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What Happened to McDonald’s French Fries?

Monday, March 15th, 2010

One thing McDonald’s always had going for them were their french fries.  Even if you didn’t love the rest of the menu, you’d put up with it just to have some of their famous fries. 

But, in the past year, those fries have changed.

The pressure to steer away from trans fats have forced the fast food giants to re-think how they handle their french fries.  McDonald’s, more so than Wendy’s or Burger King, had a lot to lose if they couldn’t keep those fries’ taste and texture intact.  It’s commonly known that McDonald’s used a beef extract for the cooking of their french fries.  But, now, with McDonald’s forced to make changes to their fries, how would it measure up?

I’d say, not good.  In my experiences over the past few months, I’ve found the quality of McDonald’s fries to be wildly inconsistent.  They definitely don’t taste like they used to, and the new french fry barely competes with the competition.  While I haven’t been a fan of Burger King’s artificial crispiness of their fries, I would actually rate them above the current McDonald’s product.  And with the current Burger King value menu containing the $1.00 double cheeseburger, why even go to McDonald’s.

There’s been a food quality crisis at McDonald’s for some time now.  Since they went to a clamshell system for cooking the burgers, the quality of those have dramatically fallen off.  It will be interesting to see if the competition starts rising up a bit.

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Burger King Winning The Value Menu Race

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

In these tough economic times, the value menu has become an important component in the fast food business.  McDonald’s has had their $1.00 double cheeseburger in place on their value menu for quite some time and it had always been a strong seller.  Wendy’s answered that by adding the stackers to their menu and, recently, Burger King upped the ante by knocking their double cheeseburger down to $1.00 and adding it to their value menu.

Burger king’s move has caused quite a stir within their franchise system.  Franchise owners have claimed they are losing about a dime every time they sell one of their double cheeseburgers.  McDonald’s franchise owners had similar issues, which were partly addressed by the fast food giant taking a slice of cheese off of the double cheeseburger and re-branding it the McDouble.

Truth be told, Burger King’s $1.00 double cheeseburger is a pretty good deal.  Their burger is larger than the McDonald’s equivalent and, personally, I think it’s a better tasting burger.  Many Burger Kings are also offering the double bacon cheeseburger at 2/$3.00 deals, which, again, is a pretty good deal.

The way Burger King probably has to look at this is that these specials will, hopefully, end up being loss leaders, with people adding to those items, therefore increasing overall sales.  As a chain, Burger King has been experiencing somewhat of an identity crisis for years.  These value meal additions are strong enough to draw people in.  From there, it will be up to the execs at Burger King to take advantage of it.

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Dunkin’ Donuts Freezing The Taste Out Of Their Product

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

A few months back, Consumer Obsession featured this review comparing Dunkin’ Donuts to Krispy Kreme.  Our opinion was that, while it was hard to deny that Krispy Kreme’s fresh, hot donuts were and are very good, once cooled, they became very average, even sub-par.  The donuts at Dunkin’ Donuts, on the other hand, were consistently very good in taste and texture.

But, an unfortunate change has taken place at many newer Dunkin’ Donuts franchises:  The donuts are not being actually made on site; they are being brought into the stores frozen and then baked on site.  Dunkin’ Donuts has stated that is a more efficient way to make and sell their donuts.  It keeps the shelves stocked and cuts down on waste.  While all of that may very well be true, this change has had a seriously negative effect on their product.

In our region, a new Dunkin’ Donuts opened in the past year.  There was an obvious difference right from the first bite.  The donuts, which had always been relatively light, now seemed heavier and less fresh.  The glazed, which had always been very good, now tasted like sugar-coated cardboard. Repeated visits offered the same results, to the point that we simply stopped going.  We weren’t alone.  Many other long-time Dunkin’ Donuts devotees would tell me the same thing:  These are not the same donuts that we loved.

The brass at Dunkin’ Donuts claims that these donuts and the new methods were taste-tested and that consumers could not tell the difference.  Consumer Obsession finds this difficult to believe, as the difference is major – major enough that the donut we formerly gave high praise to, is now nearly in-edible.

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Posted in Fast Food and Restaurants, Snacks | 2 Comments »

Review: Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

For the past few years, Wendy’s has found themselves struggling to excite the consumers with new sandwich ideas.  Their format used to be introducing a specialty burger that would then be available for a limited time.  Some of these specialty burgers were more successful than others (please bring back the cheddar burger!). 

Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic had been a mainstay of their menu for a long period of time and, in my mind, worked well.  The concept was simple:  the regular burger selection with a couple of strips of bacon added.  Very simple…not sexy…but fine.  Unfortunately, the modern era of Wendy’s then came in and stomped all over that simple concept.  No longer did we have the simple, yet tasty Big Bacon Classic, we now had the Baconator.  The Baconator added lots more bacon and cheese and, of course, the edgy (and ridiculous) name.  The Baconator was too much.  No longer did we have the subtleties of the Bacon Classic….now we we were being slammed over the head by it’s 100 lb. gorilla relation.

All of this brings us to Wendy’s new bacon-topped offering: the Bacon Deluxe.

The advertising for the Bacon Deluxe promises “Thick applewood-smoked bacon,” which, after ordering a Bacon Deluxe double burger, I saw to be true.  I ordered my burger with just bacon, cheese, and lettuce.  When I took the burger out of the bag, I thought they had made a mistake.  The foil-wrapped burger looked very tall, as if the condiments were really packed on.  After unwrapping it, I saw that the height was due to a few dense and thick pieces of bacon were piled up on top of the burger, but under the lettuce (!).

The bacon overwhelmed everything else on the burger.  It was too thick to actually enhance anything.  Quite frankly, it simply dominated everything.  Its hulking presence even made the burger slightly difficult to consume.  Any juiciness or flavor from the actual burger was completely negated by this topping.

In my mind, I began to reminisce about the old Big Bacon Classic and its tasty, friendly toppings.  But, I guess we live in a different world these days, as those are concepts marketers seem to have forgotten.

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More Restaurants Letting Kids Eat For Free

Monday, August 17th, 2009

With more families eating at home these days, restaurants have found “kids eat free” promotions to be an effective way of getting them back in. With restaurant traffic declining an unbelievable 22 consecutive months, operators are understandably desperate for traffic.

IHOP is the most recent to try the “kids eat free” tactic. They are offering the promotion seven nights a week for the next month. Even the mighty McDonald’s is getting into the picture with free Happy Meal nights at some of the restaurants. Others such as Denny’s, Applebee’s, Eat ‘n Park, Fazoli’s and Lone Star Steakhouse are trying out the concept in the hope of drawing families back in to their restaurants.

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Red Robin or Fuddruckers Update: A Visit to Red Robin

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

This past evening, I happen to be out with my wife and daughter.  We were in the vicinity of a Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant, and my wife, since it had been some time since we had eaten there, suggested a visit.  It seemed like good timing, since Consumer Obsession had just recently featured the Red Robin vs. Fuddruckers piece.

First of all, I was a little suprised that it wasn’t very busy.  Usually, in that area at dinner time, it’s hectic to say the least.  Then again, as most of us know, people are eating out less right now, due to economic conditions, and after visiting Red Robin and seeing their current prices, I can see why people could be cutting back on the visits.

I decided to go for the old standby, the bacon cheeseburger, though I was a little shocked the see the $9.59 price tag.  Red Robin’s burgers aren’t known for being all that big, but they do include the “bottomless” french fries.  Their fries still don’t make the price go down any easier, as I found them to be only average.  I must say, though, the burger was decent.  I ordered it medium, and while it was slightly overcooked, it still had some hints of pink.  I found it to taste better than my previous experiences at the restaurant, but I still didn’t think it warranted the high price tag. 

A larger and truly great-tasting burger can be had in my area for nearly half the price Red Robin is charging for theirs.  And if we are again comparing Red Robin to Fuddruckers, Fuddruckers proves to be a better value.  While not cheap, one can get more for their money at Fuddruckers.

It’s really too bad, because I would eat that Red Robin burger again, but not at that price.

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Posted in Fast Food and Restaurants | 6 Comments »

Review: Texas Roadhouse

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Texas-Roadhouse

 

Consumer Obsession has stayed away from reviewing many theme restaurants, such as TGIF Friday’s, Chili’s, Garfield’s, etc., because most of the time, I simply find their food to be average or below.  I almost always walk out of those places feeling like I paid much more than the food was worth.  Texas Roadhouse is another in the long line of theme eateries.  There are buckets of peanuts on the tables and shells litter the hard wood floors.  Even worse, the waiters and waitresses do periodic line dances to loud modern country music.  But, that aside, I’ve found the food and prices to be much better than most of the competition.

It’s worth noting that Consumer Reports has rated Texas Roadhouse very favorably in their last couple of restaurant comparisons and I would have to agree with their findings.  In these difficult economic times, a family can take advantage of their “kids eat for $.99 Tuesdays” and get a very reasonably priced, filling and satisfactory meal.  Their steaks are never frozen and I’ve found them to be consistently decent.  Pork chops, burgers, or a hot dog for the child have all been satisfying.

