Jim Gaffigan Talks Fast Food on Letterman

Comedian Jim Gaffigan was on the Late Show with David Letterman and he talked about his love of food and fast food in particular.

You can watch it here:



My favorite bit is when he's talking about his love of Popeye's chicken and his understanding of the name: Popeye is a sailor and their chicken goes through me like a torpedo!

Taco Bell Intros New Cantina Tacos

Taco Bell says their new Cantina Tacos are "based upon authentic-style Mexican street tacos."

Their Cantina Tacos included grilled, warm corn tortillas, 'premium' meats and a chopped onion and cilantro blend with a freshly sliced lime wedge.

In equally big news, for the first time Taco Bell is offering pork in one of their menu items.

The Cantina Tacos are available with chicken, steak or carnitas shredded pork.  They have 170, 160 and 200 calories respectively.  (Complete nutritional data for the pork taco is below.)

Taco Bell's new Cantina Tacos

"Our Cantina Tacos are based upon authentic-style Mexican street tacos, which are designed using simple, fresh ingredients, that customers regard as high quality," says David Ovens, chief marketing officer for Taco Bell Corp. "Not only are they a great-tasting addition to our menu, and one that was mainly found in Mexican-style restaurants, but they're also a great value that we know our customers love from Taco Bell."

Complete nutritional info for the Carnitas version of the Cantina Taco:

Taco Bell - Carnitas Pork
Nutrition Facts Serv. Size 113g Servings 1 Calories 200   Fat Cal. 60 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 7 g	11%		Total Carb. 26 g	9%
	Sat. Fat 2 g	10%		Fiber 3 g	12%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 1 g
	Cholesterol 35 mg	11%		Protein 9 g
	Sodium 260 mg	11%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Jack's New Breakfast Pita Pocket

Jack in the Box has a new breakfast item called the Breakfast Pita Pocket.

It is a whole grain pita pocket stuffed with scrambled eggs, sliced ham, bacon, and melting American cheese. It is served with a side of 'fire-roasted' salsa.

It can be had for $2.69.

Jack's Breakfast Pita has 424 calories and 22 grams of fat.

I've e-mailed Jack in the Box for verification, but according to their nutrition data, the Breakfast Pita has 438 mg of Cholesterol. That is a lot! It is 146% of the USDA recommended daily amount!

The complete nutrition facts are below.

"Jack in the Box has one of the most varied breakfast menus in the quick-serve segment of the restaurant industry, with products ranging from sandwiches and biscuits to croissants and burritos," says Tammy Bailey, division vice president of menu marketing and promotions for Jack in the Box Inc. "With the addition of our new Breakfast Pita Pocket, which features a pita bread made with whole grain, we're able to offer our guests even more variety when it comes to this important daypart. And because we serve our full menu all day every day, guests can order the new Breakfast Pita Pocket any time."

Here's the complete nutritional info for Jack's Breakfast Pita Pocket:

Jack in the Box - Breakfast Pita Pocket
Nutrition FactsServ. Size Servings 1 Calories 424   Fat Cal. 193 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 22 g	34%		Total Carb. 31 g	10%
	Sat. Fat 8 g	40%		Fiber 2 g	8%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 0 g
	Cholesterol 438 mg	146%		Protein 27 g
	Sodium 1369 mg	57%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

UPDATE: Jack in the Box got back to me and they confirmed: "The cholesterol in our Breakfast Pita is 438 mg." Um, wow!

Whataburger Celebrates 60 Years Today

Today, August 3, 2010, Whataburger celebrates their 60th Anniversary.

Harmon Dobson opened up the world’s first Whataburger on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had a simple goal, to serve a burger so big that it took two hands to hold and so good that with one bite customers would say, “What a burger!”

In celebration of their anniversary, you can get a free Whataburger by wearing orange to a Whataburger restaurant today, August 3, between 5pm-8pm.

Note:  As was pointed out in the comments, I mistakenly put the date in this post as Aug. 6.  It has been corrected.  The anniversary and the free burger promotion are August 3, 2010.

Tip for Volcano Burrito Lovers on a Budget (Taco Bell)

I recently read a post on Reddit about how a fan of the Volcano Burrito at Taco Bell saves some of his fast food dough and gets his version of the Volcano Burrito for half price.  CornFedHonky writes:

I'm a fan of the Volcano burritos at Taco Bell. The problem is, they aren't that filling and cost $3 a piece! So, one day I had an idea. Instead of ordering the volcano double beef burrito for $3, I ordered a Beefy 5-layer burrito (89 cents) and added volcano (lava) sauce, and crispy tortilla strips. To my surprise the total was only $1.59. If you can do without the tortilla strips it only comes out to $1.24. It's about the same size, has all the same ingredients, and even has the added bonus of nacho cheese that the volcano burrito does not have.

