Wendy's Bacon & Blue Burger

Wendy's new Bacon & Blue Burger has blue cheese crumbles and smoked bacon, with sautéed onions and steakhouse sauce.

"We've heard loud and clear that our customers love the new Applewood smoked bacon," says Ken Calwell, chief marketing officer for Wendy's. "This great bacon and real blue cheese crumbles takes the Bacon and Blue hamburger to a whole new level and offers gourmet taste for a value price."

The Bacon & Blue is available for a limited time and priced at $4.29.

The burger has 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. It proudly serves up 75% of your daily Saturated Fat intake (15 grams). Here are the complete nutritional facts:

I don't normally do this, but while I was checking to see if I could add this burger to our HFCS-free Fast Food list, I couldn't help but notice the rather extensive list of ingredients, so I decided to include them ALL right here. Seems like a lot... even for a 'fancy' burger! By the way, 3 elements of the burger have High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the bun, the Creamy Steakhouse Spread and the ketchup; the mayonnaise just has regular corn syrup. Okay, here's all the parts of the burger and their respective ingredients...

Premium Bun
Enriched Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Soy and/or Canola Oil, Wheat Gluten, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Dough Conditioners (contains one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono and diglycerides, DATEM, calcium peroxide, calcium sulfate, L-cysteine, enzymes), Yeast Nutrients (contains one or more of the following: ammonium sulfate, tricalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride), Modified Food Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Wheat Starch, Maltodextrin, Gum Arabic, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Propionate (preservative). Topped with Yellow Corn Meal. CONTAINS: WHEAT.

Hamburger Patty
Ground Beef. Seasoned with Salt.

Tomatoes, 1-2 slices
Tomatoes.

Lettuce
Lettuce.

Applewood Smoked Bacon, 4 Strips
Pork Cured With: Water, Salt, Sugar, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Creamy Steakhouse Spread
Soybean Oil, Water, Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Egg Yolk, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Garlic (dehydrated), Onion (dehydrated), Shallots (dehydrated), Mustard Seed, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (preservatives), Glucono Delta Lactone, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect flavor). CONTAINS: EGG, MILK

Seasoned Sauteed Onions
Sauteed Yellow Onions (yellow onion, sea salt, maltodextrin, evaporated cane juice, potassium chloride, fractionated coconut oil, caramel color, spices, natural flavor, extra virgin olive oil, citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate), Onion Seasoning (maltodextrin, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, natural flavors, spice, garlic powder, onion powder, artificial flavors, less than 2% of each of the following: silicon dioxide and sunflower oil [processing aids]).

Real Blue Cheese Crumbles
Blue Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, mold, natamycin), Powdered Cellulose (to prevent caking). CONTAINS: MILK

Mayonnaise
Water, Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup, Egg Yolk, Modified Corn Starch, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect taste), Yellow 5 and 6. CONTAINS: EGG.

Dill Pickles (4)
Cucumbers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Alum, Natural Flavors, Polysorbate 80, Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Ketchup
Tomato Concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring.

Mustard
Water, Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric (color), Paprika, Spice.

Onion (4 rings)
Onions.

American Cheese Slice
Cultured Milk, Water, Cream, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid (preservative), Artificial Color, Enzymes, Soy Lecithin. CONTAINS: MILK, SOY.

Wendy's NEW Bacon Deluxe

The name remains the same, but changes have been made to Wendy's Bacon Deluxe.

The New Bacon Deluxe is "fresh-cooked beef, melted American cheese, hand-leafed lettuce, and sliced beefsteak tomato topped with four seriously thick, crispy strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon on a Kaiser bun."

Yup, you caught it:  Applewood Smoked Bacon.

Wendy's is so excited about their new Applewood Smoked Bacon, they even have a special Twitter account to talk about it:  @urBaconMeCrazy

McDonald's Using Foreign Beef in US Angus Burgers

You would think that McDonald's would turn exclusively to US farmers for the Angus beef in their new Angus Third Pounder Burgers sold in US stores.

Instead they have upped their deal with New Zealand farmers to export over 22,000 tons of beef (that's enough for over 132 million Angus Third Pounders). They'll be mixing that NZ Angus with US Angus for the new burgers.

McDonald's must be getting a great deal, because they literally couldn't find someplace farther away from the US to get additional Angus beef.

McD's Angus Third Pounder Taste Tested

Act Fast! The first 8 people to follow and send a private message (with your snail mail address) to FastFoodNews via Twitter will get a pair of McDonald's "Be Our Guest Cards." Each card can be redeemed for a free Angus Third Pounder. (These cards were supplied to Fast Food News by McDonald's Inc.) We've given away the free Angus Third Pounder cards, but you can still follow FastFoodNews on Twitter.

Yesterday was the first day for McDonald's first nationwide roll-out of a new burger in 8 years, the Angus Third Pounder.

We tried 2 of the 3 new versions of the Third Pounder, the Deluxe and the Bacon & Cheese. (We'll save the Mushroom Swiss for another day.)

Here's what we came home with... the Bacon & Cheese is on the left, the Deluxe is on the right:

I'm not much of a photographer, but let's go ahead and compare that to McDonald's official, professional press release photo of these 2 new burgers:

These burgers are more substantial than the Quarter Pounder. The beef patty is clearly bigger, although it still has that iconic, pre-formed appearance of all McDonald's meat patties.

