It’s truly a mixed bag in this week’s Fast Food rundown! And we have entries in every category… The overall theme is Christmassy Green and Red – even if one ‘green’ item is a Dill Pickle lovers’ convention in Texas. The Grinch has also shown up…
The rundown…
You crave it? We’ve probably got it! McDonald’s, Shake Shack, Taco Bell, Domino’s, SONIC and Krispy Kreme have all checked in…
Mains
McDonald’s predicting a green Christmas
McDonald’s has launched a seasonal special Grinch Meal. It includes a Big Mac or 10-piece McNuggets plus a drink. You also get new Dill Pickle ‘Grinch Salt’ McShaker Fries and a pair of Grinch-Themed socks, each embroidered with a message from the old sourpuss himself. At participating McDonald’s locations, while supplies last…
Shake Shack builds a Big Shack
Shake Shack – always seeking to ‘be different’ from the competition – is rolling out a new double-decker megaburger: The Big Shack (See photo, top of page.). It starts with two quarter-pound, all 100 percent Angus beef patties, and three layers of the Shack’s signature potato bun. Embellishments include the Shack’s tangy and spicy ShakeSauce, leaf lettuce, American (Processed) cheese, thick-cut pickles, sliced onions, and Roma tomatoes. (Remind you of any classic McDonald’s burger?)
Taco Bell rolls out newstalgic wrap
They call it a ‘rolled quesadilla’. But it looks like a standard wrap filled with the Bell’s standard que-sadilla fixin’s. The only thing that’s keeping it from being a burrito is its open-ends.
The the Steak & (Roasted) Poblano Rolled Quesadilla is likely to be the first of a series of versions featuring different fillings…
Domino’s does eclectic Spicy/Ranch Pie
Domino’s is spotlighting its New Spicy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza. Not only do they like long menu item names, but they also try to cover all the flavour and style bases! And ‘Eclectic’ is the only word adequate word to describe their latest specialty menu creation. The SCBR features: grilled chicken breast, ranch dressing, bacon, jalapeno peppers, provolone cheese, mozzarella-based ‘pizza cheese’, and a drizzle of Buffalo sauce.
Aldi, Walmart offer TG Dinner bundles
Walmart started it a few years back. A store-curated bundle containing everything you need to lay on a traditional thanksgiving feast at a bargain price. This year, Aldi – Walmart’s arch competitor – is offering a very similar deal. Both bundles claim to feed 10 people for under $40. The 2025 Walmart version, observers note, contains fewer items than last year’s, and more generic (off-brand) products.
Sides
Heinz celebrates Holidays with Bottled Gravy
I suppose it was only a matter of time. Heinz – the Sauce People – are launching a new squeeze-bottled slather just in time for the holidays: leftover Gravy. It’s a gravy-like sauce based on Heinz’s famous canned Turkey Gravy.
And it’s intended as an accoutrement to leftover meals as well as (potentially) a component of dips, a drizzle for sandwiches and burgers, and a flavour donor for any number of other dishes in which you may want that turkey-spice-dash-of-salt essence.
Beverages
SONIC customizes, gives away COKE
Yes… The drink is free – but only to mobile app users. For a limited time, they can snag a free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, or Coke Zero Sugar in any size, with unlimited free customizations with any purchase. To take advantage of the deal, pick the relevant offer in the ‘Deals’ tab of the SONIC mobile app. Then, choose your Coca-Cola and add any flavors and/or fruits you like.
Desserts & Snacks
Goldfish, Pokémon team up for snack time
The classic cracker and the equally iconic Asian animated character have come together to create a special mix including Goldfish and Pikachu crackers, and Poké Balls in one bag. The limited-edition bags feature Pikachu and cracker mascot Finn the Goldfish on the front. They’re available at all the usual outlets.
Krispy Kreme unveils new doughnuts
KK has been struggling financially for the past year or so. Not it’s first disappointing year by any means, but the worst yet. The company reported a net loss of (US)$441.1 million last quarter.
It’s trying to raise consumer awareness by introducing a record 9 new doughnuts this holiday season. Six permanent and three seasonal options will appear this coming week (November 26) just in time for the Holidays.
Novelties
The Season of the Bear…
It seems all the big name retailers are jumping in to piggyback on Starbuck’s seasonal Bear Cup offering. It’s really just a large-sized verson of the smiling Honey Bear jar we’ve all come to know and love over the past many decades. But Starbucks has added a special cap in the shape of an all-Canadian toque, with a hole in the crown for a straw instead of the traditional pompom. They call it the Bearista Cup, which some folks will think is cute. Jollybee, IKEA, Staples, Walmart and even Amazon have all joined the fray…
Events
Can new ownership save Denny’s?
The ancient an venerable breakfast stop, Denny’s, is about to be sold to a conglomerate of holding companies consisting of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Treville Capital and Yadav Enterprises. The (US)$620 million sale is contingent on approval by Denny’s shareholders. I’d love to be a Denny’s shareholder. The company’s shares rose 47 percent in after-hours trading following the surprise announcement…
Size does matter… When it comes to Pickles
And Texas – where the folks say everything is bigger – the city of Arlington hosted the The ‘Big Dill’ World’s Largest Pickle Party on November 8.
Not just a festival, one reviewer observed, but: “A crunchy cultural moment featuring over 70 vendors, a pickle rodeo, a live game show, a full-blown rave, and yes, a man known as The Pickle Priest blessing fans with brine like it’s holy water.” Looks like it will become an annual affair…
And finally… The inventor of the Frozen Burrito has passed away…
Duane Roberts, the man credited with inventing the world’s first-ever mass-marketed frozen burrito, passed away this past week. He was 88. Roberts was just a teenager when he began his career, working at his parent’s meat company, Butcher Boy Food Products, Inc. of Warren Michigan. The company originally focused on selling frozen hamburger patties. But Roberts started tinkering with burritos, launching the world’s first commercially available frozen burrito in 1956. Roberts would later become a billionaire…
And that’s the skinny…
… On what will be making us all a little less skinny over the coming days and weeks… See you back here in 7 for the next ‘Holiday inaugural’ edition of Fast Food Week!
~ Maggie J.