On the doorstep of Hallowe’en, and U.S. Thanksgiving waiting in the wings, there’s a mixed bag of announcements from the Quick-and-Snacky sphere this week. Burger King and Popeye’s are bringing back old favourites, Arby’s has new ‘Meats’, and Monster is going Vegan…
Culture Clash: Arby’s new Pork Belly Pastrami Bao Sandwich…
Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich is back
Popeye’s left fans standing in round-the-block lineups with no product to sell them after its new Chicken Sandwich went viral a few weeks ago – and reportedly sold out within a matter of hours. Now, the chain says it’s preparing to bring back the hit Sammy ‘soon’, and it wants you to download a new Popeye’s smart phone app so you can be among the first to get the details. Of course, they just want you to download the app and start using it to make their own lives easier, but that’s life in the 21st Century. No immediate word of whether app used will get any special deal;s when the Chicken Sandwich returns. But – as they keep saying – download the app and watch for news…
Panda Express creates culture-clash Sandwich
The Bear is test9ing out what it calls a Pastrami Bao Bun. An oblong snowy white Bao Bun brackets a big slice of Hickory-Smoke flavoured, slow cooked Pork Belly, which is then topped with Pastrami Spices and some Cucumber Pickle rounds before being slathered with Sweet-and-Savoury Sauce that might just remind you of a Korean restaurant. The trick is, you can only get it at the Panda’s Pasadena, CA, Innovation Kitchen store. If you can make it in, let us know what you thought…
Arby’s now doing ‘Petit Filet Steak’
The guys who ‘Have The Meats’ now have a new one: They call it the ‘Petit Filet Steak’, and I wonder if they’re calling it that to avoid calling it what it’s supposed to look like, which is Filet Mignon. Anyway, they’re slicing the new cut of Beef for two new Sandwiches. The Garlic Butter Steak Sandwich features several slices (so the official photo shows) of the new Petit Filet, topped with Pepper Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Garlic-spiked Butter. The Steak & Bacon Melt has Pepper Bacon, Crispy Onions, Cheddar Cheese and Steakhouse Ranch Sauce. Both of the new Sammys come on an Arby’s Ciabatta Bun.
Monster combines two current trends
Monster, the second-most-popular Energy Drink brand in the world, has combined two high-profile dietary trends in a new beverage designed to appeal to the millennial and later markets. It’s called Farmer’s Oats Java Monster because it’s a Coffee-flavoured quaff, and it contains the usual dose of Caffeine in an Oat Milk base, which makes it completely Vegan. You’ll also detect overtones of Cinnamon, Brown Sugar and Vanilla. It launches this coming Monday at all the usual Monster outlets.
Ben and Jerry’s also getting on the Vegan bandwagon
B&J’s is testing a new line of non-dairy ‘Ice Creams’ which it guarantees are 100 percent Vegan. No word on how they’re made, but the company says it’s been working on the challenge of making a non-Dairy product that actually looks and tastes as scrumptious as the real deal for some time, and just recently came up with the ‘magic formula’. You can get a free taste of the new Vegan Creams at any B&J’s scoop shop on November 1, between 4 pm and 8 pm. Just walk in and ask. No strings attached, no purchase necessary.
Burger King brings back Cheesy Tots
BK has brought back its popular Cheesy Tots for another limited-time fall go-round.. The popular Deep-fried morsels consist of Shredded Potato (Hash Brown style) mixed with Shredded Cheese and covered in a crispy Bread Crumb coating. Unless you have a monster mouth, you’ll get two to three bites out of each one. Great for dipping in just about any kind of sauce…
And that’s the skinny…
… On what will be making some of us fatter over the next few weeks. See you back here in seven for the next edition of Fast Food Week!
~ Maggie J.