The real rings of purple onion and the thick slice of a large diameter tomato are nice touches. It helps to push this burgers taste in the direction of a home made hamburger... not that it actually makes it to that realm, but it helps. The lettuce was abundant, fresh and of good quality, too.

We both noticed, though, that the purple onions were virtually tasteless. We assume that McDonald's went to great lengths to find onions that would never be considered to strong or offensive. We had fun imagining the process of McDonald's execs insisting on a genetically-modified scentless, tasteless onion that could be grown in huge quantities. Just a fantasy; couldn't be true.

We got our Angus Third Pounders at McDonald's #6753 in Benbrook, TX where the manager on duty said that they had been selling the Third Pounders for about a week (even though yesterday was their official release date). He said they'd had a good response to them and they were growing in popularity. He said they were selling about 50 a day. (Note: We used "Be Our Guest Cards" for 2 free Third Pounders and purchased the rest of our meal. We didn't speak to the manager until after our burgers where prepared and handed to us.)

In the press materials for the Third Pounders, the descriptions of all 3 burgers ends with, "served on a toasted bakery-style sesame seed roll." This description left me expecting the burger to be on a warm, slightly crunchy, toasted bun. This was not the case. The bun was cold and soft and had not been toasted in any way noticeable from the outside. When I took the burger apart for the photos below, I could see the the inside of the buns had been toasted slightly. No big deal really, but after reading the description I suppose I became hopeful that the entire sandwich would be run through a warmer/toaster just before being served.

Otherwise, besides being a little bigger, the buns do not differ in consitency or flavor from standard McDonald's buns.

Here's a look at the insides (again, Bacon & Cheese on the left, Deluxe on the right. Click for larger image.)

Nutritional Information:

The Angus Third Pounders have a calorie range of 750 to 770 calories. They have 39-40 grams of fat and 16-17 grams of saturated fat.

Interestingly, they also have 2 grams of Trans Fat. This is interesting because most fast food chains have eliminated or are attempting to eliminate all trans fats from their menus. A reader asked if this would prevent the sandwiches from being sold in New York City where Trans Fats are banned. I, in turn, asked a McDonald's rep and was informed that, "NYC Department of Health regulation pertains only to artificial trans fat. The 2 grams of trans fat in the Angus Burger is attributed to the beef patty that contains naturally-occurring trans fat,a type of trans fat that would not be subject to the artificial trans fat regulation."

Here's the calorie, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar & protein stats for the Angus Third Pounders:

Here's a look at a cross section of the Bacon & Cheese Angus Third Pounder (click for larger):

And a close-up of the burger patty (on the Deluxe):

Had one yourself? Let us know what you think.

McDonald's Angus Third Pounders Nationwide

McDonald's first new burgers since 2001 will be available at McDonald's restaurants starting tomorrow.

The new burgers are 3 "Angus Third Pounder" burgers.

Available nationwide, starting tomorrow July 2, 2009, their will be 3 versions of the Angus Third Pounder burgers: the Deluxe, Bacon & Cheese, and Mushroom & Swiss. Each Angus Third Pounder is made with 1/3 pound of Angus beef and served on a toasted sesame seed roll.

McDonald's has been testing these Angus burgers for 2 years in various markets.

As with the Quarter Pounder, the Third Pound description is the burger patty's weight before cooking.

McDonald's will be featuring items on these burgers that have never before been seen on a McDonald's burger: Rings of red onions, full slices of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, natural swiss cheese and 'bakery-style' sesame seed rolls.

As I mentioned, this is McDonald's first new burger launch since 2001. The Big ‘N Tasty debuted in 2001.

Although we referenced some early reviews of McDonald's Angus Burger, we'll be trying them tomorrow and have an update for you. McDonald's is also sending us some "Be Our Guest" cards so that you can try the new Angus Third Pounds, too. Check back and we'll let you know how you can get yours. Follow Fast Food News on Twitter to win, that's where we'll give them away.

Here's the Angus Third Pounders' official logo:

Audrina Partridge in Carl's Bikini Ad

It has been a few years since Carl's Jr. heated up TV screens with their ad featuring Paris Hilton in a swimsuit washing a Bentley.

Now it is Audrina Partridge's turn. Partridge's "top-rated bikini body" is featured in a new ad for Carl's Teriyaki Burger. Sex sells fast food, too, apparently:

“During the summer, as my fans know, I’m always on the beach in my bikini,” said Patridge. “But, my one indulgence is the Carl’s Jr. Teriyaki Burger. I love the charbroiled pineapple and the Teriyaki glaze – I seriously crave it.”

The Teriyaki Burger has a charbroiled beef patty, teriyaki glaze, a charbroiled pineapple slice, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayonnaise, on a seeded bun. They are available in a single, double or Six Dollar™ version, and sell for $2.89, $3.89 and $4.69 respectively.

As part of this bikini theme and to further promote the Teriyaki burger, Carl's and Hardee's have partnered with Break Media for a "Hot Chicks Eating Burgers" video contest. 'Hot chicks' are supposed to submit videos of themselves eating burgers at www.HotChicksEatingBurgers.com.

Just a coincidence...
Less than an hour after I wrote the above, FedEx showed up at my door with this pineapple for me from Carl's:

The postcard 'from' Audrina reads: "Having a delicious summer with the Carl's Jr. Teriyaki Burger. Wish you were here... XO, Audrina."

