Nowadays, retailers and manufacturers can’t merely introduce a new product to consumers and call it a day. The way that 7-Eleven is launching “Slurpee Lite,” its new low-calorie drink, shows how a product rollout must be an “event.” This week’s event includes a big Slurpee giveaway.
Major fast food and coffeehouse chains are launching special discounts and promotions aimed to keep customers streaming in during the hot days and months ahead. Who says “happy hour” has to be limited to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol?
A fast-food chain that’s named after a song about marijuana by “Wild Thing” rapper Tone Loc? That sells “blunt” sized sandwiches, each of them named for a different strain of ganja? And hemp brownies listed on the menu under “Incredible Munchies” (desserts)? It sounds like the makings of an old “Saturday Night Live” sketch, perhaps [...]
A mammoth quarter-pound hot dog and a 20-oz. fountain soda for a grand total of $1.50? It’s hard to beat a bargain like that, unless you’re preparing meals at home. You won’t find this deal at McDonald’s, Taco Bell, or Nathan’s Famous, or any place you’d normally call a “restaurant.”
Kids are less likely to order kids meals now. For the past five years, there has been an annual decline in the number of fast-food child meals that come with toys. In 2011, Happy Meal and other child meal sales were down 6%, from 1.3 billion to 1.2 billion orders. Does this mean that parents [...]
In the U.S. pizza is casual, feet-on-the-coffee-table grub, but Japanese diners are dropping $50 on pies from Domino’s, following a big marketing push by the American pizza chain to rebrand the collegiate staple as haute holiday fare. For fifty bucks, diners aren’t just getting a plain — or even pepperoni — pie: They’re getting pizza [...]
Who in the world would ever want “pink slime” in their hamburger? Before answering, take note that the slime is officially referred to as “lean finely textured beef,” or LFTB, that it’s 95% lean, on average — and that without it, you can expect meat to be 5% to 10% more expensive.
This week, chances are pretty good you’ll be hearing about the financial and health benefits of eating less meat, during “Meatout” events scheduled around the country.
The answer is … Chili’s. No wait, that’s only according to a new study focused on the Best Cheap Family Restaurant. Other surveys give top honors to The Cheesecake Factory. Or Bonefish Grill. Or In-N-Out Burger. Or Chick-fil-A. Or, well, you get the idea.
Egg McMuffins not your thing? No problem. McDonald’s is trying to boost its share of the breakfast business with new offerings like muffins, scones and danishes. The fast-food giant is rolling out a line of breakfast pastries in New England, going head-to-head with Massachusetts-based rival Dunkin’ Donuts.
Two staples on McDonald’s Dollar Menu—small fries and small drinks—will soon cost more than $1. Replacing them on the chain’s Dollar Menu are two items that might be considered extras, rather than core parts of the McDonald’s experience: cookies and ice cream cones. Also coming soon to McDonald’s: an “Extra Value Menu” that’s comprised of [...]
