YumSugar

Yummy Links: From Fall Desserts to Taco Bell's Cupcakes

partysugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:50:32 -0700

21 desserts that celebrate Fall. - Bon Appétit
Why are doctors selling out to Coke?- The Atlantic
Learn how to paint your kitchen. - The Amateur Gourmet
Scenes from the 2009 Los Angeles Chocolate Salon. - Daily Dish
Andrew Carmellini was crowned the Meatball King at the New York Wine and Food Festival. - Grub Street NY
Scary or practical? Coasters that detect if a drink is spiked with date-rape drugs. - Eat Me Daily
Ferran Adria is rumored to be opening a restaurant outside of Spain. - Eater
Taco Bell is currently testing cupcakes and smoothies.- OC Register

Taco Bell's New Focus: Drinks, Premium Food, and Breakfast

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:00:44 -0700

Turns out McDonald's and Burger King won't be the only fast food chains focusing on premium products. So will Taco Bell.

On Tuesday, Yum Brands Inc., which operates Taco Bell, held an investor meeting and announced dramatic plans to shake up the menu at the Tex-Mex chain. Among other things, the game plan includes zeroing in on premium foods, highlighting healthy options, and testing a new line of breakfast offerings.

This year the company launched a nine-item Fresco menu, filled with healthier alternatives that have less than 9 grams of fat, that will be the focus of a "Drive-Thru Diet" campaign in January. It also has plans to extend its selection of beverages, based on the current success of its Frutista Freeze drinks. On top of everything else, the corporation is about to enter early market testing on a breakfast menu, slated to launch in 2012, that'll feature cobranded foods from brands like Seattle's Best, Cinnabon, and Jimmy Dean.

Do you think the fast food corporation's marketing tactics will bring in more diners? Have you sampled anything from Taco Bell's new menu? If not, would you be willing to give it a try?

Source

Taco Bell Promotes World Series With Free Tacos Again

YumSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:57 -0700

When it comes to the World Series, it seems everyone is rooting for a different team, but there's one thing that all of America can get behind: free tacos.

Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell's "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" campaign is back again this year. The promotion, which the fast food chain first launched last year, gives out free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos to all customers if and when a player from any team during any game captures the first stolen base of the 2008 World Series.

There's only one way to find out if this year's World Series will crown a new Taco Bell hero. Will you be tuning in and rooting for your free taco?

Source

Burger King Turns Trans Fat Free

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:00:16 -0700

Yesterday, Burger King announced that all of its restaurants in the US and Canada have made the switch to cooking with trans fat free oils. The second most popular fast food chain also announced that all of its menu items, including baked goods, will contain zero grams of trans fat by Nov. 1 - earlier than the company anticipated.

According to a statement issued by Burger King, customers who tried the new trans fat free foods were either unable to tell a difference in the taste of menu items or felt that the products tasted even better. The hamburger chain attributes this to its two proprietary blends of three oils.

The company has fallen under criticism for taking so long to cut out trans fat oils: Both KFC and Taco Bell switched in 2007, and Wendy's a year before that. Number one fast food chain McDonald's is now one of the last to make the complete switch, promising a menu free of trans fats by the end of the year.

Source

Do You Eat Fast Food?

YumSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:45:32 -0700

When we heard about the newest addition to the Jack in the Box breakfast menu, some of us at the office got into a heated discussion. I was completely shocked to hear that DearSugar rarely eats fast food and has never been to a Taco Bell in her life!

I, on the other hand, can let loose and enjoy a drive-thru burger every now and then, especially when a late-night craving strikes.

What's your opinion on fast food? Are you willing to eat it?

Source

Taco Bell Hypes World Series With Free Tacos

partysugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:45:26 -0700

Taco Bell is adding to the annual hype surrounding the World Series by launching its "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion. After the first base is stolen in the championship series, the company will give a free taco to anyone in the United States who wants one. According to the article from Reuters:

There has been at least one stolen base in every World Series matchup since 1990. When the first base is stolen, the unit of Yum Brands Inc. will announce a Tuesday afternoon when consumers will be able to walk into the chain's participating 5,800 outlets and ask for a free taco.

Technically no one will be stealing any tacos, as the fast food giant will be giving them away. I haven't had a Taco Bell taco in years, but looks like I'll be making an exception in the near future. What do you think? Will you steal a free taco?

Source

Taco Bell, Make That Tacostada Bell, Reopens in Mexico

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:18:33 -0700

Is it just me, or is there something a little bit odd about Taco Bell reopening in Mexico? In a country where a great, inexpensive taqueria is never too far away, is there really room for a fast food taco giant? Actually make that a "tacostadas" giant; the signature hardshell tacos have been renamed as a play on the word "tostada."

Hoping that they do better than last time - Mexico's Taco Bell branches opened in 1992 and closed less than two years later - they're hoping to brand themselves as a fast-food alternative that is not Mexican food. They're even including more "American" foods like french fries - topped with cheese, cream and ground beef - and soft-serve ice cream.

What do you guys think? Do you think Mexican Taco Bell will make it this round?

Fast Food Ads Versus Reality

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:58:31 -0700

Have you ever gone to some fast food place, taken a look at the pictures on the menu and decided that, despite what you know about fast food, it looks pretty darn good? Then you order it and WTF? Is this the same meal? Well the folks over at The West Virginia Surf Report have decided to start a comparison of fast food ads vs real fast food photographs. There's a lot of debate as to whether or not this is a fair comparison (after all the ads get great lighting and color correction, so maybe the real pictures should have better lighting and color correction), however it is still pretty telling. The picture above shows Taco Bell's Nacho Bell Grande and if you ask me, no amount of lighting, color correction or soft focus lenses would make the one on the right look nearly as good as the one on the left. Some of the ads don't look nearly as terrible as the others - and some look bad no matter what, the fish fillet looks sort of odd and bland even in the ad photo - but don't take my word on it, go ahead and judge for yourself.

What do you guys think? Do you think it's fair to compare them? Is it bad for advertisers to use the images they do?

Also, this isn't the first time this has been done. In fact just last month The Consumerist ran a comparison of the Wendy's 4 Alarm Spicy Chicken ad vs a real picture.

Taco Bell

harry — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:43:59 -0700

Think Outside The Bun

Taste Test: Doritos Late Night Tacos at Midnight

YumSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:30:32 -0700

In the interest of living a healthier lifestyle, I've been trying to cut out my habit of late-night snacking. Unfortunately, it hasn't gone so well, as that's my favorite time of the day to snack. And the fact that Doritos sent me a bag of special-edition Late Night Tacos at Midnight? That doesn't make it any easier, either.

These chips are intense: each triangular bite is densely covered in a blizzard of burnt orange powder and flecked with black spices. Upon first trying them, I wasn't too crazy about their seemingly artificial taste. They had a flavor that I couldn't pin down - but by the 15th chip or so, I'd figured it out. To find out what they taste like, keep reading