So, since I plan on eating some of this pineapple, that should serve as full disclosure... although I really don't need to do that since I already wrote about it. Hmmmm.

I also wanted to mention that you can find a $1 off coupon for the Teriyaki Burger here.

Portobello Mushroom $6 Burger Back at Carl's

Carl's Jr. is bringing their Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger back to fast food.  It was originally introduced in 2005 and then again in 2007; it will now be a permanent menu item.

It features almost 1/2 pound of Angus beef, topped with Porobello mushrooms sauteed in a garlic-butter sauce, Swiss cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a seeded bun.

It costs $4.89 or $7.39 for the combo. There is a $1 off coupon available that is valid through 6/30/09.

“The Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger is one of those craveable tastes that people can’t seem to get enough of,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing at CKE Restaurants. “Maybe that’s because we combine sautéed Portobello mushrooms, often referred to as ‘the steak of vegetables,’ with a big, charbroiled, 100% Black Angus beef patty. In fact, the burger sold even better when we re-introduced it than it did the first time, so this time around we’re making it a permanent menu item.”

“This is a momentous day for mushroom fans,” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “Portobello mushrooms are delicious, versatile and part of a nutritious diet, especially for young hungry carnivores. We know fun guys will really like this burger. Fun guys, fungi…get it?”

Here's the TV ad, "Last Bite," that they'll be using to re-introduce it:

The 'Hamburger Taco' from Rubios

Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grille (a Western US chain) has introduced their "All-American Taco."  Really, though, it is a 'hamburger taco.'

I'm surprised this hasn't shown up somewhere before.  It is the perfect blending of American and Mexican cuisine... and so simple.  A hamburger patty in a taco.

Rubio's describes their creation thusly, "a juicy, perfectly seasoned, char-grilled beef patty topped with melted American cheese, then complemented with salsa fresca, smoky garlic-chipotle mayo and lettuce.  Served in a warm, soft flour tortilla with a jalapeno alongside."

But just look at it...

It is a hamburger in a taco.  Rubio's calls it the "burger with a Beach Mex twist." I call it genius!

I wish I was nearby, I'd love to try one.  If you have, let us know about it.  This could be a fast food breakthrough.

The $2.99 All-American Taco will be added to Rubio's menu for a limited time beginning today.

"I've always wanted to blend the cultural tastes of Mexico with those of the U.S.A., and I think this new All-American Taco is better than either on its own," says Ralph Rubio, co-founder and chairman, Rubio's.

"We looked beyond the expected to introduce something totally unique, and with one bite the All-American Taco brings fond memories of the local beach drive-in and a trip to Cabo all at once."

Beer at Burgerville

Burgerville is launching a pilot program at its Salmon Creek, Washington restaurant today. Starting at 11 a.m. this morning, the chain will begin selling local beers and wines.

Interestingly (and smart!), Burgerville is making a two-drink limit for their guests (21 and up only, of course).

from Burgerville:

CEO Jeff Harvey is taking Burgerville's approach of offering fresh, locally sourced and sustainably farmed ingredients to the next level, by adding two gourmet, seasonal food combination's to its menu each month that will feature a locally produced ingredient at the peak of its freshness. While others in the food service industry are focusing on value menus, Burgerville is focusing on delivering high quality, gourmet dining options, at value prices. The prices of these new gourmet menu offerings fall directly in line with already established menu favorites.

Serving local beer and wine is the latest innovative step Burgerville is taking to enhance guest experience. Beers and wines from a select group of local wineries and breweries have been carefully chosen by an internationally renowned sommelier, Christine Tran, to complement new menu items such as the Grilled Asparagus and Tomato Melt, Grilled Asparagus Spears and the Spring Spinach and Chicken Salad.

The local wine offerings include the Ponzi Tavola Pinot Noir, O'Reilly Pinot Gris and the Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay. Burgerville also capitalized on the area’s abundant breweries like the Widmer Brothers Brewery and the Full Sail Brewing Co. and sought the best complement to seasonal and regular menu items such as the Wild Smoked Salmon Salad and the Spicy Anasazi Bean Burger.

The selected beers include Widmer Hefeweizen, Full Sail Amber (pictured) and Terminal Gravity ESG.

Padma Lakshmi Loves Carl's Western Bacon

Supermodel and no-nonsense host of Bravo's "Top Chef," Padma Lakshmi shows her love for Carl's Jr.'s Western Bacon Cheeseburgers in new TV ads. The burger is a special love from her youth that helped her transition from vegetarian to carnivore.

"I...started wolfing down bacon Western cheeseburgers [sic] after school at Carl's Jr. The sublimely pleasurable taste of bacon...was further enhanced by its mingling with the barbecue sauce, greedily licked off as it dripped down my teenage fingers," wrote Padma in her latest cookbook, 'Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet,' published in 2007.

That revelation drew the attention of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's advertising agency, Mendelsohn|Zien, which had been tasked with creating a new television campaign for Hardee's introduction of its very own Western Bacon Thickburger. The resulting ads will begin running on March 30th in markets throughout the Midwest and Southeast and will also be shown in limited Carl's Jr. markets on the West Coast beginning March 31st.

You can watch it below, right now:

Carl's Jr.'s Bourbon and Coke

Hopefully and fooled you with the title and made you think Carl's is the first fast food joint to start serving liquor... that's probably what they're going for, too!

But there's no alcohol here, it's just their Kentucky Bourbon Burger (and a Coke).