I, too, am a fan of Taco Bell's Volcano Burrito.  I have been since Taco Bell was nice enough to fly me out to their headquarters for a tour and the introduction of the Volcano menu.

And I feel the same way... the Volcano Burrito is pricey and not very filling, so I had to try out this fast food savings trick.

Here's the result:

My version did not include the crunchy tortilla strips since that's never added much to the burrito for me... I just added the Lava Sauce and it ran me 30 cents.  The Beefy 5-layer at my location was 99 cents, so the total for my 'version' of the Volcano Burrito came to $1.29.  A savings of $1.70 from the $2.99 price of the Volcano Burrito.... less than half price!

The 'Beefy 5-Layer with Lava' is a much heartier burrito than the plain old Volcano Burrito and it has the greatness that is the Lava Sauce.

If you're a fan of Taco Bell's Lava Sauce and like saving money, I recommend you give this a try.

Laredo Wendy's Accepting Pesos

Evidently a Wendy's restaurant in Laredo, Texas (a city on the US-Mexican border) is now accepting pesos as well as US dollars in payment for their burgers.

In this photo from examiner.com, you can see a sign the fast food restaurant posted, stating, "We Take Pesos / Aceptamos Pesos."

Back in 2007, there was an uproar when Pizza Patron started accepting pesos for their pizzas.

Will Wendy's suffer the same backlash?  Is Wendy's promoting illegal immigration (as some charged Pizza Patron) or are they simply providing a service to their customers?

Like many fast food chains, Wendy's has a Spanish version of their website.

Jamba Juice Making Cheeseburger Smoothies!?!?

See for yourself:

Could it be? Is Jamba Juice really putting burgers and blenders and serving them up with ketchup and mustard!?!?

No way. They're just trying to make a point... as you'll see when you go to their dedicated website for this video & promotion: cheeseburgerchill.com

Their point is that fast food chains are getting into the smoothie business, but that's not their specialty (like Jamba) and they're not doing as good a job. The implication is that fast food restaurants serving healthy, tasty smoothies makes as much sense as Jamba Juice putting a hamburger in a blender.

Just for receiving their little message, they're offering a coupon for $1 off a smoothie.

QSR Drive-Thru Timer iPhone App

There's an iPhone app aimed at those in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) industry who need to keep tabs on or track the efficiency of their (or their competitions) drive-thru performance.  It's called the Fast Food Timer.

It could also be fun for those app-happy fast foodies out there with nothing better to do with their iPhone or iPod Touch while sitting in the drive-thru.

App creator, Neal Layton, describes his app:

Fast Food Timer was developed for the QSR Industry. This app is for all the Business Consultants, Owners, Supervisors, managers, A-crew and Secret Shoppers (or anyone else!) that wants to Observe, Analyze and Improve the speed of service at any QSR location. This app can be adapted to or for many locations.

One review in the app store by a fast food restaurant owner reads:

While preparing for an inspection I looked at the app store for a timer and found this one, wow! DT KVS and front counter timed like it was written by corp for their consultants. It deliveres on everything it promises.

Here's a screenshot:

Fast Food Drive Thru Fun; Video from Funny or Die

By Alki Stevens Music by Kevin McLeod

Blizzard vs. Blizberry: DQ Sues Yogubliz

DQ has gone to court to prevent a small California frozen yogurt chain, Yogubliz, from selling their 'Blizzberry' froyo because the name is too similar to DQ's Blizzard soft-serve ice cream and candy dessert.

DQ's lawyer says:

"Yogubliz chose a term whose only significance is a shortened form of Blizzard, Yogubliz did so with every intention of trading on the fame and goodwill of Dairy Queen's mark."

Are you confused?

Dairy Queen says Blizzard is its most popular menu item and generates $750 million in sales a year and that 1.5 billion Blizzard treats have been sold since 1985.

Blizz Frozen Yogurt has 11 locations in California and Nevada, but is looking to expand and offering franchise opportunities.

El Pollo Loco's Queso Crunch Burrito is Back

El Pollo Loco has brought back, for a limited time, their Queso Crunch Burrito.

This time, though, you can order it with either El Pollo Loco's flame-grilled chicken or citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Carne Asada style Sirloin steak.

The Queso Crunch Burrito combines your choice of meat with Jack cheese, poblano queso, Pico de Gallo salsa, tortilla strips and optional jalapeno slices, wrapped in a flour tortilla.  The burrito is grilled.

The Queso Crunch Burrito will be available through the end of September 2010.

