It's tough going out there in fast food land. Competition is fierce and marketing budgets are immense. In an attempt to get a leg up, fast food outlets are forced to continually update their menus with new — or apparently new — items.
More often than not, the hot new menu items are simply slight variations on a well-worn theme, like a regular chicken sandwich with some sort of Chipotle-Blaster honey mustard or a little extra black pepper to make it "spicy." Other times, they take a regular food item and do something wild and crazy like change the shape, as Burger King has done with their French Toast Sticks, and Arby's with their evidently much wilder French Toastix. Burger King recently set the gold standard for this technique with the introduction of Chicken Fries, which are basically McNuggets shaped to look like french fries, the logic being that they're somehow more "portable."
Other promotions take familiar offerings and super-duper-size them, as Hardees has done with their new gigantic hamburgers and Burger King with their Enormous Omelet Sandwich. Talk about truth in advertising: the latter fare, which consists of bacon, sausage, cheese and eggs on a bun, weighs in at 730 calories, 47 grams of fat (including 87% of the daily allotment of saturated fat) nearly 2,000 mg of sodium and 138% of the RDA for cholesterol. God, it would take Nicole Richie a week to eat this thing.
Things get truly ridiculous, however, when fast food marketers try to think outside the styrofoam box and create entirely new menu items. The McRib sandwich from McDonald's — which I must confess a weakness for — is a classic example. The McGriddle, which takes a slab of sausage and slaps it between two syrup-infused griddlecakes, is another. But originality has its limits, as do the bounds of good taste. Take for example, Arby's new Roast Beef Gyro, or the Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell. Seriously, take them. I'm not going near them.
Article comments
1 - Victor Plenty
They just need to top this thing off with sour cream and bacon bits. And maybe some butter. Or wait! Even better! Artificial butter flavoring, like on movie theater popcorn! Yes!
That would give it enough cholesterol to kill a polar bear.
2 - Jared
I had this without the three cheese blend, per request, and it was actually tasty. Certainly not healthy, but I can indulge on an infrequent basis. The rest of the components (chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy) fit together well enough.
3 - Mat Brewster
Almost the entire gang at work (around 40 people) love that crazy bowl. Every day since it has come out I see at least one person eating it.
Part of the reason why we're having a month long health contest there. I'm brining fresh fruit tomorrow.
4 - chantal stone
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks cheese and gravy together is repulsive....
all they need to do it deep-fry the whole thing and dip it in ranch, and they might have something worth eating....
[gag]
5 - Howard Dratch
May your house be safe from clogged arteries, stroked brains, diabetic comas and cancer.
Bon Apetit/Buen Provecho/ Eat Hearty!