Topic: fast food

Sad Survey: Fast Food Workers Think They–Not Their Employers–Are The Problem

Well, this is a huge bummer. The fast food industry is catching a lot of flak for their role in America’s obesity epidemic–but it seems to be the employees who work the drive-thru that are internalizing the criticism. According to a survey by PayScale.com, nearly 40% of fast food employees think their job is making the world a worse place. But it’s not the people who work in fast food who are the problem–it’s the forces above them, who continue to invent and market unhealthy crap. More »

Pizza Hut Will Reward Someone For Asking ‘Sausage Or Pepperoni?’ At Town Hall Debate

I no longer hate Pizza Hut for making really crappy food; I hate them for undermining U.S. politics with probably the most inane PR stunt I’ve ever seen: Offering pizza for life to anyone who will ask whether the candidates prefer “sausage or pepperoni” at the Town Hall debate on October 16. In a press release sent out yesterday, the company encouraged the “Pizza Party” to speak up at next week’s debates. Ugh. More »

Why Fast Food Play Areas Are Even Worse For Kids Than Fast Food Itself

Prepare yourself, because this is pretty gross. For years, Dr. Erin Carr-Jordan has been fighting to clean up fast food restaurants. But her focus isn’t the food they serve–it’s the area that kids play in both before and after they eat, often without washing their hands. And, in an interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta over the weekend, Dr. Carr-Jordan touched on an interesting–and highly disturbing point. Unlike kitchens, restrooms, and shipping facilities, fast foodplay areas are never looked at by health inspectors. They fall under no one’s jurisdiction. It is literally no one’s responsibility to ensure that your kid isn’t climbing around in another kid’s poo. More »

Canadian McDonald’s Is Probably Healthier Than American McDonald’s

McDonald’s Canada is hard on the case to make us believe that their food isn’t full of secret ingredients that are super bad for you. And their “Our food. Your questions.” marketing campaign has me convinced that they’re not actually as terrible for you as I thought…in Canada. The newest in a series of videos designed to promote transparency explains what goes into beef patties in Canadian McDonald’s…and it doesn’t seem so bad. I just wish their American burgers got the same kind of quality control. More »

The Loaded Breakfast Sandwich: Jack In The Box’s Newest Middle Finger To America’s Health

Did you see this week’s Parks and Recreation? It marvelously skewered the embarrassing trend of fast food restaurants deciding that the health of the country is less important than offering something huge, highly caloric,and unnecessarily unhealthy. Of course, this is a real thing that is happening–as underscored by Jack in the Box‘s newest menu item: The Loaded Breakfast Sandwich. Please, America. Your heart can’t handle this sandwich. More »

Sorry, Vegans: Starbucks Rewards Program Says Sayonara To Free Soymilk

If their insect-tinged Strawberry Frappucino debacle wasn’t enough, Starbucks is pissing off vegans yet again with a change in their rewards program policies. Before, holding a rewards card guaranteed free syrups and soymilk, which normally costs a few extra cents per drink. Starting October 16th, though, they’re taking away your free soymilk. More »

India Is Getting Vegetarian McDonald’s, And You Could Too. Here’s How.

McDonald’s recently announced that they’ll be adding two vegetarian restaurants in India by 2013, to both applause and controversy over the effects it could have on local culture. India’s overwhelming number of vegetarians (many Indians avoid meat–particularly beef and pork–for religious reasons) has inspired the company to develop a menu with vegetarian options in the hundreds of locations throughout India, but some say the company’s attempt to appeal to Hindu customers is insulting, given that it capitalizes on the sales of beef and pork products. Religious and moral conundrums aside, though, I think there’s one somewhat optimistic take-away : That a meat-free golden arches could be ours, too. More »

Good News: McRib Isn’t Coming Until December. Bad News: McDonald’s Making New Burgers For Fall.

McDonald‘s usually rolls out the McRib in late October, but this year, they’re not going to pass out mystery meat until December, according to internal memos that were leaked to Ad Age. We’re not sure what’s worse about McDonald’s McRibs: The fact that they’re one of the most nutritionally frightening fast food menu items available, or the fact that McDonald’s has hypnotized everyone into loving them simply by making them available for limited months of the year. But either way, they’re sticking to the plan…and adding a couple of new “seasonal” items in fall to keep customers from starving before they unleash the McRib. More »

McDonald’s Nutrition Facts To Be Posted On All Menus; We’re Actually Optimistic

McDonald’s nutrition facts will be posted on the menus at all 14,000-plus locations in the U.S. next week, the company announced today. You might be asking yourself, “Don’t they already do that?” or “Isn’t the government forcing them to do that anyway?”; the answer is “sort of.” The chain already posts nutrition facts in locations where state law mandates it (but not everywhere), and Obama’s healthcare reform bill will eventually require chains to post nutrition facts on menus (but not yet), so McDonald’s isn’t technically the most noble fast food joint in the world. But for once, we’re actually kind of excited about the initiative they’re taking; mostly because it sounds like they’re working hard on making some other really positive changes to their menu. More »

What We're Reading:

Baskin-Robbins, Determined To Join The Effort To Kill America, Invents Ice Cream Nachos

Not to be outdone by the likes of Cinnabon, Burger King, and any other establishment has recently rolled out ridiculously unhealthy food items, ice cream titan Baskin-Robbins has jumped on the gnarly grub bandwagon. Their gut-busting invention? Ice cream nachos. More »

Like McDonald’s, But Healthy: Lyfe Kitchen Makes Actual Organic Fast Food

Imagine a restaurant like McDonald’s, where you can get a hot meal in just a few minutes. But imagine that the meal is almost totally organic, sourced from local ingredients, and free of preservatives. Instead of fries, you have brussels sprouts. Instead of milkshakes, you have smoothies with chia seed and soy yogurt. Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. Lyfe Kitchen, the new chain of restaurants brought to you by former McDonald’s CEO Mike Roberts, aims to change the face of fast food in America. More »

Things You Could Order From McDonald’s New Under-400-Calorie Menu

McDonald’s is launching a new menu initiative called “Favorites Under 400 Calories,” ostensibly intended to help customers make healthier (or at least lower-calorie) choices. Right on–anything that provides consumers with more information about their restaurant food options is a good thing in my book. So let’s take a look at what 400 calories looks like at McDonald’s (including how much fat, sodium and simple carbs you’re getting along with those calories). More »

Shocking! Study Finds Western Fast Food Is Terrible For People In Singapore, Too

Western-style fast food isn’t just killing Americans. As the cheap, low-grade grub gains popularity in other nations it’s bringing all of the health risks associated with a diet high in fat, sodium, and sugar right along with it. Case in point: Singapore, a country which has traditionally enjoyed a pretty healthy, balanced diet. According to a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, burgers and fries wrecking the health of Singaporeans who eat them. More »

I’m Judging Burger King Because It’s Gross, Not Because Of One Deadbeat Employee

Yesterday, we wrote about the Burger King employee who stepped on some lettuce and stupidly posted a photo of it to 4chan, and how it grossed us out because it is yucky. One Facebook fan thought we were being too harsh on the chain, and asked that we not judge Burger King for one employee’s actions–which is fair, except one guy stepping on lettuce in Ohio is kind of the least of BK’s problems. It isn’t just about the lettuce. More »

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