News: Wendy's - New Natural-Cut Sea Salt Fries

In a bit of a reversal of Jack in the Box's fry change, but in keeping with their own premium theme, Wendy's is replacing their current fries with new Natural-Cut Sea Salt Fries. Pricing will remain the same as their current fries and the roll out begins tomorrow, November 11th.

The new fries are cut skin-on from Russet potatoes and seasoned with sea salt which tends to cost a little more than regular table salt. They are cooked in a new oil formulation which is purported to contain no allergens and 0 grams of trans fat per serving.

The new fries are touted as "hotter, crispier, and tastier" and were tested in three U.S. cities before the decision to launch them nationwide.

Review: Sonic - Chili Cheese Tots

I think Sonic is the only place I know of that offers Chili Cheese Tots which is like Chili Cheese Fries but with Tots instead of French fries. Pricing is $2.19 for a small, $2.59 for a medium, and $3.29 for a large. In addition to chili and cheese, you can ask for onions as well for added flavor and crunch.

News: Wendy's Testing Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger

In what looks like Wendy's answer to McDonald's Angus Third Pounders and Burger King's Steakhouse XT premium burgers, Wendy's is testing their new Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger in Las Vegas for a potential national roll out according to the Las Vegas Sun. Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger's main selling points are: a thicker, juicier beef patty, new premium toppings (red onions, crinkle-cut pickles, and thicker cut tomatoes), and a buttered, toasted bun.

News: McDonald's Jalapeno Cheddar and Cheddar Onion McChicken in San Diego

McDonald’s is offering two new variations of the McChicken sandwich in the San Diego area: the Jalapeño Cheddar and the Cheddar Onion. It's unclear if these are merely regional items or a test for possible expansion. It might portend more McChicken versions to come.

The Jalapeño Cheddar McChicken tops the McChicken patty with spicy jalapeño peppers and white cheddar cheese while the new Cheddar Onion McChicken is made with caramelized onions and white cheddar cheese. Pricing on the new sandwiches is $1.49 each.

In a bit of mobile marketing, San Diego McDonald’s is offering a text message coupon for the new McChicken sandwiches. Customers can text ‘YUMMY’ to 44144 to receive a coupon for one free Jalapeño Cheddar or Cheddar Onion McChicken with any purchase sent directly to their mobile phone. To redeem the coupon, customers simply show the text message coupon on their phone to their McDonald's order-taker.

Review: Little Caesars - Hot-N-Ready Pepperoni Pizza

It's hard to believe but in the early '90s, Little Caesars was the #2 pizza chain in the nation. I ate it quite a bit of their pizzas growing up since you could always count on getting two pizzas for the price of one. Nowadays, they're a distant fourth in the pizza race and have a new gimmick that seems to work well for them: the Hot-N-Ready Pizza for $5.

News: Jack in the Box - Free Tacos on Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Jack in the Box is giving away two Free Tacos per customer on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, but only after 2pm (you know, in case you were planning to get two before work and then two after your nightly commute).

The giveaways is supported by a commercial featuring the titular CEO, a visit to the dentist, and an apparent laughing gas induced delirium:

News: Sonic - 2010 Seasonal Holiday Drinks

Available for a limited time at Sonic this winter are two holiday-themed drinks: the Holiday Spiced Hot Chocolate and Holiday Spiced Sugar Cookie Blast. The "Holiday" prefix is to make sure you know they're holiday beverages.

The Holiday Spiced Hot Chocolate features hot chocolate with holiday-spiced caramel and topped with whipped topping.

And the Holiday Spiced Blast is made with spiced caramel-flavored ice cream, sugar cookies pieces, and whipped topping.

Sonic Tailgate Blanket and Gift Card Winners

It looks like pumpkin is, by far, the favored flavor for the fall/winter season (i.e. the holidays), other items that got mentioned a fair bit were peppermint and egg nog, but on to the winners.

I just pulled the numbers from the proverbial hat (via Random.org) and the runner up winner is... *drum roll* Adam who wins a $25 Sonic gift card and a tailgate blanket.

The grand prize of a $100 Sonic gift card and a tailgate blanket goes to Elaine Hearn.

Congrats to you both! I will send you an email shortly to get your mailing addresses.

Review: Burger King - Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich

The other half to the Tendergrill, Burger King's Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich features a deep-fried breaded chicken breast filet served with the standard lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo sandwiched into a corn-dusted bun. It is priced in the premium sandwich range for $4.19.

News: McDonald's - Holiday Pie this Winter 2010!

Depending on your local McDonald's franchisee, your local McDonald's may or may not have Holiday Pie on the menu this holiday season starting on November 18th until December 31st.

So what is a McDonald's Holiday Pie? It is a custard-filled baked turnover with what appears to be a confetti cake crust covered with a sugary white icing. I wouldn't say it makes me think of Christmas or the holidays though; maybe a kid's birthday, but no, not the holidays.

If you're so inclined to try one, I suggest calling ahead first as not all McDonald's will stock them; it's up to each franchisee's election.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, I have two confirmed locations for you:

5310 W. Rosecrans Ave.
Hawthorne CA 90250

1203 Artesia Blvd.
Manhattan Beach CA 90266

News: Domino's - Play "Behind the Pizza" for Free $5 Gift Card

Domino's is working to inform customers about their ingredients supply chain with a new edutainment game dubbed "Behind the Pizza" at more.dominos.com/behindthepizza. To encourage users to play, Domino's is offering incentives at several point tiers for various stages of completion of the game (in a game-show-like manner where you give up your prize for a better prize at the next tier).

At 1 point, users can get a coupon for free Cinna Stix with their next order.

At 50 points is a coupon for free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes with your next order.

At 100 points is a buy one, get one free large pizza.

Finally, at the end of it all, you can play a pizza-making game for a $5 Domino's gift card. Update: There seems to be great difficulty in either a) getting a gift card or b) getting a gift card that works. Looks like they didn't quite test the fulfillment aspect of the promotion too well. This looks like it might be a black mark against Domino's if Facebook is any indication. Domino's has taken the game down, saying they've run out of prizes and that it'll be back.

Completion of the entire game probably takes about 20 minutes by my rough guess. There's no "game over," so the prizes are pretty much a given as long as you work your way through.

News: The Coffee Bean - $1 Holiday Drinks on November 9th

The Coffee Bean usually does a freebie day on their limited-time drinks once per season, but since it is the season for giving, this holiday season, it'll cost you a $1 to get a 12-ounce holiday drink on Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, 4 to 7pm.

So where's the giving part? The dollar you pay will go to The Help Group, a nonprofit benefiting children with special needs.

Where: Participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in AZ and CA.
When: Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, 4 to 7pm.
Why: Proceeds go to children with special needs. For $1, you get your choice of a 12-ounce Red Velvet Hot Cocoa or Ice-Blended (isn't that just hot cocoa with red food coloring?!), Winter Dream Tea Latte, or Gingerbread Cookie Latte.