"free food" news and stories

After enduring weeks of nonstop campaign commercials, don't you think you deserve a free taco?

Voters in five states can parlay their civic duty into a spicy snack by simply showing up at their local California Tortilla wearing their "I Voted" sticker. California Tortilla has locations in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well as in Washington, D.C.

Sorry, Californians -- oddly, there are no California Tortillas in your state. But you can score a free side of fries at The Counter if you voted. The burger joint has outposts across the Golden State as well as in Chicago; Houston; Seattle; Honolulu; West Hartford, CT; Roswell, GA; and Reston, VA.

Or a free cold, sweet dessert at Rita's Italian Ice (at least the branch in Germanstown, MD).

We've also had some unconfirmed reports that some Chick-fil-A franchises are offering free food as well if you vote.

The fact that this is a midterm election may account for the relative scarcity of free Election Day eats at national chains, especially compared with 2008, when places like Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's all gave away free grub. (Starbucks was also required to change its promotion that year and start handing out free coffee to anyone, lest it be accused of flouting election laws that prohibit giving away freebies for votes.)

But a number of small, independent restaurants across the country are handing out free food to voters, like Angelico's on the Boulevard in Glastonbury, CT (free loaf of rustica bread), or D.C.'s Georgetown Cupcake (free Blue Donkey or Red Elephant cupcake).

So your best bet? If your state hands out those "I Voted" stickers, wear yours around all day. Who knows how much free stuff you might snag.

Even pancakes are joining the vampire craze, with IHOP's Scary-Face Pancake.

Dubbed Count Spatula (in a naming contest won by a kid from Illinois), the buttermilk pancake has a whipped-topping mouth, mini Oreo cookies for eyes, and a strawberry nose. Oh, and it's free for kids 12 and under this Friday, October 29th, at participating IHOP restaurants around the country.

Don't hang out the garlic yet; those fangs are made from candy corn.

Thinking about dressing up as Cheese Whiz for Halloween? Then you'll want to stop by Chipotle for a $2 burrito before you head out trick-or-treating.

Or make that a "Boorito." In its latest costume contest, Chipotle is encouraging you to dress up as the "most horrifying processed-food product" you can think of, or you can take one of their suggestions: chicken nuggets, canned pasta, frozen pizzas, hot dogs or lunch meats. (Good luck finding a bologna costume at your local costume shop.)

And what do you get for dressing up like a weenie? Essentially, about $4 off any Chipotle menu item.

Is it worth it? Maybe you can't put a price on a social conscience. The contest is ostensibly about highlighting the "horrors of processed foods," which, according to the chain's website, "fail to provide key nutrients that are important to overall nutrition and, along with excessive portion sizes, are often related to the increased incidence of obesity and diabetes in America."

It's no coincidence that Chipotle bills its "food with integrity" as the healthier antidote to ordinary fast food.

Lame PR stunt or goodwill gesture? It's hard to tell, but the company is donating up to $1 million of proceeds from the contest to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. And if you take your picture in costume at your local Chipotle and post it on the company's website, you'll be registered to win up to $2,500. Not so cheesy, after all.

That should more than cover the cost of dry cleaning your Chicken McNugget ensemble.

Americans will do crazy things for free food; it's part of our national character. We'll dress up like a cow for a free chicken sandwich (at last month's "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chick-fil-A), stand for hours in a Soviet-style bread line just for a free cup of frozen yogurt in New York, or, at truck stops like the Big Texan outside of Amarillo, attempt to eat a 72 oz. steak in an hour.

We like a challenge -- or, at least, some of us do. The rest of us just like to watch as a guy who probably spent $30 to dress head-to-hoof as a cow relishes his free Chargrilled Chicken Club -- a sandwich that normally sells for $4.

Which is why it's somewhat disappointing to see free food given away so, well, freely.

Case in point: Whataburger celebrated its 60th anniversary on Tuesday with a free burger giveaway. And what silly, Flickr-worthy stunt did customers have to do in order to take advantage of the offer? Wear orange.

UPDATE: To ensure continued supply and meet customers' needs due to overwhelming popularity, McDonald's USA announced today that it will not be executing the national in-restaurant sampling event of McCafé Real Fruit Smoothies on July 22-24.

Back in early June, we told you about a product-tasting event we attended where McDonald's unveiled its new McCafé Real Fruit Smoothies (in addition to other products) as an extension of their McCafé line. The smoothies, available in Strawberry Banana or Wild Berry (chosen as the favorites during rigorous consumer testing), launched nationwide on Tuesday.

Our initial reaction was that both flavors (Wild Berry contains blueberries, strawberries and blackberries) were quite fresh-tasting, thanks to their natural ingredients (fruit, fruit juice, low-fat yogurt and ice). Danielle Paris, the Director of Product Innovation and Development at McDonald's, told Slashfood that McDonald's "sources strawberries directly from strawberry farmers, and selects particular varieties that will offer a specific flavor profile" for the smoothies.

As promised, our official taste test is coming soon, but next week you can try out the flavors yourself, at no cost. From July 22 to July 24, McDonald's will be giving customers free samples of both smoothie flavors. This promotion is reminiscent of their offer from just over a year ago for a free sample of their McCafé Mocha, with the early rollout of their McCafé line.

If you taste the smoothies next week, let us know what you think, and stay tuned for our official taste test!