As we all know, chain and theme restaurants are everywhere these days, but the Texas Roadhouse has proven to be worth taking a chance on.

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Red Robin or Fuddruckers?

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Fuddruckers-logo

Fuddruckers and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers were both born in 1980.  Red Robin’s orgins are way earlier, but the current concept was hatched in 1980.  Red Robin seems to currently be hitting its stride as far as franchises go.  In my area of W. Pa, three Red Robins have opened in the past few years.   Fuddruckers, on the other hand, has had a rougher ride.  The chain has been bought and sold and quality issues have dogged some of the restaurants, but they continue to hang in there.

But, which is better?  Please vote in the poll below.  My own views follow.

 

Which do you like better?

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In my experience, I have found that non-burger people seem to really like Red Robin.  Personally, I’ve never been totally pleased.  The burgers are somewhat overpriced and merely ok.  I’ve never had to get a refill on the “bottomless” fries they offer, because the initial order wasn’t that hot to begin with.  This isn’t to say that I would never eat at a Red Robin again, because I would, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

Fuddruckers started out right.  I remember going to my first Fuddruckers in 1987, on Independence Blvd. in Charlotte, NC.  It had the air of something new and special.  They had a glass wall where one could see the fresh cuts of meat that would soon be their hamburgers.  But, somewhere along the line, the wheels fell off.  The original owner left and the chain seemed to be going through an extended identity crisis.  The chain seemed to stabilize a bit when its current owner took over in 1998.  While the chain seems to still try to be too many things to too many people (family fun center, bar, gourmet burgers), things seem a little more stable. 

Fuddruckers’ food is still pretty good.  While one will pay more than at a fast food place, it seems worth it.  The burgers themselves are not incredible, but they are good.  Whether they are better than Red Robin may come down to personal taste preference.  I do like them better, but I’m not sure why.  Red Robin has probably gotten the “medium” order right more consistently than Fuddruckers, but the Fuddruckers’ burger has that some elusive thing that makes me like it a little better.

The Fuddruckers fries have never been anything to brag about.  I’d put them about even with Red Robin.  Why are french fries the weak link at many of these places?  If you’re a hot dog person, the Fuddruckers dog is also worth trying.

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Posted in Fast Food and Restaurants, Hot Dogs | 7 Comments »

Popular Restaurants In Danger Of Failing

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Yahoo! Finance recently did an article on the major restaurant and food chains they see that are in danger of failing.  It’s an interesting little piece that includes a couple of chains I’m not familiar with. 

Just a few notes on some of the choices:

  • Perkins Restaurant and Bakery – For some reason, Perkins doesn’t seem to get the traffic that a Denny’s or IHOP does.  That probably has more to do with image than food quality.  As mentioned in a past Consumer Obsession piece, Perkins pancakes are actually very good.  I prefer them over IHOP or Denny’s.  Unfortunately, Perkins doesn’t seem very “young,” which gives them the rap of being place for the “retiree” set to eat.  While they don’t seem overly busy, I haven’t noticed any Perkins closings in the W. PA area.
  • Krispy Kreme – Everyone knows Krispy Kreme screwed up.  They expanded way too fast and put way too many franchises out there.  That being said, I can’t see this chain going down the tubes.  There’s still a lot of tradition there, as well as people who still like partaking in a hot glazed.  The shrinkage is taking place.  Stores are closing, but that needs to happen for Krispy Kreme to regain its health.
  • Sbarro – Now this one is interesting.  A mall Sbarro near my home just recently shuttered its doors.  As you know, the current retail market is lousy, and many retail center, including malls, are hurting right now.  Sbarro could very well be vulnerable in the current conditions.  According to the Yahoo! article, Sbarro lost $5.7 million during the first quarter this year.

Click here to read the Yahoo! article.

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Five Guys Burgers And Fries (and hot dogs, too)

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

five_guys

Five Guys got a great write-up in USA Today.  Obviously, the President and First Lady’s patronage has been a PR boost for the company.  Five Guys has expanded aggressively up to 436 locations seems to attempt to run a pretty tight ship when it comes to quality control.

While I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad burger at Five Guys, I’ve had a few average ones.  The burgers that were better than average were easily better than your average “fast food” burger.  Five Guys do not cook the burgers up medium, so you have to cross your fingers and hope for an attentive cook to provide you with a juicy burger.  All in all, Five Guys is worth the trip.  Maybe it’s a little more expensive than your standard fast food, but it’s also better than your standard fast food.  I should mention that the hot dogs are worth your attention, also.

The USA Today article can be found at http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/entre/2009-06-07-fast-food-hamburger-franchise_N.htm

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