Fast coffee

Apparently Starbucks is starting to copy fast food's drive-thru model. They are opening more and more drive-thru locations...and they are using abandoned fast food restaurants to house them. One in Nashville, TN is in a former Captain D's. And another in Augusta, GA is in an old McDonald's.

BK viral marketing for Chicken Fries

Burger King has launched yet another viral marketing website to promote their introduction Monday of their Chicken Fries. The site, www.coqroq.com, promotes a ficticious heavy metal band called Coq Roq (get it?!). Music video-style ads for the band will air on network and cable TV, including SpikeTV, MTV and VH1.

UPDATE: Slipknot's Burger King Beef: Metal band threatens lawsuit over chain's chicken fries campaign @ thesmokinggun.com

Pork chops, yogurt and combos

No, not pork chops and yogurt together. Just some new menu items from Wendy's, Hardee's and Krystal:

• Wendy's has added a low-fat, strawberry-flavored yogurt cup with granola to its menu; the 6.85-ounce yogurt with granola is $1.29.
• Hardee's has announced a new addition to line of Biscuit sandwiches, the Grilled Pork Chop Biscuit which features a grilled, basted pork chop on a Hardee's "Made From Scratch Biscuit", and is available for a limited time at participating Hardee's restaurants for $2.69.
• And Krystal has introduced a combo sampler for those who might have trouble making a decision. The new Krystal Sampler Combo features the Krystal Hamburger, the Krystal Chik and the Chili Cheese Pup.

Colonel's recipe still a secret

The handwritten recipe that launched a fast-food dynasty and made Col. Harland Sanders world famous is locked away at KFC headquarters — its contents so concealed that not even the chain's top executive knows the ingredients. It was 65 years ago this month, at his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Ky., that Sanders perfected the blend of 11 herbs and spices for his "finger lickin' good" chicken. [more: USA Today]

Selling healthy vs. selling what people want

Burger King and McDonald's seem to have completely different opinions on the future of the fast food industry. While McDonald's is making a big show of caring about your health, Burger King is creating increasingly fatty menu items because their research shows that's what customers want. Burger King's breakfast business is up 20% since their introduction of the "Enormous Omelet Sandwich" with 46 grams of fat. Meanwhile McDonald's is claiming to be merica's No. 1 distributor of apples, thanks to its new Apple Dippers and a new Fruit & Walnut salad -- a bowl of apples, grapes and yogurt advertised in Vogue magazine with illustrations of lithe young women. Burger King discovered that although fast-food fans made up only 18 per cent of the population, they accounted for almost half of the company's profits. So Burger King is going to cater to these customers and not fear tobacco-style litigation against fast food outlets. But McDonald's isn't taking any chances.

Here's two good articles on the marketing perspectives of McDonald's and Burger King.

Ozzy: Super Size Me changed my life!

Rocker Ozzy Osbourne claims Morgan Spurlock's film Super Size Me changed his life because he now refuses to eat anything unhealthy. Ozzy says:

"If you haven't seen it, then I suggest you watch the DVD Super Size Me. It changed the way I live completely by altering my whole perspective on junk food and exercise. Now, I work out five or six days a week with an elliptical trainer. I also have a personal trainer that I work with. I started seeing this herbalist recently too."

[The Sun]

Chicken!

About 25 percent of chicken consumed in the United States is eaten in fast-food restaurants – up from 17 percent ten years ago, according to new data from the National Chicken Council. And that figure may climb even further with these brand new chicken menu items:

• Burger King will roll out BK Chicken Fries, its answer to McDonald's and Wendy's chicken strips. BK already features chicken in theirTenderCrisp chicken sandwiches and meal-sized salads.
• Wendy's will promote a Monterey Ranch chicken sandwich next month as a limited time offer. Wendy's currently offers Homestyle chicken strips and Chicken Temptations sandwiches and has mentioned the possibility of flavored chicken strips as well as a line of deli-style sandwiches which will have a chicken variety.
• McDonald's is introducing 3 new chicken sandwiches: the Classic, Ranch BLT, and Club. This adds to their existing chicken menu items: Chicken Selects, Chicken McNuggets, and their Premium Salads. (Note: From August 11 to 14, McDonald’s will be handing out Premium Chicken Sandwich menus featuring three coupons (one for each sandwich) in participating restaurants nationwide while supplies last. The coupons offer a free medium drink and medium fry with the purchase of a Premium Chicken Sandwich. McDonald’s national advertising campaign launches August 2.)
• Church's Chicken has announced the launch of its spicy bone-in chicken and chicken tenders which will be available starting July 25th. The 'heat' will be supplied by a mix of jalapeno, cayenne, chili, black and white pepper. Church's introduction of spicy chicken is an attempt to take on former sister company Popeye's in the spicy fried chicken field.
  

Healthy fast food choices not popular

Fast food restaurant executives continue to discover that American's don't seem to care about healthy fare. Healthy-eating campaigns at fast-food restaurants are fast fizzling, company executives say. "This isn't a rosy picture," said Marilyn Schorin, chief nutritional officer for Yum! Brands, whose chains include Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. Cathy Kapica, director of global nutrition for McDonald's, said her company has stopped using the word "healthy" because the word has lost all meaning in a society addicted to fad diets. She said McDonald's customer research found that the word "healthy" is a turnoff when customers see it on a menu. [Scripps Howard]

New items from White Castle, El Pollo Loco & Taco Bueno

The French Onion Cheeseburger is the newest product to hit the White Castle menu and will be available beginning July 17 for a limited time. It combines French onion cheese and creamy French onion sauce on the classic White Castle slider. El Pollo Loco today announced the introduction of their Fuego Chile Orange Chicken, available for a limited time in the Fuego Grilled Burrito and on the new Fuego Tostada Salad. Taco Bueno ads to their MexiDips & Chips menu item by adding Southwest Spinach-Artichoke Dip.

'Fast Food Nation' to become textbook

A public school in Manhattan, the High School for Health Professions and Human Services, plans to purchase more than 1,000 copies of Fast Food Nation, an expose of America's fast-food industry, by muckraker Eric Schlosser. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Margie Feinberg, said the book would be used in addition to more conventional textbooks to enhance the school's health-oriented curriculum. The high school, which has an enrollment of 1,559 students, will probably be using Mr. Schlosser's text in multiple grades. [NY Sun]

Jack introduces root beer float

Jack in the Box is now offering a root beer float made with Barq's Root Beer and "real vanilla ice cream" at its restaurants. It retails for $1.99.

Papa John's to open 3,000th restaurant

Papa John's will celebrate the opening of their 3,000 unit tomorrow in Manhattan. Papa John's will donate $20,000 and thousands of tomatoes and other fresh produce to City Harvest, the world's oldest food rescue organization. [Pizza Marketplace]

Dairy Queen back to treats?

Dairy Queen is debuting "Treat Works" in a test of the treat/dessert-only concept, a departure from their increasing focus on hot foods in recent years. DQ started 'Grill & Chill' concept stores in 2001. DQ has 5,677 franchised stores worldwide. [BizJournal]

'Phat' uniforms for McDonald's employees?

AdAge.com is reporting that McDonald's is consulting with several urban fashion industry icons, including Russell Simmons, P. Diddy and Tommy Hilfiger, about redesigning their employee's uniforms. “We’re looking at how do we make our uniforms more appealing, more desirable,” said Bill Lamar Jr., chief marketing officer for McDonald’s USA. McDonald's has roughly 30,000 US employees that fall within young-adult age bracket.

KFC’s Original Recipe celebrates 65 years

Before the world ever heard of "Watergate" or "Deep Throat," Colonel Harland Sanders perfected one of the best kept secrets of all time: KFC Original Recipe. Sixty-five years ago this July, Colonel Sanders developed the Original Recipe formula when he operated a roadside restaurant and motel in Corbin, Kentucky.