The chicken version has 627 calories and 28 grams of fat.  Here's the complete nutritional info:

El Pollo Loco - Chicken Queso Crunch Burrito
Nutrition Facts Serv. Size 11 oz Servings 1 Calories 627   Fat Cal. 252 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 28 g	43%		Total Carb. 64 g	21%
	Sat. Fat 9 g	45%		Fiber 3 g	12%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 5 g
	Cholesterol 36 mg	12%		Protein 28 g
	Sodium 1617 mg	67%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

In-N-Out Animal Style Recipe from AHT

There's practically a whole industry out there based on selling you recipes to recreate your favorite fast food (just do a google search and see!), but A Hamburger Today blog has done their own homework and had a West-Coast-Only In-N-Out Burger Double-Double Animal Style burger overnighted to their East Coast location.

They have their recipe for the In-N-Out Double-Double Animal Style, but their dissection, research and re-creation is even more interesting.

Carl's/Hardee's Testing Foot-Long Hamburger

Some Carl's Jr. locations in Southern California and Hardee's locations in Indiana are testing a new foot-long burger with 850 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat.

The 'burger' includes 3 beef patties and 3 slices of cheese on a 12-inch hoagie-type bun. It is being sold for $4, or $4.50 for the 'deluxe' version with more toppings (lettuce, tomato and such).

Here's a pic from USA Today:

Free Smoothie Samples at McDonald's *Cancelled*

McDonald's will be promoting their new Real Fruit Smoothies with free samples today and tomorrow (Friday & Saturday July 23-24).


Free samples of Wild Berry or Strawberry Banana Real Fruit Smoothies will be available at McDonald's 14,000+ locations in the US.


“The addition of McCafe Real Fruit Smoothies to the McCafe beverage line reinforces McDonald’s as a convenient destination for a variety of quality, great-tasting beverages at a value only McDonald’s can offer,” said Ashlee Yingling, supervisor of U.S. media relations for McDonald’s.


Prices for the smoothies vary by market and start at a suggested $2.29 for a 12-ounce serving.

We thought we were giving you a 'cool' heads up about the free smoothies, but it has been brought to our attention that McDonald's felt that sales of their new smoothies were just fine, so the promotion was cancelled:

“The McCafe Real Fruit Smoothies are an absolute hit with our customers, and we’re experiencing unprecedented demand for this delicious new choice on our menu,” said Neil Golden, chief marketing officer for McDonald’s USA. “Due to the overwhelming popularity and to ensure continued supply to meet our customers’ needs, we will not be executing the national in-restaurant sampling event … as previously communicated. However, all other national promotional activities, including coupons, will be accepted at participating restaurants.”

We're sorry about the error. (But we also think McDonald's can afford to honor their promotions once they've been announced!)

Chipotle Wants Your Junk E-Mail

Chipotle has announced that they are doubling their donation to The Lunch Box if its new goal of 1 million junk e-mails is reached by August.

The Lunch Box, which will help to give approximately 32 million school children at 100,000 schools nationwide access to 100 school tested, junk-free recipes created by Chef Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady.

"Clearly, Chipotle has many like-minded fans when it comes to making sure the nation's schools have access to better, more sustainably raised food," said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. "The immediate response which got us to 500,000 pieces of junk e-mail inspired us to increase our donation to The Lunch Box, an organization that shares many of our beliefs when it comes to sustainable food."

Forward your junk to: nojunk@chipotlejunk.com

Chipotle points out that "As in the first wave of this simple but effective campaign, no e-mail addresses will be automatically captured when junk e-mail is submitted through its no junk campaign, and the content of e-mails will not be read."

Has the King infiltrated McDonald's

A tipster sent this video by some guys who were eating their burgers at a McDonald's in San Francisco when they discovered the BK King on the hamburger bun:

Has Burger King found some ingenious viral marketing toasting technique or is this just a BK miracle.

Either way, McDonald's needs to be checking their buns!

The guys who found it have saved the bun and are selling it on ebay (just as they predict in the video below).

Here's the full video:

Thanks to Jen for the tip!

Health Care Law Includes Menu Reform

The health care reform legislation that President Obama signed into law today also includes a new requirement for the country's restaurant chains.

Restaurants chains with 20 or more locations will be required to post nutritional data for their menu items. The requirement is modeled on similar regulations already in place in New York City and California.

The NRA (National Restaurant Association) is praising the requirements:

“The passage of this provision is a win for consumers and restaurateurs,” said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO. “We know the importance of providing consumers with the information they want and need, no matter in which part of the country they are dining. This legislation will replace a growing patchwork of varying state and local regulations with one consistent national standard that helps consumers make choices that are best for themselves and their families.”

The regulation will also apply to posting nutritional information on the outside of vending machines. The American Beverage Association has announced that their members were going to start doing this anyway.

WSJ Health Blog

Chipotle Supports Movie About Kids & Food

Chipotle is promoting another film about food (the last was Food, Inc.). This one is aimed at kids and is called What's On Your Plate?

