OFF TOPIC: Swine Flu Explained, CDC Video

Hey, I know this is far off topic, but this is the best, most straightforward explaination I've seen of Swine Flu, that I've seen.

So, here it is, direct from the CDC (US Center for Disease Control):

"CDC influenza expert, Joseph Bresee, M.D., describes how to recognize the signs and symptoms of swine flu including how swine flu is transmitted, appropriate medicines for treatment and steps to take to prevent or treat illness."

A Swine Flu & Fast Food Connection?

It is important to note that you cannot contract Swine Flu from eating pork.

Now that the first person to get Swine Flu has been located, there are suspicions about it's origins.

Edgar Hernandez of La Gloria in eastern Mexico has been identified as the first person to have Swine Flu. He's fine now.

But attention is now being paid to a pig farm near La Gloria called Granjas Carroll de México.

Residents of La Gloria have been complaining since March that the odour from Granjas Carroll’s pig "manure lagoons" was causing severe respiratory infections. They held a demonstration this month at which they carried signs of pigs crossed with an X and marked with the word peligro (danger).

Granjas Carroll de México, which is a 50 per cent owned subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, based in the US state of Virginia, supplies the McDonald’s and Subway. They were also fined $12.3 million (£8.4 million) in 1997 for violating the Clean Water Act.

see Times Online for more.

UPDATE: Smithfield Foods has sent a letter to their employees about the virus. They are awaiting test results on pigs from the farm near La Gloria.

Healthiest French Fries

A WebMD nutritionist took a look at fast food french fries with an eye to which are the healthiest (and which or the worst for you).

She concluded that Sonic's regular fries are the healthiest fast food french fry choice because they are lowest in calories, fat grams, percentage of calories from fat ant total amount of "bad fats." The runner up was McDonald's.

The worst: Carl's Jr. Natural Cut French Fries and Jack in the Box Natural Cut fries which are the highest in calories and grams of fat and are shockingly high in "bad fats" (4 grams saturated fat and 5 grams trans fat).

read the rest at WebMD.

First Look: Bombay Bowl

A new fast food restaurant concept has opened in Denver called "Bombay Bowl."

Their origins (from their web site):

"America can be a cold, dark place for immigrating students. That is, until you find the all night grocery stores and fast food drive-throughs. Then, starving homesick students come to understand one of th emany things that make the US beautiful. Food and opportunity! Add in a passion for great taste and healthy options and you have, me, Amar. I've been through nine years of corporate American and many more adventures but now its time for me to follow my passion. Now its time for the birth of a new fast-casual dining option -- Bombay Bowl."

"The Bombay Bowl vision is to focus on a simple menu and cooking process so we can serve quality and healthy food quickly and inexpensively. Because every store will have consistent food quality and taste, Bombay Bowl will be a common healthy, alternative fast-food in American's diets."

Their first timer diner's guide:

Some of their signature dishes include:

Tikka Bowl - Cumin-cilantro Rice, Grilled Chicken or Shrimp, Sauteed Vegetables, Tikka Sauce with Cilantro Garlic Chutney topped with Cilantro. ($6.99 for chicken, $7.99 for shrimp)

Korma Bowl - Cumin-Cilantro Rice, Braised Beef or Tofu or Grilled Chicken, Chickpea curry, Korma Sauce with Sweet Tamarind Chutney topped with Green Onion. ($7.50 for beef, $6.99 for Chicken or Tofu)

One enthusiastic on-line reviewer wrote on Urban Spoon: "The food is amazing!! I have been there three times already and I think they have only been open a week. LOLI dont know what it is but I have yet to get bored with the food. My favorite is the tofu and the white-colored curry with veggies."

Cinnabon Gives Nurses Free Rolls

from Cinnabon:

In appreciation of the extraordinary service nurses provide on a daily basis, Cinnabon and The DAISY Foundation are offering these professionals a free Cinnabon Classic Roll when they show their healthcare ID or badge at participating bakeries May 6-12.

"Nurses constantly put others before themselves, so we're happy to celebrate them during Nurses Week and thank them for their constant 'WOW' service," says Geoff Hill, president of Cinnabon.

"We also commend The DAISY Foundation for their passionate efforts, and we are happy to continue growing a long-lasting relationship with this outstanding organization.