The Kentucky Bourbon Burger is a Charbroiled Black Angus Beef Patty, 2 strips of bacon, Pepperjack cheese, garlic-pepper onion straws, lettuce, tomato slices and Kentucky Bourbon Glaze (zero proof).

You can even get a dollar off with this coupon.

So you might not get a buzz, but as a bonus you'll get 100% of your daily value of Saturated Fat and Sodium, and 970 calories!  Come to think of it, you might get a buzz after all!

UPDATE: Here's an advance look at the TV spot that will start airing next week for the Kentucky Bourbon Burger (a surgeon talks about his need for a bourbon before surgery, of course it is revealed that he's talking about this new burger):

0 Proof (0.0% Alc./Vol.)... I love it!

BK Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots AGAIN!

Have you seen the ads for Burger Kings Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots? Did you know they've tried the mini-burger concept before? Well, they did... back in 1987. Video proof from a 1987 TV ad is below.

BK announced their mini breakfast sandwiches and burgers last month.

Like the 'sliders' of White Castle fame, BK's Burger Shots are tiny flame-broiled burgers topped with mustard, ketchup and two pickles between a bun without sesame seeds and are available in a two-pack ($1.39) or a six-pack ($4.09).

BK Breakfast Shots feature the choice of ham, bacon or a sausage patty with an egg, a smoky cheese sauce and melted American cheese served on a bun. BK They're available in a two-pack ($1.49) or a four-pack (2.89).

You can read a review and see real-world photos of the Breakfast Shots at Hamburger Calculus.

Here's your nutritional info for the 2-packs of both:

And now for the video proof that this is BK's second attempt at this concept:

McDonald's at Texas Stock Show

I visited the famous Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo last week. Every year there is an area called "Planet Agriculture" promoting various agricultural products from cotton and corn to milk and beef. Sponsored by the Texas Farm Bureau, Cattleman's Beef Board (the "Beef: It's What's for Dinner" folks) and McDonald's, the section about beef had lots of information, but I thought I'd share the two signs clearly produced for McDonald's. I've included a transcription of the text below each photo.

McDonald's is clearly trying to promote their standard message that their food is healthy, safe and nutritious, but there have an additional marketing target here... the people of Texas.  They want Texans to know just how much money they pour into the Texas economy with their copious beef purchases.

McDonald's Beef Facts
(Sources: Texas Farm Bureau & McDonald's)

McDonald's provides nutrition and ingredient information for the majority of our products.

Lean Beef (as set by the USDA) is less than 10g of Total Fat, 4.5g or less of Saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and 100 grams. There are 29 cuts of beef that meet the government labeling guidelines for Lean. The McDonald's hamburger meets this criteria too!

A 3 oz serving of lean beef is an excellent source of:

• Protein (50% of the DV*)
• Zinc (39% of the DV)
• Vitamin B12 (37% of the DV)
• Selenium (24% of the DV)
• Phosphorus (30% of the DV)
  

Percent Daily Value (DV) is based on a 2,000-calories diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower, depending on your calorie needs.

McDonald's purchased more than 87 million pounds of beef from Texas in 2005.

McDonald's spent more than $100 million dollars on beef purchased from Texas in 2005.

McDonald's uses only 100% USDA inspected beef, with no additives, fillers, flavor enhancers or extenders. Patties are seasoned at the grill with salt and pepper.

McDonald's Beef Facts
(Sources: Texas Farm Bureau & McDonald's)

Quality and sensory testing are conducted every two hours at McDonald's supplier plants. Patties are tested using the same grills found in McDonald's restaurants and scored to ensure consistent taste and texture.

McDonald's requires feed grain certification from all suppliers. Signed affidavits from suppliers verify that animals have been fed in 100 percent compliance with federal guidelines to ensure that cattle in McDonald's supply chain are feed with only safe, wholesome feed.

McDonald's has some of the most stringent food safety and quality assurance standards in the industry. Its safety regulations for beef meets or exceeds those required by the USDA.

1. Beef is America's #1 selling protein!
2. Beef cattle are found on more than 130,000 Texas farms and ranches.
3. In 1968 McDonald's introduced the Big Mac sandwich as a core menu item.
4. Beef is the #1 source of protein, B-12, and zinc in the diet!
5. A three ounce serving of lean beef provides 50 percent of the daily value our bodies need for protein.

Carl's Jr.'s Steak Sandwich ($1 off)

Carl's has a coupon for $1 off their Charbroiled Steak Sandwich.

This long sandwich is "100% sirloin steak" (aka, 'oblong hamburger patty'), onion rings, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a toasted steak roll.

It also generously includes 700 calories, 330 of them from fat, and 38 grams of fat. Here's the rest of the nutritional information from Fast Food Facts:

Carl's Jr.'s marketing slogan for this sandwich is: "It's how guys do fancy."

“In this economy, it’s understandable that guys would want to watch what they spend,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl’s Jr. “So, we’re giving them the opportunity to do just that with the new Charbroiled Steak Sandwich. It isn’t cheap, low-quality, value-menu fare like most of our competitors are pimping right now, but it does represent a great value for a big piece of steak compared to what guys would pay almost anywhere else. Even in these tough times, people still want quality food and great taste, but they also want to feel like they are getting a good value for their money. And, for a little over four-and-a-half bucks, the new Charbroiled Steak Sandwich from Carl’s Jr. delivers value in a big way.”

