Fast Food Trends We'd Love To See
Okay, so my notions started getting a l'il fancy free while I was writing Fast Food Trends We're Predicting. Feel free to chime in with your own.
Trans-Fat Monitoring Ankle Bracelets
In light of New York City's controversial trans-fat restaurant food crackdown, we wouldn't be at all surprised to find grill jockeys forced to sport Lohan-style fat monitoring ankle bracelets on the job. "Alert! We're detecting high levels of palm oil at Location #5974. Initiate remote Fryolator shutdown procedure." Gotta protect the dining public by any means necessary.
Soda Sommeliers
Now that bottled water mania has flooded every sector of the market, and ultra-haute restaurants are hiring "water sommeliers" to optimize the non-alcoholic fluid intake of their diners, we're expecting some trickle-down. Seeing how Coke and Pepsi have both recently extended their brands, introducing vitamin-enhanced, black cherry & vanilla, coffee-enhanced and other variations to the mix, we're fully expecting a necktie-wearing gent to stroll up to our Chili's table saying, "Tonight, we're featuring an exotic, mid-caffeinated diet blend that pairs beautifully with the Awesome Blossom." any day now.
Salt Options
Even plain ol' table salt is getting a shake-up. High-end chefs are no longer content with Morton's or kosher crystals, but rather pairing their fare with hand-harvested Black Hawaiian and Bamboo Jade sea salts. As if drive-thru orders aren't muddled enough, we're semi-terrified of a future where diners are forced to specify "The #2, Emperor-sized with a Diet Coke and...honey, do you remember if your sister wanted the Fleur de Sel or the Papohaku White on her fries?"
Nothin' But Bacon
The introduction of Wendy's six-slice Baconator behemoth sandwich simply confirms the American people's longtime love affair with the crispy, salty, fat-drenched stuff. When are our nation's restauranteurs going to just go whole-hog and open a chain called Nothin' But Bacon? Franchise options will include an on-premises cold smoker, and a cardiac unit in a shed out back.
Pulled Pork as a Condiment
In keeping with the pig-powered trend, rumor has it that White Castle has been testing out pulled pork sandwiches in selected locations, and we've spotted it as a menu option on Wendy's thisismyburger.com fantasy sandwich generator. While we're thinking that the texture might still at this time be a regional preference (Sorry – no McShredder on the menu yet.) we wouldn't be at all surprised to see it popping up on toppings lists at burger joints around the country. You know – seeing as bacon is so busy and all.
Fast Food Trends We're Predicting
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Comments [23]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-29-2008 @ 10:00PM
mahbizznazz said...
I would love to see more vegetarian food choices. Enough with the pork, beef and chicken!
3If you care that much about your health and well being, just dont eat the junk! The average fast food place, might make a few small changes in their menu, to appease a larger group of people, than to not change anything, and risk losing their business to the "not so artery clogging" place across the street...but chances are they will be overpriced and perhaps not as healthy as you may think..
Ultimatley, is up to you to take care of yourself and make wise choices reguarding your health...so plan ahead! Grab a snazzy insulated lunchbox (bag)! and start thinkin...then go shopping....
check out that amaz ing produce section at your local grochery store... Grab whatever looks freshest and most appealing... usually that's red and orange bell peppers for me... but sugar snap peas, cucumbers, fresh green beans are also fabulous! but whatever you like... toss them in a bag with some herbs and spices maybe to spice it up a bit....
if you don't have a lot of time... just slice up a few bright red bell peppers, some sugar snap peas, or buy a bag of the already cut and washed veggies and bag them up into individual servings....
then of course their's fruit! Whole fruits (apples, bananas, peaches, those clelmentines are fabulous and super conveinant, not to mention incredibly healthy!) or grapes are great too... try freezing them, if you still want them to be cold a little bit later...(i don't know this for sure if they won't shrivel though) Maybe some dried fruit (just check out the sugar and fat content on the back of those bags)
Also, don't forget nuts, granola bars (kashi makes an amazing pumpkin spice granola bar, 4grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat but its really yummy) =o)
at the beginning of the week, take a morning and spend it slicing up veggies and using snack sized ziplocks to pack them.. prewash fruit if nessiccary... and bag that... also bag, nuts, whole grain crackers, whatever you can think of... then grab a stickey note and put it on the door "don't forget to pack snacks" then before you leave the house grab a few to put in your, snack box..
keep some napkins, wetwipes and breathmints in your glove compartment, and you will be all set!!!
eat before you leave the house if you can, and if you can't... than take what you think will tide you over until you get home.. or maybe leave a can of nuts or a piece of fruit in the car, so you won't have to waste valueable time waiting in long lines at the fast food place, and you'll be making a much healither decision..
4In my opinion the problem is - fast or conventient foods are made with artificial colors, flavors(like msg),preservatives and god knows what else.Healthy eating should be about "real" food with moderation in fats and salts. Not that hard to do and the way you feel is priceless! Just be a more conscious consumer.Oh and diet or low-fat does not mean heathier food, often they have more additives than the real deal.
7I'd love to see turkey become a more popular fixture at fastfood restaurants - ground white-meat turkey burgers and grilled turkey breast. I love the veggie burger suggestion, too. Currently only Burger King offers them. They're all tastier, healthier alternatives to beef - and let's face it, do we really eat low-grade meat patties covered in condiments for the beef flavor? I for one don't notice the difference!
As for foreign influences, one I'd love to see is an increase of Peruvian cuisine - Yucca fries, quinoa salad, aji de gallina, antichuchos...
Eastern European, too. How about boiled perogies and onions as a (slightly) healthier alternative to french fries?
8I JUST WISH THERE WERE FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ALTERNATIVES TO ALL THE ARTERY CLOGGING FOOD THEY SERVE US NOW AT FAST FOOD PLACES!!!!
How about CUCUMBER Slices with Lemon!
How about Low Fat Carrot Salad
How about Pineapple slices in their own juices.
How about TOMATO Slices with Garlic Sauce
13Have you noticed MOST fast-food burgers have CHEESE included?
I keep cheese OFF my burgers to cut SALT, and also FAT. (I LOVE cheese, but.....)
While the guv'ment "standards" show 2000-2400 mg of SALT are their top-end standard, many "health-magazines" show we only NEED from 250-400 mg per day. So the guv'ment "ALLOWS" 10X what we NEED as a "guide-line"?
Yeah, I know, I KNOW.....I don't "hafta" eat there. But sometimes, when "ya just gotta hav a burger"...........
148-24-2007 @ 11:41PM
G Kohlenberg said...
McDonalds - Must reduce the Salt in many of their meals.
G Kohlenberg
15Hey Kathy,
Burger King DID have a multi-grain or whole wheat bun with the first grilled chicken sandwiches they sold about 20 years ago. I used to ask for 'em w/ my chicken, fish OR burgers. They gave 'em to us, but then dropped them because of cost-controls.
There was also a chain called D'Lites in a few cities with GREAT and healthier sandwiches and options, but while LUNCH business was great, the evening trade was so slow, it killed then chain -- and the idea.
16Ahh come on, fast food is supposed to be a once in a while treat, not a life style. Its not good for you but neither is ice cream, or beer or alcohol of any kind, but I never hear anyone trying to put distillers out of business, or insisting bars serve only healthy non alcoholic drinks. EVERYTHING in MODERATION, NOTHING in EXCESS.
179-03-2007 @ 1:41PM
Just Plain Jane said...
When I was in college, I wanted to start a fast noodle shop, similar to what is available in Hong Kong. At the time I was living on Ramen noodles. This would be a little higher quality with lots of fresh veggies and some meat, if desired. I would love some healthy food, fast. Maybe they could serve roasted sweet potatoes like the ones sold by street vendors.
18I would love to find some place that had long cooking long grain brown rice, then you could order what ever steemed vegtables you wanted to it as well as grilled white meat chicken breast.
I would eat out much more often if I could get this on the fly and skip the F/F and burger...
19Like many other's comments I've read, I too would like to see more veggies, low fat, AND lower sodium foods added to the fast food chains, not jsut fast foods but restaraunts as well. Some are starting to a little but it needs to be on every menu these days. Read the sodium content of these fast foods people, it would shock some of you that have no clue to this. Some are over 2000 sodium in just one entree, I read the nutritional info anytime I can get to it. I have to watch the sodium as well as the calories, fats, etc.
20Fast food is crap. It is supposed to be crap. I think there should be no changes made to it. More people need to concentrate on eating fresh foods that are good for you. On the rare ocasion when you are in the mood for crap, then go for fast food. Don't try to change their menu to make it more "healthy" because you prefer a steady diet of crap. Y ou are just kidding youself. Stop working on changing fast food menus and start working on yourselves.
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