Boston Market's Military Discount Partnership

Instead of offering a discount to active-duty military personnel who present their military ID card, Boston Market is offering a discount only to members of "Veterans Advantage," a 'membership card' program that costs $59.95 per year.  (Even the 30-day trial membership carries a $4.95 "processing fee.")

from Boston Market's press release:

To thank and honor those who served our country and their families Boston Market announces a partnership with Veterans Advantage. Through this partnership, members of Veterans Advantage will receive a 20 percent discount at any Boston Market restaurant nationwide when they show their membership card.

“Boston Market is proud to give back to those who bravely serve our country,” said Rick Arras, President and CEO of Boston Market and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “Veterans Advantage serves thousands of families each year, and we’re excited to offer discounts on our wholesome meals as a member benefit.”

Well sure, it is a great deal if you find yourself eating more than 43 meals a year at Boston Market. That's how many $7 meals you'd have to eat at Boston Market for your 20% savings ($1.40 per $7 meal) to add up to the $60 for an annual membership in "Veterans Advantage." ($7 for a meal at Boston Market is an arbitrary number I picked for the math.)

McCurry beats McDonald's in court

Fast food chain McDonald's lost a lawsuit in Malaysia on Wednesday after an appeals court overruled a decision that its trademark had been infringed by a local restaurant called McCurry.

"Where the learned judge, with respect, erred is to assume that McDonald's had a monopoly in the use of the prefix 'Mc' on a signage or in the conduct of business," Judge Gopal Sri Ram said, overturning a 2006 ruling in favour of McDonald's.

The McDonald's operation in this Southeast Asian country of 27 million people is run as franchise by prominent businessman Vincent Tan and has 185 outlets, according to the company website.

McCurry, by contrast, serves Indian fast food from one restaurant in Kuala Lumpur as well Malaysian dishes such as fish head curry and is short for "Malaysian Chicken Curry", according to the company website.

Taco Del Mar's Cinco De Mayo 5-lbs Burrito Challenge

For Cinco de Mayo, Taco Del Mar is rolling up 5 pound burritos on, the biggest in the restaurant chain's history, for their "Cinco de Mondo Five-pounder Burrito-eating Challenge.

On May 5, anyone that can successfully take down the Taco Del Mar’s Cinco de Mondo Five-pounder Burrito within 30 minutes or less gets a $20 Taco Del Mar gift certificate, a variety of Taco Del Mar SWAG and some serious bragging rights! The Five-pounder Burrito, equivalent to four-and-a-half of its Mondo Burritos, is four flour tortillas packed with rice, refried beans, chicken or ground beef, cheese, pico de gallo and a choice of sauces and jalapenos. It’s priced at $17.95.

Anyone up for the challenge should visit a Taco Del Mar on May 5 during regular store hours and ask for the Five-pounder!

Here's a video of a 5-pounder being made:

Padma Lakshmi Loves Carl's Western Bacon

Supermodel and no-nonsense host of Bravo's "Top Chef," Padma Lakshmi shows her love for Carl's Jr.'s Western Bacon Cheeseburgers in new TV ads. The burger is a special love from her youth that helped her transition from vegetarian to carnivore.

"I...started wolfing down bacon Western cheeseburgers [sic] after school at Carl's Jr. The sublimely pleasurable taste of bacon...was further enhanced by its mingling with the barbecue sauce, greedily licked off as it dripped down my teenage fingers," wrote Padma in her latest cookbook, 'Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet,' published in 2007.

That revelation drew the attention of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's advertising agency, Mendelsohn|Zien, which had been tasked with creating a new television campaign for Hardee's introduction of its very own Western Bacon Thickburger. The resulting ads will begin running on March 30th in markets throughout the Midwest and Southeast and will also be shown in limited Carl's Jr. markets on the West Coast beginning March 31st.

You can watch it below, right now:

BK Studio: Wear Our Logo

Hey, we all know these are tough economic times. Advertising budgets might be shrinking at some of our favorite fast food chains, but Burger King has a solution. They've figured out how to get us to pay them to advertising.

Introducing Burger King Studio!

BK is selling you shirts that will help sell more of their burgers!

You can even design your own BK Studio shirt. The cost, a mere $24.

The ones they've designed for you (on the right) will set you back $16.

The titles of the ones on the right (from top to bottom are "Ultimate Whopper," "The Bubble Has Burst," and "King of Deliciousness."

Here's Burger King's take on their new 'studio':

"Burger King Studio is part art gallery, part think-tank with a dash of Mad Scientist's experiments thrown in for good measure."