The TV ad for the Charbroiled Steak Sandwich are supposed to be funny... how about ridiculous and disturbing...

Here's the short version.

Wendy's Gourmet Mushroom Swissburger

Wendy's has introduced their new Gourmet Mushroom Swissburger for a limited time.

It is 1/4 lb. of beef topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed Portabella mushroom blend, hickory smoked bacon, pepercorn sauce, lettuce, and tomato.

And if you're signed up for WendyMail you've received a $1 off coupon for one.

But hey, don't let the mushrooms fool you!! This baby isn't about being a healthy burger.

166% of your daily value of fat, 136% of your daily value of sodium, 205% of your daily value of saturated fat, AND a whopping 4 grams of Trans Fat! It has 1810 calories, 970 from fat and 108 fat grams.

Boy, did we get that wrong! As you can see in the comments below, I was quickly called out for ersatz nutritional data on this burger. I did get my data directly from Wendy's, but am still uncertain about what happened. Some of the figures are 3 times what is now on Wendy's site. One, the Cholesterol, is actually more than what I listed before. I'm inclined to believe that Wendy's corrected their site shortly after I posted the data, but I can't be sure. Mistakes do happen. Thanks to you alert readers for catching the error.

Here's all the corrected nutritional data (as reported by Wendy's):

By the way, the 1.5 grams of Trans Fat is still rather disappointing when everyone else seems to be eliminating Trans Fat altogether.

Japan Quarter Pounder Store

The "Quarter Pounder Stores" that have popped up in Japan have been getting a lot of attention in the blogosphere lately.

The black and red generic stores carry no iconic McDonald's arches are any other branding and have only 2 items on the menu, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal and the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal (both are served with French Fries and Coke or Coffee).

So what's the story on these 2 restaurants?

McDonald's has been in Japan for quite some time, of course, but their iconic Quarter Pounder with Cheese has never made it on to the menu in Japan. These 2 Quarter Pounder Stores serve as a promotional marketing announcement of the Quarter Pounder's introduction into Japan's fast food market.

The restaurants gave away Quarter Pounder t-shirts on the day they opened (November 1) and are running a promotion on their website (www.quarter-pounder.net) for a group of 20 people to win a trip to and tour of the US.

I've received an e-mail from Junichi Kawaminami of McDonald's Japan Corporate Relations. He writes:

"McDonald's Japan is running a teaser promotion before a new product launch which is to be announced in the not too distant future in Japan. The Quarter Pounder store is a part of the promotion and is designed in a black and red colors with chic black furniture generating a fashionable atmosphere with no McDonald's logos.

"The Quarter Poudner store is run by the Quarter Pounder Secretariat Office for a limited period of time during the promotion. It is not a new restaurant concept or a new brand design that McDonald's is examining or testing.

"Two Quarter Pounder stores were opened in downtown Tokyo, Omotesand and Shibuya East stores at 11:00 AM of November 1. They serve two meal menus only:

• Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal: 500 yen - promotional price (with French Fries and Coke or Coffee)
• Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal: 600 yen promotional price (with French Fries and Coke or Coffee)

"On November 1st, 2nd and 3rd, first 1000 customers received "Quarter Pounder" T-shirts as grand opening gifts and 500 people lined up at the Omotesando stores afer the opening time. The Quarter Pounder Secretariat Office is running a sweepstake to win US Tour for 10 pairs/20 people to win, promoted at the stores and on its official web site.

"With this promotion, the Quarter Pounder Secretariat Office is inviting the Japanese consumers to try the authentic hamburger, Quarter Pounder, originated in the US of great taste with juicy quality beef, establishing high awareness in Japan through the media and words of mouth among those with arousing curiosity.

Neil Duckett has some great photos of the interior of the store at his blog.
The Quarter Pounder Store story also broke on A Hamburger Today, Fast Food Fever! and McChronicles.

McDonald's Double Cheeseburger and the McDouble

The Wall Street woes have officially hit just about every Main Street in America today... every one with a McDonald's at least.

McDonald's is planning to take their much beloved Double Cheeseburger off the Dollar Menu.

They're replacing it with the new "McDouble." The McDouble still has 2 meat patties, but only 1 slice of cheese.

The Double Cheeseburger would still be available, but not on the Dollar Menu, it will be priced somewhere above $1.

There has been much speculation lately on the fate of the Double Cheeseburger, but these appear to be the final plans as laid out in a memo to franchisees. Franchisees will vote on the plans in November.

“The recommendation to add McDouble to our popular Dollar Menu reflects
that we’re . . . providing our customers even more choices, with the
everyday affordability our customers expect,” McDonald’s said in a
statement. “The recommendation to adjust the price of the Double
Cheeseburger allows us to continue to provide the same great-tasting
burger our customers know and love, still at a great value.”

McDonald's has been testing the Double Cheeseburger changes in some markets and have found that most people prefer to keep the second piece of cheese and spend a little more.

Removing 1 piece of cheese will save McDonald's about 6 cents per sandwich.

Evidently the Double Cheeseburger/McDouble changes could boost cash flow by $15,000 a year per restaurant.

“This sounds like a legitimate option to remove a piece of cheese, but
it seems odd to offer both double cheeseburgers,” says Larry Miller, an
analyst in Atlanta with RBC Capital Markets. “Any change to the Dollar
Menu is really important because it is in such high demand now.”

The Dollar Menu accounts for 14% of McDonald's US sales.

