Admittedly, we have mixed feelings on celebrating National Fast Food Day. But despite the merited fast-food backlash, there's something to be said for throwing caution and health to the curb and indulging in a fatty fast-food burger and fries once in awhile.
It's a sad state of eating affairs that today, 19 percent of American meals are consumed in the car, and fast food has become not simply a convenience or indulgence but the norm. That being said, fast food isn't all bad -- in a continuing trend, some chains are starting to take a markedly different route in fast yet conscientious cuisine, in the vein of Chipotle's "Food with Integrity" motto or Zankou Chicken's aim for freshly prepared fresh food.
Are you a discerning fast-food eater? Take our poll to reveal your fast-food eating habits, then spill your thoughts on fast food eating in the comments.
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These vibrant trays from Zankou Chicken has Beck singing their praises and the Los Angeles Times contending that there's "no better chicken anywhere."
As the fast food industry continues to expand, catering to more health-conscious foodies, Southern California chain Zankou Chicken is redefining the concept with its fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Renowned for its roasted chicken and pita bread baked on the premises, the chain also offers hummus, shawerma, falafel and a variety of kebabs, using 100 percent fresh products -- no cans, freezers, microwaves or preservatives -- and only the "finest ingredients."
But it's the secret Lebanese garlic sauce that's got Southern Californians hooked, a zesty combination of garlic, olive oil, lemon and potato, for texture, that has customers dipping in just about any item on the menu -- and proving that fast food may rise above the typical greasy-spoon burger joints of the past.
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Apparently rap has a bad rep at McDonald's drive-thru windows.
In yet another bizarre fast-food fable-turned-reality, four Utah teens received disorderly conduct citations following their ordering manner at a McDonald's drive-thru in American Fork, a small town south of Salt Lake City.
The teens apparently mimicked the popular YouTube jingle, which features rhymes to the likes of "Don't be frontin', son; no seeds on the bun!" They initially vocalized their order at a musical pace, then repeated it again slowly.
Culprit Spenser Dauwalder, 18, said the employees warned them that they were holding up the line, and they needed to order clearly or depart. Although he claims no one else was lined up behind him and his three 17-year-old friends, after the manager came out, the teens simply left -- but the store's manager took down their license information and contacted the police.
The police caught up with the teenagers at a high school parking lot and issued the citations -- which, according to Dauwalder's mother, are being contested.
Sonic pioneers Charlie Pappe, left, and Troy N. Smith circa 1960. Photo: Sonic.
Troy N. Smith, an Oklahoman who turned a root-beer stand into the Sonic, America's Drive-In, chain has died at the age of 87 in Oklahoma City.
Smith opened the Top Hat Drive-In hamburger and root-beer stand in Shawnee, Okla., in 1953. Six years later, it became Sonic, a made-to-order fast-food company now dubbed "America's Drive-In," that currently has nearly 3,600 units in 42 states and serves 1 million people daily.
The chain was initially dubbed "Sonic" for its motto, "Service with the Speed of Sound," following its invention of curbside speakers in the 1950s, which allowed customers to order without leaving their cars. Smith also pioneered the use of parking lots that had angled parking spaces and overhead coverings.
These days Sonic is more popularly known for its value menu and drink combinations -- some 168,000 drink combinations make it what Sonic calls the "Ultimate Drink Stop."
Born in 1922 and raised in east-central Oklahoma, Smith served in the Army Air Corps before returning to the United States, where he would later operate milk and bread trucks. He expanded his business by opening various restaurants and cafes before founding Top Hat Drive-In. After opening three more Top Hat franchises, Smith unsuccessfully sought to copyright the moniker, changing it to the "speed of sound"-inspired title, "Sonic." The first Sonic opened in Stillwater, Okla.
Smith is survived by Dollie, his wife of nearly 70 years, a son, daughter, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Friday, at 2 p.m., at the First Christian Church in Edmond, Okla.
America: the land of the free... and the fat. In the nation's more-is-more eating culture, three in five Americans are officially considered overweight -- and kids are no exception, one in three of whom reportedly eats fast food on a daily basis. But waistline-watchdog MSNBC has culled a list of "20 Worst Kids' Foods in America," to shed light upon some particularly fattening kids'-meal culprits.
Categories range from "worst homestyle meal" (Boston Market's Kids' Meat Loaf with Sweet Potato Casserole and Cornbread, which packs a whopping 890 calories into a tiny TV dinner), to "worst beverage" (the super-saccharine SunnyD Smooth Style, which boosts 60 grams of sugar into one measly cup -- triple that of a cup of Tropicana), to the "worst kids' meal in America": Uno Chicago Grill's Kid's Combo with French Fries, a monochromatic carb-fest cramming kids with cheese sticks, chicken nuggets and fries, a monster of a meal weighing in at 1,250 calories and 2,850 milligrams sodium.
