Little or nothing to say about the Value Wars at Fast Food Week this time ’round… But lots to say about big, juicy sandwiches and pizzas! And a Beverages, Snacks & Desserts selection with something to make everybody’s taste buds tingle…
The rundown…
Mains
Popeye’s pops new Pickle Menu
The rundown features Popeye’s new Pickle Glaze Chicken Sandwish, described as, “Crispy, hand-battered chicken coated in a pickle-flavored glaze, topped with thick-cut pickles, and served on a toasted brioche bun.” You can also get Pickle-glazed bone-in or boneless Wings, Fried Pickles and Pickle Lemonade. The Pickle Menu is available for a limited time across the land.
Shack-A-Roni is back at Papa John’s
Reprising one of the chain’s most popular collabs ever, the Shack-A-Roni pie is back at Papa John’s. It’s billed as, ‘an extra-large hand-tossed pizza topped with extra cheese and extra pepperoni’. And it’s cut into extra-large slices honouring ‘sponsor’ Shaquille O’Neil’s personal and professional ‘footprints’…
Beverages
McDonald’s permanently updates Lemonade
It was a runaway fave in tests. And it’s now, it making a triumphant return across the McUniverse as the replacement for the chain’s former collab with Minute Mail.
Known as Premium Lemonade in the previews, the new stuff will be billed simply as ‘Lemonade’ in its new role on the permanent beverage menu.
Shake Shack débuts Dubai Chocolate
“How uncharacteristic Shake Shack!” vou might say, to offer something that only a billionaire denizen of Dubai might fancy – or be able to afford. But the Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake recently made a splashy début in America’s flashiest towns. In fact, 10 specific, participating Shack locations in each of NYC, Miami and Los Angeles were chosen for the American launch. Alas, there’s a catch: this limit-ed-run shake is only available in-person. No apps. No deliveries. No secret menu hacks. And only a limited number of these shakes will be served each day at each location…
Desserts & Snacks
Jack In The Box brings back Mozz Sticks and Popcorn Chicken
JITB is bringing back popular back Popcorn Chicken and Mozzarella Sticks, along with newstalgic Nashville Hot versions of both items. Available in Small Box, Big Box, or Mega Box orders, or as a combo with fries and a drink. Also available as part of a Fan Fav Box that includes Tiny Tacos, sea-soned fries, and Marinara, plus Avocado Lime and Buttermilk Ranch dip cups. Now through June 2.
Hot Pockets team Hot and Cool
It’s a collab between the popular hand-pastry and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing that stuffs either Pepperoni or Buffalo Style Chicken along with the appropriate Hidden Valley Ranch sauce…
…into a familiar crispy Hot Pockets pastry shell flavoured with the appropriate HV Seasoning blend. Definitely a promo for the new HV ‘re-imagined’ newstalgified sauces and dry seasoning blends.
Baskin-Robbins gets glammy with April FoM…
The BR Flavour of the Month is glitzy-blammy La Paloma Paradise. The ice cream is described as in-spired by the La Paloma cocktail. It’s namesake float is an elaborate combo of La Paloma Ice Cream plus one of a new ‘a grapefruit-forward, citrusy’ sorbet’ with mild chili pepper lime swirls.
… Intros ‘Flavour Flights’
BR is also introducing what it calls Flavour Flights, new ice cream flavour samplers featuring your choice of 4 different 2.5 oz. scoops topped with topped with crunchy-sweet waffle cone chips. A great idea that’s probably been too long in coming…
Krispy Kreme celebrates Easter with Bunny Basket Collection
There are three new Bunny-themed limited-time KK Easter Doughnuts plus a returning Spring fave, the Strawberry Iced Doughnut with Sprinkles.
All featured in a special Bunny Basket Collection. In dozen-boxes at participating KK locations and 6-packs at selected supermarkets.
Reese’s premieres stuffed pretzels
Late to the the party, but still making a ‘star turn’, Reese’s is premiering Peanut Butter-stuffed Pretzel snacks. The salty-crispy bites are a well-known format in the snack universe. But Reese’s will doubt-less be granted a permit to claim status as having ‘perfected’ the time-tested fave. They’re a per-manent addition to the Reese’s section of the snack aisle at all the usual sources…
Novelties
TRESemmé + Red Clay = Hot Honey
In what amounts to a fully-inverted collab with Red Clay Hot Sauce, hair product brand TRESemmé is selling a Hot Honey product that’s not for your hair! New RED CLAY Spicy Peach Honey is just that: flavoured honey inspired by TRESemmés’s pre-existing Finishing Oil. “Just as TRESemmé’s Lamellar Gloss Finishing Oil adds confidence and shine to your hair, Hot Gloss brings that same bold energy to your plate,” the official bumpf claims.
Domino’s goes global in Singapore
Domino’s – for no particular reason – ‘adds some Middle Eastern flavor to the menu in Singapore’ with the launch of a new ‘Sha-Wah-ma’ Cheese Volcano. It’s that unique crust with the sauce re-servoir ‘volcano’ in the centre, this time filled with ‘melty cheddar dip’.
The underlying pie features Shawarma-style Chicken or Beef plus creamy Shawarma sauce, green bell peppers, onion, cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of tangy garlic mayo.
KFC Philippines features Salted Caramel
It’s clearly a slap-back at the whole island nation, after Filipino-native chain Jollybee snagged the coveted title of America’s Favourite Chicken last year. You can get KFC’s Original Chicken, a Zinger Chicken sandwich and a Zinger Twister wrap all drenched in anew Salted Caramel gloss sauce are available for a limited time. The new sauce, one reviewer says, “balances heat with a creamy, buttery sweetness that just works…”
Events
Cocoa Cola Re-imagines 2014 ‘Share a Coke’ promo
It’s a ride on the newstalgia express with the opportunity to seek your name on a special, semi-customized range of specially-labelled Coke Bottle or cans. And if your name’s not already there, Englebert, you can order-up custom labels from a special Coke website. You get there by scanning a special QR code. While there, check out new Share a Coke Memory Maker, where you can party like its 2014.
And that’s the skinny…
… On what’s g0ing to be making some of us a little more lovable (i.e.- ‘sweeter’) in the days and weeks to come. See you back here in 7 for the next ketchup-stained edition of fast Food Week!
~ Maggie J.