I suppose this was inevitable. When you sell as many burgers as McDonald's does, one piece of cheese can make a big difference to the bottom line.

But it does seem odd that they couldn't make up their mind to either raise the price or cut the cheese (sorry) and instead decide to do both.

Now, I guess, it will be up to us when we're in the drive-thru... more cash for extra cheese or a buck for 1 slice less?

What will you choose? Take the poll...

sources: Chicago Business and Forbes

Battle of the Tiny Hamburgers: North vs. South

Laughing Squid has a great little post about White Castle & Krystal, The War of the Tiny Hamburgers: North vs. South.

The post has some great restaurant photos of the 2 purveyors of tiny hamburgers and the tiny hamburgers themselves.

As you can see from the map below (that I've modified from the one at Wikipedia), White Castle's market is in the North and Krystal's is in the South.  The only 2 states with both restaurants are Kentucky and Tennessee.

And as Laughing Squid points out, "One thing is certain, the West Coast is missing out on all of the tiny square hamburger action."

Sonic's Angus Bacon Cheeseburgers

Sonic Drive-In is offering 3 hamburgers made with 100% Angus beef.

The new Sonic Angus Bacon Cheeseburgers are available in Hickory, Jalapeño and Classic.

They're served on a ciabatta bun.

The Angus burgers are presently a 'limited time only' menu item.

The Classic Angus Bacon Cheeseburger has 760 calories and 52 grams of fat. Complete nutritional information:

I've already mentioned the Sonic Angus burger, regarding an unfortunate photo of a banner for it, but I didn't have the nutritional details until now.

Carl's Jr. Expands Bacon Guacamole Burger Line

Carl's has a coupon right now for $1 off their Guacamole Bacon Burgers.  They're celebrating the success of their guacamole-topped burgers and chicken sandwiches.  (Carl's makes their guacamole fresh every day.)

“Carl’s Jr. has always had great success introducing menu items that deliver more authentic tastes and flavors than our competitors would ever attempt,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. “So, we naturally wanted to prepare guacamole like people do at home, with real avocados and fresh salsa, to make our Guacamole Bacon Burgers taste like something you’d be more likely to find only in sit-down restaurants."

The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger ($4.99) was introduced in 2003 and won Citysearch's "Best Burger of 2007."  And this year it is the official burger of the 2008 California Avocado Festival.  Now Carl's is also offering a Single Guacamole Bacon Burger ($3.29) and a Double Guacamole Bacon Burger ($4.29).

Other fast food eats that we've written about that include guacamole are Quizno's Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sub, Taco Bell's Guacamole Bacon Grilled Burrito, and El Pollo Loco's Chicken Nachos.

The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger offers 130% of your daily fat intake and 145% of your saturated fat intake* with 1140 calories and 85 grams of fat.  The Single has 850 calories and 66 grams of fat.  Complete nutritional information:

Quad Burger Down Under

Australian fast food chain Hungry Jacks is getting plenty of publicity down under for their Quad Burger.

Healthy eating advocates are condemning the 1,084 calorie burger, but that's just bringing more people in to try it!

The Quad Burger comes with four beef patties, four slices of cheese, two servings of bacon, barbecue sauce, and two buns. (see all the parts above)

It has 70 grams of fat!

The burger costs $5.95 (that's about $4.95 in US dollars).

more at Nine News Australia

UPDATE: Now Slashfood is covering this...read more there.

Krystal's Hamburger Eating Contest

Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship is coming soon. Qualifying rounds are already underway.

Krystal's 5th annual hamburger contest will take place in Chattanooga, TN on September 28, 2009.

Last year an injured jaw forced three time defending Champion Takeru Kobayshi to
miss the 2007 Square Off, leaving the door wide open Joey Chestnut who ate 103 of Krystal's little square burgers.

The second of 7 regional qualifiers took place yesterday (Sept. 1). The 5 remaining qualifying rounds will take place on:

• September 6 in Atlanta, GA,
• September 13 in Nashville, TN,
• September 14 in Knoxville, TN,
• September 20 in Birmingham, AL, and
• September 21 in Memphis, TN.

The 1st place prize is $50,000.

By the way, a Krystal burger weighs 60 grams and has 160 calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 17 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 1 gram sugars, and 7 grams protein.

So 103 burgers (last years winning amount) would have 16,480 calories and 721 grams of fat (or 1.6 pounds of fat).

That's the calorie equivalent of 59 McDonald's hamburgers, 38 McDonald's Quarter Pounders, 59 Burger King Whoppers, 40 Wendy's Classic Single with everything, 17 Jack in the Box Ultimate Cheeseburger, or 78 Subway 6-inch Turkey breast subs.

hat tip to A Hamburger Today

Organic fast food joint in LA

Organic Observer has an article about O!Burger: Organic fast food burgers:

"Has the organic food trend finally spawned a fast food restaurant?

The menu at O!Burger in Los Angeles fits the bill. The all-organic menu offers burgers, shakes, and fries."

Jack's Nacho Cheese Value Menu

Jack in the Box has 2 new 'value menu' items for sale this summer: the Nacho Cheese Burger and Nacho Cheese Chicken Sandwich.

From Jack's press release on these 2 sandwiches: "Some truths can't be denied – the earth revolves around the sun, water boils at 212 degrees at sea level, and everything, absolutely everything tastes better covered in cheese...Jack's new Nacho Cheese Burger and Nacho Cheese Chicken Sandwich feature a choice of a beef or chicken patty topped with cheddar cheese sauce and spicy, sliced jalapenos."