"Burger King Studio is a progressive platform that inspires free-flowing creativity and provides a forum for imaginative collaboration between artists and consumers," says Cindy Syracuse, senior director, cultural marketing, Burger King Corp.

BK is even going to have boutiques (yup, shops) where you can buy their schwag. The first one has already opened at Universal CityWalk in Orlando.

And here I am doing my small part to promote their promotion and I bet I won't even get a damn t-shirt!

Carl's Jr.'s Bourbon and Coke

Hopefully and fooled you with the title and made you think Carl's is the first fast food joint to start serving liquor... that's probably what they're going for, too!

But there's no alcohol here, it's just their Kentucky Bourbon Burger (and a Coke).

The Kentucky Bourbon Burger is a Charbroiled Black Angus Beef Patty, 2 strips of bacon, Pepperjack cheese, garlic-pepper onion straws, lettuce, tomato slices and Kentucky Bourbon Glaze (zero proof).

You can even get a dollar off with this coupon.

So you might not get a buzz, but as a bonus you'll get 100% of your daily value of Saturated Fat and Sodium, and 970 calories!  Come to think of it, you might get a buzz after all!

UPDATE: Here's an advance look at the TV spot that will start airing next week for the Kentucky Bourbon Burger (a surgeon talks about his need for a bourbon before surgery, of course it is revealed that he's talking about this new burger):

0 Proof (0.0% Alc./Vol.)... I love it!

Dunkin' Donuts Shamrock Donut

Dunkin' Donuts has a special "Lucky Dozen Donut" coming up for you this St. Patrick's Day with green shamrocks and yellow and white sprinkles.

Maybe if you bring these to the office you won't have to wear that one article of green clothing you hate but break out every year for St. Paddy's day.

BK Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots AGAIN!

Have you seen the ads for Burger Kings Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots? Did you know they've tried the mini-burger concept before? Well, they did... back in 1987. Video proof from a 1987 TV ad is below.

BK announced their mini breakfast sandwiches and burgers last month.

Like the 'sliders' of White Castle fame, BK's Burger Shots are tiny flame-broiled burgers topped with mustard, ketchup and two pickles between a bun without sesame seeds and are available in a two-pack ($1.39) or a six-pack ($4.09).

BK Breakfast Shots feature the choice of ham, bacon or a sausage patty with an egg, a smoky cheese sauce and melted American cheese served on a bun. BK They're available in a two-pack ($1.49) or a four-pack (2.89).

You can read a review and see real-world photos of the Breakfast Shots at Hamburger Calculus.

Here's your nutritional info for the 2-packs of both:

And now for the video proof that this is BK's second attempt at this concept:

Jack's Back With New Logo

The Jack in the Box ad campaign that started during the Super Bowl with Jack being hit by a bus has now resulted in a new Jack in the Box logo being unveiled (and Jack being released from the hospital).

The new logo prominently features the name "Jack" in script lettering above a simpler, low-key "in the Box," with the swooping tail of the "k" in "Jack" mimicking the large, red smile of the chain's icon.

Here's the new logo:

Another redesign will be coming on February 16, when there will be a new jackinthebox.com website. This is really a long time coming. While most of the other fast food restaurants have taken their websites to the next level with interactive features, Jack's website has started to look a little stale. (By the way, another exception to these improvements is McDonald's; their website is still pretty basic, too.)

Terri Graham, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Jack in the Box Inc says, “We’re committed to re-energizing our brand through a comprehensive restaurant re-image program, the introduction of an updated logo, and continued menu innovation that will provide our guests exciting new products they can order anytime day or night. Jack in the Box is one of the only major QSR chains that offer its full menu all day.”

Changes will include the new logo, new website, a restaurant 're-image program,' menu innovation, and social networking.

Regarding the menu, "Later this month, Jack in the Box will launch a new product platform with the introduction of Mini Sirloin Burgers, which feature a trio of all-sirloin patties topped with American cheese, grilled onions and ketchup served on bakery-style buns reminiscent of Hawaiian sweet rolls."

Health Mag's Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food

Health Magazine's March issue features their list of the ten healthiest fast food restaurants.

Their ranking is:

1. Panera Bread
2. Jason's Deli
3. Au Bon Pain
4. Noodles and Company
5. Corner Bakery Cafe
6. Chipotle
7. Atlanta Bread
8. McDonald's (!)
9. Einstein Bros. Bagels
10. Taco Del Mar

Yes, we're not kidding, they put McDonald's at number 8 and Chick-fil-a and Subway didn't even make the list. Who are Health Mag's major advertisers anyway... or who are the hoping to get as advertisers!

