Burger King:  "The thin, charcoal-broiled pattie was a bit dry and encumbered by too large a roll (about five inches across).  There seemed to be too much bread and not enough burger."<

30 years later and 4 of the restaurants Mr. Kalina reviewed are even bigger national chains.

Wendy's still doesn't freeze their meat, BK still flame-broils theirs, and some would still agree that a McDonald's hamburger patty has the look and taste of shoe leather!

---

A side note... I thought I'd see if Mr. Kalin might still be doing restaurant reviews in Pittsburgh and discovered that despite a successful career with columns and TV shows about food and travel and a popular cookbook, he committed suicide in 1992.

Life and Times of Fast Food Workers

Matt Erickson of the Brainerd Dispatch in Brainerd, MN has written an interesting article profiling some fast food workers in his town.

an excerpt:

For the past 13-1/2 years, save for an 18-month break, Bakkila has been employed at Burger King in west Brainerd. Outside of managerial duties she has handled every aspect of the job - cashier, cook, prep and maintenance. She has worked with five of her seven children at Burger King.

Though not her full-time job - she also works at Wal-Mart Supercenter in Baxter - Bakkila has no plans of quitting her work at Burger King. The job provides a second income and, more importantly to Bakkila, a second family.

from: Fast food in a family atmosphere

"KFC" Opens in Kabul, Afghanistan

There are now 2 "KFC" restaurants in Kabul, Afghanistan.  But in this case, KFC doesn't stand for Kentucky Fried Chicken, it stands for Kabul Fried Chicken.

Instead of being a licensed franchisee for Yum! Brands (like KFC restaurants elsewhere throughout the world), this one is owned by an Afghan who has returned to his war-ravaged homeland from the US to bring some American style fast food to his countrymen.

K(abul)FC owner Mirwais Abdurrahimzai offers 11 different pizzas, 16 kinds of pizza, burgers and, of course, fried chicken. It even looks a lot like a traditional KFC.

More from the VOA:

UN: Eat Less Meat, Save the Planet

Okay fast food lovers, can you do without your meatlicious fast food one day a week?

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the world's leading authority on global warming says people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a
personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change.

More from this article in The Guardian.