Both sandwiches will cost you $1.29 (pre-tax) at most Jack in the Box restaurants.

Wild BK Triple Whopper Ad from Japan

Check out this wild television commercial from Japan for Burger King's Triple Whopper.

The guy who covets another guy's Triple Whopper slithers across the restaurant floor like a snake to get it... and then eats it like a snake!

Jack's Sirloin Steak Melt

Jack in the Box has a new sirloin sandwich called the Sirloin Steak Melt.

The Melt features slices of marinated sirloin steak and American, cheddar, and Swiss-style cheese topped with grilled onions and peppercorn mayo on grilled sourdough bread.

"Our new melt has everything our guests crave – sirloin steak, lots of cheese and our grilled sourdough bread," said Teka O'Rourke, director of menu marketing and promotions for Jack in the Box. "It's an incredibly satisfying, indulgent sandwich with very broad appeal."

The Sirloin Steak Melt sells for $3.99 at participating Jack in the Box restaurants.

Jack's Sirloin Steak Melt has 640 calories, 360 calories from fat, 40 grams total fat, 13 grams saturated fat, 2 grams trans fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 1490 mg sodium, 34 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams sugars, and 36 grams protein.

Huge photoshopped burger

The fine folks at A Hamburger Today received a 'photo' from a retouching artist in Cincinnati. His employer has a well-known burger chain for a client. If nothing else, it is some great eye-candy, er, eye-beef, for your computer screen. But it also says something about the new, bigger lenses the ad agencies have had to purchase to photograph the bigger and bigger burgers some of the chains are coming up with!

Here's what the creator of this photoshopped image told A Hamburger Today:

I am a retouching artist in Cincinnati. One of our clients is a well-known burger chain. After seeing some of the strangest combos put to bun, I assembled this. The original is six feet tall. It is photoshopped from real sandwich combos.
—Rob in Cincy

Wendy's Baconator quite popular

Wendy's new "Baconator" sandwich has six strips of hickory smoked bacon on top of 1/2 lb. of beef with American cheese, ketchup and mayonnaise.

"This is one of the most successful new product introductions we've had in some time," said Wendy's Chief Executive Officer and President Kerrii Anderson.

Wendy's sold 25 million of the Baconators in the first 8 weeks they were being promoted.

That's over 20 billion calories and 2,810,893 lbs of fat! That much fat is equal to 439 H2 Hummers. (And you'll need a Hummer to tote you around if you eat many Baconators!)

Here's the nutrition facts for just 1 Baconator: 830 calories, 460 calories from fat, 51 grams of fat, 22 grams saturated fat, 2.5 grams trans fat, 170 mg cholesterol, 1920 mg sodium, 35 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 8 grams sugar, 57 grams protein.

Big Mac celebrates 40 years

McDonald's Big Mac sandwich was first served 40 years ago by its inventor Jim Delligatti (pictured).

To commemorate the creation, the Big Mac Museum Restaurant has opened in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, just 40 miles north of where the first double burger, triple bun sandwich was served in Uniontown for 45 cents.

from USA Today:

"The museum has it all: the world's largest Big Mac — 14 feet tall and 12 feet wide — a bronze bust of Delligatti, a high-tech global Big Mac map and wallpaper peppered the ad 'two-all-beef-patties-special sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on-a-sesame seed-bun.'

It took Delligatti, now 89, two years to convince McDonald's to allow him to serve up the sandwich. After the first day, he realized that two buns was too sloppy, so the middle bun was injected."

By 1968, the Big Mac was on McDonald's menus nationwide. McDonald's sells 550 million Big Macs each year in over 100 countries.

Delligatti said he still eats an average of one Big Mac a week...and you can tell it's true from the photo!

DQ FlameThrower ad a hit

Dairy Queen has unleashed a new TV ad touting their FlameThrower Grill Burger and the ad is getting rave reviews on YouTube. You can watch it below.

DQ's FlameThrower chicken sandwich comes crispy or grilled or you can get the 1/4 pound or 1/2 pound burger version. They all have pepper jack cheese, 2 slices of jalapeño bacon, tomato, lettuce and DQ's "serious" FlameThrower sauce.

What the ad doesn't mention, of course, is that all these sandwiches (except the grilled chicken version) have high amounts of trans fats (see below).

The 1/2 pound FlameThrower GrillBurger has 1030 calories, 650 calories from fat, 73 g total fat, 23 g saturated fat, 3.5 g trans fat (that's a lot!), 145 mg cholesterol, 2020 mg sodium, 41 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugars, 53 g protein.

The 1/4 pound FlameThrower GrillBurger has 780 calories, 490 calories from fat, 54 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 3 g trans fat (again, that's a lot of trans fat), 90 mg cholesterol, 1490 mg sodium, 41 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugars, 33 g protein.

The Crispy FlameThrower Chicken Sandwich has 840 calories, 510 calories from fat, 56 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 5.5 g trans fat (that's huge; it's as much as the FDA recommends you have in a day), 100 mg cholesterol, 1860 mg sodium, 51 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 8 g sugars, 33 g protein.

The Grilled FlameThrower Chicken Sandwich has 580 calories, 320 calories from fat, 35 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, no trans fat (because it's grilled), 100 mg cholesterol, 1590 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 34 g protein.