Say what you will about Subway, but if you have half a brain you can order a very healthy meal at Subway. And Chick-fil-a goes out of their way to provide healthy options. These are just two examples, I'm sure you can think of more.

And #9 is Einstein Bros. Bagels. Bagels. Really? Come on! Healthy? I have nothing against Einstein Bros., or McDonald's for that matter, but they don't belong on a list of the healthiest fast food restaurants.

I like the quality, healthy options offered by Panera and Jason's (number 1 & 2 on their list), too, and would have put them near the top of my 'healthiest' list, but when you choose McDonald's over other obvious choices it taints the meaningfulness of your list.

Also, I would have put Chipotle closer to number 1, than their number 6, for their efforts in natural, hormone-free meats.

Now you know!

Now a 911 Call Over McNuggets

There has been another incident of a woman calling 911 to complain about her fast food (or lack thereof), this time the complaint was about McNuggets.

Latreasa Goodman (pictured) called 911 not just once, but 3 times to complain that a McDonald's employee wasn't giving her a refund for the chicken nuggets she wanted.

You can listen to all three 911 calls below.

Evidently Goodman ordered a 10-piece chicken McNugget meal and paid for it, after which she was told they were out of McNuggets and told to pick something else off the menu because they could not refund her money. That is reprehensible, on McDonald's part, but not quite a 911 emergency.

Goodman was issued a written notice to appear in court for misusing 911.

Carlos Solorzano, operations manager for all McDonald's restaurants in Florida, issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for the incident.

"Satisfying each and every customer that visits our restaurants is very important to us," Solorzano said. "Regarding this isolated incident, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. In the event that we are unable to fill an order, a customer should be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative menu items. We regret that in this instance, that wasn't the case.

"We want to correct our mistake. We will be sending the customer her refund, along with an invitation to return for her original order, on us. We never want to disappoint a McNuggets fan or any McDonald's customer. Customer satisfaction is our top priority."

McNugget 911 call #1:

McNugget 911 call #2:


McNugget 911 call #3:

Woman Calls 911 With Fast Food Complaint

Wow, people really do call 911 when a fast food restaurant doesn't meet their expectations!!

I hardly believed someone could waste the time and resources of people (911 operators) who are there to save lives!

But apparently it happens. Here's audio of a woman calling 911 to complain about her experience at Burger King:

McDonald's Serves Cleaning Solution Tea

from the Maryland Daily Record:

Late one evening last September, Caryl Jones ordered an iced tea at the drive-through of the McDonald’s near her Northwest Baltimore home. But that’s not what she got, according to her lawsuit in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

What Jones got was another sort of “T”: Triazinetrione — Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione Dihydrate, to be exact — better known as “McD Sanitizer,” a cleaning chemical intended for use on kitchen equipment and surfaces.

Jack's Shameless Superbowl Head Trauma

Like millions of others, you probably saw Jack get hit by a bus in the Jack in the Box ad during the Superbowl.

The 'official statement' after the ad says "In lieu of sending flowers, please order anything on the menu, anytime of the day.  Jack would want it that way."

Just another attempt at fast food viral marketing (with a huge Superbowl price tag), and the requisite web site www.hangintherejack.com.

Miss it?  You can see all the Superbowl ads over at Hulu (see below).

But for now, here's some fake cell phone video taken right after the accident:

We wrote about the Denny's Superbowl ad and free Grand Slam on Monday.

The only other fast food Superbowl ad was Taco Bell's. And we think that was a huge FAIL.

Here's all the Superbowl ads (on Hulu):

Dennys Superbowl Ad: Free Breakfast

Denny's bought their first Superbowl ad during Superbowl 43 (sorry, XLIII) yesterday.

And they didn't advertise fast food... they advertised Free Food!

That's right!

A Free Grand Slam breakfast for all tomorrow (Tuesday 2/3/09) from 6am to 2pm!

Fine print: "Dine-in only. Offer limited to Tuesday, 2/3/09, 6am to 2pm in all Denny's restaurants in the United States, Canada and Puerto while supplies last. With exception of 350 Baker Blvd., Baker, CA.

Here's the TV ad, below that is a shot of their website after the ad ran.