It's no wonder that 16 percent of today's youth, aged 6 to 19, is overweight or obese with the gut bombs like those listed in the regular meal rotations, according to the report. Shockingly, "today's children may turn out to be the first generation of Americans whose life expectancy will actually be shorter than that of their parents" because of obesity-related health problems, Michael Pollan writes in "The Omnivore's Dilemma."
What do you think is to blame for the rise of childhood obesity -- is it fair to blame fast-food providers or the parents?
7-Eleven is taking a "big gulp" out of the fast food industry. The convenience store will sell pizza and chicken tenders in 1,400 stores nationwide to offset lagging tobacco sales.
The new hot food program offers items such as whole or by-the-slice four-cheese and pepperoni pizza; chicken tenders; sausage, egg and cheese breakfast quesadillas; hash brown potatoes and three flavors of chicken wings.
The chain will be able to serve the pizzas using high-speed TurboChef ovens, which combine radiant heat, microwave and convection cooking methods to cook foods 12 times faster than the standard oven, the company says.
Margaret Chabris, a spokeswoman for 7-Eleven, told Slashfood Friday that each oven is equipped with a credit-card sized card that automatically programs the method and the cooking time for the various menu items. The ovens cook a 7-Eleven pizza in 90 seconds and the wings in 3 minutes.
Now that California law requires fast food joints to list nutritional information, consumers are learning that the seemingly healthy salads and dips are often fattier than the pizzas and fries.
McDonald's at Chicago's Navy Pier. Photo: jwrb,Flickr.
A Chicago man has filed a lawsuit against McDonald's Corporation after he says he swallowed a gold earring in his sandwich.
The man purchased the sandwich on Aug. 11 from the McDonald's at Chicago's Navy Pier, according to the suit filed on Wednesday in the circuit court of Cook County, Ill.
McCurry restaurant owner A.M.S.P. Suppiah and his wife. Photo: Mark Baker/AP
In a fast-food version of David versus Goliath, the owner of a small curry restaurant in Malaysia has won the final bout in an eight-year trademark battle against the world's largest fast-food giant, McDonald's.
The restaurant facing the suit operates under the name McCurry, short for "Malaysian Chicken Curry," and was the first Indian fast food restaurant to open in 1999 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- serving dishes such as chicken curry, fish head curry, naan and biryani.
McDonald's wanted sole rights to the use of the prefix "Mc" to protect its brand image but the Federal Court ruled Tuesday that the fast-food chain had no such exclusive rights.
Stop into a McDonald's between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. today or on any Monday between now and August 3 and get a free sample of their McCafé Mocha.
The fast-food chain will offer either a 7-ounce iced mocha or 8-ounce hot mocha -- but only one per customer, so choose your format wisely.
With such deeply entrenched competitors as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and the newly arrived Canadian competitor, Tim Hortons also thirsty for market share, the promotion is McDonald's newest effort to promote its new line of premium espresso drinks to coffee-drinkers nationwide.
McDonald's McCafé line was introduced in early May and includes hot or iced coffee, lattes and mochas, as well as cappuccinos and hot chocolate.
As McDonald's continues drawing in coffee-drinking customers with their McCafé concept, Slashfood wants to know, who's got your favorite cup o' joe?
Smoothies won't be the only thing on Jamba Juice's menu beginning Monday.
We knew that Jamba had dabbled with oatmeal and boasted a secret menu, but now the chain will begin selling a full lineup of wraps, sandwiches and salads at 222 California locations on June 15. A nationwide rollout of the "Grab and Go" line will follow later this year.
When fast food joints decide to expand beyond the burger, the first place they go is typically the chicken sandwich. After all, the kids in the back of the joint can basically do all the same things, just to a different patty. (Why don't the bigwigs just pick fish? Well, you know, the whole tartar sauce issue.)
Sonic Drive-In has recently added two new "premium" chicken sandwiches to its menu: Chicken and chicken bacon ranch. Both come either fried or grilled with an option for a "wheat" bun option (that apparently, per the nutritional details, does not actually contain any whole grain). As far as I can tell the quote-unquote wheat bun and slightly larger size are what make these suckers "premium."
Between the chicken and the bacon ranch chicken, guess which one tastes better? Well, the plain chicken (which I ordered grilled) is just that: Plain. A chicken patty arrives topped with lettuce, tomato and mayo on a less-squishy-than-usual bun. Though it's not that thrilling, at under 500 calories it's one of the less-heinous fast food options out there.
Naturally, the fried version with bacon and ranch dressing is more exciting even if it could use a bit more bacon or another dollop of ranch and you'll have to scurry double-time on the treadmill later. Is it tastier than the other chicken sandwiches on the market? Eh. Sonic falls into the chicken spectrum thusly: Superior to a McChicken, worse than a Carl's Jr. and can't compete at all with chicken-specializing chains like KFC or Popeye's. On my next trip to Sonic I think I'll just stick to burgers and Java Chillers.
Got a fave fast-food chix sandwich that makes the others look like frauds? Let us know in the comments.
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