McDonald's tests Angus burger

Sean in Los Angeles has contacted Fast Food News to report that McDonald's is testing a 1/3 pound Black Angus burger in 3 versions: a deluxe burger (with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, mayo, mustard and ketchup and 2 slices of American cheese), a Bacon Cheeseburger and a Mushroom and Swiss burger. Sean saw these on the menu and tried one at a North Hollywood location.

Sean's description:

The burger itself was dry, which made me suspect it was overcooked. The person before me in line ordered "just cheese" but was given condiments too and had to send it back, so perhaps the kitchen staff wasn't very attentive. But she liked the burger so much it was her second straight lunch there, recommending it unsolicited and telling me it tasted like a "real" burger, not a McDonald's burger."

The vegetables were all fresh and crisp, and there were two slices of American cheese, one on top and one below. All three sandwiches were $3.99 (more than a dollar more than a Quarter Pounder with Cheese) and I think the meals were $5.49. Had my burger not been overcooked I might have liked it, but as it was I had to add ketchup just to moisten it up.

If you have a photo of the in-store signs for these burgers and/or the burgers themselves, please send them our way at tips@foodfacts.info

Chowhound also wrote about McDonald's test of the Angus Burger back in December.

BK sued over pot-laced burger

This isn't the first time fast food workers have tampered with cops food, but this time the cops didn't stop at arresting the offending employees. This time they're suing the restaurant.

Two Isleta Pueblo tribal police officers went through a Burger King drive-thru in Los Lunas, New Mexico on October 8th. Officers Mark Landavazo and Henry Gabaldon were in uniform and in a marked patrol car.

When they were about halfway through their burgers they discovered marijuana on the meat and used a field test kit confirm it. They sought treatment at a hospital while their fellow officers arrested 3 Burger King employees and charged them with possession of marijuana and aggravated battery on an officer, a felony.

In this photo from KOBTV, marijuana is visible on the right side of the burger.

How stupid does a person have to be to do something like this? Tampering with food is always wrong (despite what Joanna's McRules say) and should be punished, but you've got to be pretty dumb (or probably stoned in this case), to think you're not going to get caught putting pot on a cop's burger!

As to suing Burger King for their employees actions, I can certainly see where some people (like the cops) might feel that BK should be held responsible, to some degree, for their employees actions. I'm sure BK wishes they had done drug testing on their employees at this restaurant!

BK's Angus 'shroom and bk.com

Saw an ad during football yesterday for a new burger from Burger King. BK's new Angus 'Shroom & Swiss burger is Angus beef covered in sauteed mushrooms and 2 slices of melted swiss cheese. On Burger King's web site you'll notice an asterisk(*) after 'swiss cheese' with this tasty disclaimer: "Processed Pasteurized Swiss Cheese." Yum!

Burger King does not supply, at this time, any nutritional information for this burger.

By the way, Burger King's web site (bk.com) performs terribly in the Firefox web browser. I've experienced this before, so when I was checking out this burger I switched to Internet Explorer. When I went to bk.com in the Internet Explorer web browser I was asked if I'd like to participate in a "Usability Survey" for the Burger King website. I thought, "perfect, now I can tell them about my experience with their site in Firefox." Well, as soon as I clicked "Yes" I'd like to participate in the survey the site crashed Internet Explorer. Not good. Burger King needs to do some serious work on their web site's usability and browser compatibility.

DQ's new Chili Meltdown GrillBurger

Dairy Queen will introduce their new Chili Meltdown GrillBurger in September, with national advertising for the new burger beginning next week.

The Chili Meltdown GrillBurger is made with two quarter-pound beef patties, diced onions, two slices of American cheese and topped with chili.

"No question that you’ll need plenty of napkins to enjoy this one," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for International Dairy Queen, of the new GrillBurger. "Our GrillBurgers are a cut above the rest in the quick service category, and with the Chili Meltdown GrillBurger, we’ve added a new twist with some good-old-fashioned chili, which has always been an intriguing flavor combination.

The average retail price of the half-pound DQ Chili Meltdown GrillBurger is $3.79. A quarter-pound version is also available for $3.25. Basket deals, which include French fries and a soft drink, are $6.15 and $5.15 respectively.

Nutrition information has not yet been provided.

Jack's outlaw sandwiches

Jack in the Box has introduced two new western themed sandwiches, the Outlaw Burger and the Outlaw Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

They feature, respectively, either a jumbo beef patty or spicy crispy chicken breast with fried onion rings, slices of bacon, slices of American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes topped with KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce served on a toasted sesame bun.

“Consumers are looking for unique tastes and options when they dine out,” said Teka O’Rourke, director of menu marketing and promotions at Jack in the Box. “Offering our guests bold barbecue flavor with the choice of beef or chicken answers both demands.”

UPDATE: Jack in the Box was nice enough to e-mail nutritional data for these sandwiches today. The burger has 820 calories, 380 calories from fat, 42 grams fat, 17 grams saturated fat, 4 grams trans fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1610 mg sodium, 80 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 23 grams sugars, and 30 grams protein. The chicken sandwich has 780 calories, 290 calories from fat, 32 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 5 grams trans fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 1930 mg sodium, 92 grams carbs, 5 grams fiber, 23 grams sugars, and 33 grams protein. The high sugar levels are probably due to the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the bun and the KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce.