"deals" news and stories

Post-holiday deals are everywhere in the fast-food world, and USA Today rounded up the best of them: two-for-ones, giveaways, and special deals of the day. Seems January is one of the slowest months for the chains, and they're giving deep, deep discounts to lure you back in.

After the jump, a few of the specials you may want to take advantage of this month.

We're not exactly making a New Year's resolution to count our calories, but when we saw that both Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts were launching two new "healthier" breakfast sandwiches this week, we took the bait. Here, the details and our panel's scorecard:

The Contenders: Starbucks' New Veggie Artisan Breakfast Sandwich vs. Dunkin' Donuts' Wake-up Wraps varieties (Egg White Turkey Sausage and Egg White Veggie).

The Claims: Starbucks' new Veggie, Egg, & Monterey Jack sandwich is, "an ... omelet with fire-roasted green and red peppers and diced onion topped with melted Monterey Jack cheese nestled in a hand-scored oven-toasted artisan roll." (350 calories)
Dunkin's Wake-Up Wraps "feature a five-inch tortilla filled with egg whites, turkey sausage, spinach, and reduced-fat cheddar cheese," and the Veggie Wake-Up Wrap has "egg whites, peppers, onions, mushrooms and reduced-fat cheese." (150 calories)

The Price: From January 4 (yes, that's today) through the 10th, Starbucks has a deal going: Buy one of their handcrafted beverages and get a Breakfast Sandwich for $2. Dunkin' Wraps sell for $1.29 each.

The Verdict: Starbucks Veggie ABS (Grade B-): Although the sandwich was fresh, and the bread was a better quality than the Dunkin' Wake-Up Wraps' tortillas (which were kind of hard), our panelists thought there was just too much bread, not nearly enough vegetables (we only had two or three peppers buried in each sandwich's egg), and it was bland. "More salt," begged one panelist. "More flavor!" When it came to the cheese, though, the Monterey Jack of Starbucks had an edge over Dunkin's low-cal cheese, which, said one panelist, "tasted like fake cheese food." Starbucks, add more vegetables and amp up the spice, please.

Dunkin's Wrap (Grade B+): Everyone on the panel agreed this wrap (which isn't really a wrap at all) had the kick you want in a breakfast sandwich. It was more highly spiced than the Starbucks Veggie ABS, and the sausage had good flavor. The tortilla, though, could use a remake. It tasted just a touch stale. Dunkin', we'll come back for the spice, and the low-cal ease, but freshen up the tortillas, please.

Are you ready for a "slice of joy?" Or how about a delicious Santa Bonus? No, these are not double entendres, although we're pretty tempted. They're rewards for buying gift cards from the Cheesecake Factory (a free slice of cheesecake) and a $5 or $10 bonus for the purchase of a $25 or $50 card from Hooters.

Nation's Restaurant News reports that although sales of cards are up, amounts people are dedicating to them are down, so we're all getting a little encouragment to pull out the greenbacks, courtesy of the higher end (Morton's steakhouses, $50 reward card for $300 in gift card purchases), and the not-so-high-end (Applebee's, a $10 bonus for $50 spent on gift cards; and IHOP, a $5 coupon with the purchase of a $25 gift card).

Hint: Think of it as two gifts. Slip your bonus card in someone's stocking.

Your eggnog jones is about to be satisfied. Tomorrow Starbucks is bringing back their holiday specials, including the Eggnog Latte. Gingerbread Men (and Women) can go for the Gingerbread Latte, and there are Caramel Brulée Latte and Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, too. The Christmas Blend (regular and Espresso Roast) is also back, with its hints of pumpkin pie and gingerbread, and this year you can try it in an instant with the new VIA Ready Brew version. And from November 18 to 21, you can buy one of the holiday joes and get one free. For a chic kaffeeklatsch, sip your spicy brew from designer Jonathan Adler's new ceramic STARBUCKS (RED) To-Go Cup (above). As with all the STARBUCKS (RED) offerings, part of the proceeds from sales go to the Global Fund, which helps combat AIDS in Africa.

For all those coffee enthusiasts out there, this year you'll want to remember April 15th not just because it's tax day. The company illy is offering a deal on their brand new espresso machine. After June 30th, it will cost approximately $695. If you purchase this new machine before June 30th, you'll just pay $150.

They are advertising the offer as a "stimulus package that will give back for years to come." After purchasing the iperEspresso machine you can enroll in their automatic coffee delivery program. Illy affirms that their new iperEspresso machine makes an "extraordinarily smooth and full-bodied" coffee.

While I would hardly claim to be a coffee expert, I must admit that I'm a huge fan of illy's coffee. In a recent post from Bruce Watson, he admits that illy's coffee is close to perfect. So, luckily this year when tax day comes around, we'll have something else to distract us and look forward to.