Saturday, again, and it seems like only yesterday… Anyway, following, as usual, is our roundup of the top fast food sector reveals and announcements. Subway is trying to misdirect our attention from its cheapo sandwiches. And a special report on another official fail on the ‘Kids Lemonade Stand’ front.
Subway launches new look
Subway, which has been on a slide for a couple of years, now, has made another bold attempt to re-brand and catch up with the competition again. Alas, rather than increasing the amount of meat and cheese in their sandwiches to pre-slump levels – which would have been meaningful and appreciated by customers – the chain is trying to shift our attention to the wholesomeness of its ingredients. The ‘Fresh Forward’ store redesign will showcase the veggies, which are sliced fresh as needed every day. Some additions to the menu include Pico de Gallo, new Sauces, house-made Pickles and Bread “made without gluten”. Aside from that, things at Subway Fresh Forward locations appear to be status quo: Meat and Cheese slices you can read the newspaper through…
Big things (kettle) cooking at Lay’s
Lay’s, the Potato Chip (and other salty snacks) giant had a big week, starting with the reveal of the company’s 2017 ‘Do Us A Flavour’ contest finalists. The company also announced a partnership with Walmart, under which the department store will get an exclusive on a new Potato Chip flavour – Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño. It’s now at all Walmarts across the U.S.
McDonalds tests Slushies, Smoothies
McD’s is test-marketing Peach Smoothies in selected markets this summer. The concoction is a blend of Peach Puree, Ice, Pineapple Juice concentrate, Apple Juice concentrate, Banana Puree, and Yogurt.
Chipotle smacked with a new sanitation fail
Mice actually ‘rained down’ from the ruptured ceiling of a Chipotle’s restaurant in Dallas, TX, a few days ago. Needless to say (?) diners were shocked. Chipotle’s issued a statement that read, in part: “…this is an extremely isolated and rare incident and certainly not anything we’d ever want our customers to encounter.” Pest control experts said there was a ‘structural gap’ somewhere that allowed the rodents access to the building. All it takes is a half-inch / 2 cm space.
Chipotle’s definitely didn’t need this ‘Mice-nado’ moment, especially after its latest food-borne disease scandal. At least one diner at another Chipotle location was confirmed to have contracted Norovirus from the food. Can Chipotle’s fight back?
British police fine 5-year-old for unlicensed Lemonade Stand
Here we go again… London coppers rolled up to a 5-year-old’s Lemonade stand in the Borough of Tower Hamlets and dropped a ticket on her for operating without a license. £150 / (US)$195 is a lot for a little kid! But her Dad was also named, since the little girl was clearly a minor. Seems a music festival was going on in a local park and dozens of people were streaming past the stand every minute.
If I was a licensed vendor in the park, I wouldn’t have minded the kid selling Lemonade. It’s not known, however, if the cops just ‘did their duty’ on spotting the stand, or were ‘enforcing on a complaint’ by someone. Anyway, the Hamlet council,issued a statement saying: “We are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen.”
And there you have it…
Quite a mix of portable foods news, this week. And most of it good for diners!
Cheers!
~ Maggie J.