The film is a witty and provocative documentary about kids and food politics that addresses many of the same ideas behind Chipotle's "Food with Integrity" philosophy and the importance of supporting local farms.

"It's amazing to see two young kids address the issue of where our food comes from in such an empowering way," said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer of Chipotle. "It's important for people, including kids, to understand issues related to the food they eat, and we believe this film will reach them in a way that is more informed and honest than is typical in how food is marketed to children."

Have a look at the trailer for the film:

Wendy's Bacon & Blue Burger

Wendy's new Bacon & Blue Burger has blue cheese crumbles and smoked bacon, with sautéed onions and steakhouse sauce.

"We've heard loud and clear that our customers love the new Applewood smoked bacon," says Ken Calwell, chief marketing officer for Wendy's. "This great bacon and real blue cheese crumbles takes the Bacon and Blue hamburger to a whole new level and offers gourmet taste for a value price."

The Bacon & Blue is available for a limited time and priced at $4.29.

The burger has 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. It proudly serves up 75% of your daily Saturated Fat intake (15 grams). Here are the complete nutritional facts:

I don't normally do this, but while I was checking to see if I could add this burger to our HFCS-free Fast Food list, I couldn't help but notice the rather extensive list of ingredients, so I decided to include them ALL right here. Seems like a lot... even for a 'fancy' burger! By the way, 3 elements of the burger have High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the bun, the Creamy Steakhouse Spread and the ketchup; the mayonnaise just has regular corn syrup. Okay, here's all the parts of the burger and their respective ingredients...

Premium Bun
Enriched Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Soy and/or Canola Oil, Wheat Gluten, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Dough Conditioners (contains one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono and diglycerides, DATEM, calcium peroxide, calcium sulfate, L-cysteine, enzymes), Yeast Nutrients (contains one or more of the following: ammonium sulfate, tricalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride), Modified Food Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Wheat Starch, Maltodextrin, Gum Arabic, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Propionate (preservative). Topped with Yellow Corn Meal. CONTAINS: WHEAT.

Hamburger Patty
Ground Beef. Seasoned with Salt.

Tomatoes, 1-2 slices
Tomatoes.

Lettuce
Lettuce.

Applewood Smoked Bacon, 4 Strips
Pork Cured With: Water, Salt, Sugar, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Creamy Steakhouse Spread
Soybean Oil, Water, Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Egg Yolk, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Garlic (dehydrated), Onion (dehydrated), Shallots (dehydrated), Mustard Seed, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (preservatives), Glucono Delta Lactone, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect flavor). CONTAINS: EGG, MILK

Seasoned Sauteed Onions
Sauteed Yellow Onions (yellow onion, sea salt, maltodextrin, evaporated cane juice, potassium chloride, fractionated coconut oil, caramel color, spices, natural flavor, extra virgin olive oil, citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate), Onion Seasoning (maltodextrin, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, natural flavors, spice, garlic powder, onion powder, artificial flavors, less than 2% of each of the following: silicon dioxide and sunflower oil [processing aids]).

Real Blue Cheese Crumbles
Blue Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, mold, natamycin), Powdered Cellulose (to prevent caking). CONTAINS: MILK

Mayonnaise
Water, Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup, Egg Yolk, Modified Corn Starch, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect taste), Yellow 5 and 6. CONTAINS: EGG.

Dill Pickles (4)
Cucumbers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Alum, Natural Flavors, Polysorbate 80, Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Ketchup
Tomato Concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring.

Mustard
Water, Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric (color), Paprika, Spice.

Onion (4 rings)
Onions.

American Cheese Slice
Cultured Milk, Water, Cream, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid (preservative), Artificial Color, Enzymes, Soy Lecithin. CONTAINS: MILK, SOY.

Fast Food Solutions for Lent

Happy Mardi Gras!

I hope you celebrate Fat Tuesday in true fast food style today, but Mardi Gras, of course, also marks the beginning of Lent tomorrow.  And some fast food chains have dining solutions available for those observing Lent.

Lenten season menu items and specials include:

• Long John Silver's is, of course, a perennial go-to solution during Lent.  They are currently launching their new Crispy Breaded Pollock with the supporting Spin & Win Fish Fry online sweepstakes.
• Captain D's Seafood Kitchen has their new Butterfly Shrimp Dippers; the 15-piece meal is only $4.99.
• Jack in the Box will be offering their Fish Sandwich for just $1.49 during Lent.  They also have 2 other fish products: Fish & Chips for $3.99 and the Fish Pita Snack for $1.99.
• Dairy Queen has a Popcorn Shrimp Basket which includes fries, coleslaw and cocktail sauce.
• A&W Restaurants has brought back their 21-piece Shrimp and Fries.