Latest news with #fastfood
New York Times
10 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
The Fast-Food Gimmick That Became an Unlikely Muse for Chefs
In 2020, Fernando Strohmeyer was scrolling through Reddit in the back of Aunt Ginny's, a dive bar in Ridgewood, Queens, when a video of someone making a homemade Crunchwrap Supreme caught his eye. It didn't matter that he had never tasted the Taco Bell original. Recipes for the fast-food staple have spread online like open-source code. Soon, he was making one, too. From his small kitchen at Aunt Ginny's, Mr. Strohmeyer serves six-sided wraps that are browned on both sides and filled with the 14-hour pernil he learned to make from his Puerto Rican mother. His version — 'the Crispwrap Ultimate' — is considerably thicker than the source material, with a cross-section that looks more like your actual aunt's seven-layer dip. 'As long as you have that crunchy thing in the middle and you know how to fold it, you can put anything in there,' said Mr. Strohmeyer, 44. Introduced by Taco Bell as a special on June 22, 2005, the Crunchwrap Supreme wildly outperformed company expectations, becoming the fastest-selling menu item in the fast-food chain's history. Twenty years later, it is as much a novelty food as a playful framework for chefs. They reinterpret its nostalgic layers — ground beef, nacho cheese, a tostada shell, lettuce, tomato and sour cream enrobed by a 12-inch flour tortilla — with ingredients that are deeply personal. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
McDonald's Irish investments jump in value amid climb in profits
Profits at McDonald's Irish franchise operator jumped 17 per cent jump last year as it reported a more than fivefold increase in the value of its Irish investments under construction. New accounts for McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland, the burger chain's main Irish entity, also reveal the company declined to pay a dividend to its UK parent despite climbing profits. McDonald's had 95 franchised restaurants in the Republic last year, according to the accounts. The company does not directly operate any outlets here since it franchised out its last remaining owner-operated restaurant at Dublin Airport in 2022. The Irish entity reported that it had almost €23.2 million worth of assets under construction in the Republic at the end of last year, up from €4.3 million in 2023. READ MORE The more than 400 per cent uplift comes after McDonald's announced plans in August 2024 to invest €1.2 billion and open more than 200 new restaurants in the Republic and the UK over the next four years. At the time, the New York-listed group declined to specify its plans for the Republic, insisting only that the new restaurants would be tailored to meet 'the needs of the community'. 'The plans will also see a renewed focus on opening high street restaurants, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to supporting successful high streets across the country as town and city centres continue to evolve and respond to a variety of challenges,' the company said at the time. The latest filings also show that, having paid a dividend of €51 million in 2023 and €25 million the year before that, the Irish business did not make any dividend payment to its immediate parent company, a UK-registered entity, last year despite rising profits. McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland reported a 17 per cent jump in before-tax profits to €42.4 million last year even as revenues fell 1 per cent to €84.4 million. In a note attached to the accounts, the directors of the Irish company said administrative expenses were €8.5 million lower due to site closure costs and technology costs incurred in 2023. The Irish business has shareholder funds in excess of €114 million. Last month, the burger group's ultimate parent in the US posted its biggest drop in US sales since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the three months to the end of March. McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski said at the time that US consumers were 'grappling with uncertainty' in the early part of 2025, adding that 'geopolitical tensions added to the uncertainty and dampened consumer sentiment more than we expected'.
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
McDonald's customers left fuming ‘tell me this is a joke' after fast food chain quietly axes beloved menu item
MCDONALD'S fans have been left devastated after the chain stopped selling a popular menu item. The fast food chain has confirmed that it no longer sells the popular Triple Cheeseburger. The burger first appeared on menus in 2020 and followed the successful trial of the Triple-Decker Sandwich. It was made with three British and Irish beef patties, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard and cheese. McDonald's confirmed to The Sun that it had been dropped in order to make room for new menu items. A spokesperson said: 'We're always evolving our menu with our customers in mind to keep things fresh and exciting.' Fast food fans have taken to social media to voice their frustration at the loss of the iconic burger. One fan said in a post on social media website X: 'mcdonalds getting rid of the Triple Cheeseburger in the UK may be the worst news i've had all week.' Another added: 'Taking the Triple Cheeseburger off the menu is my last straw - done with mcds.' While a third asked: 'McDonaldsUK Why have you removed the Triple Cheeseburger from the menu? You take that away and instead bring in that way overpriced Big Arch thing.' Others took to Facebook to share their disappointment. One disappointed customer said: 'Tell me this is a joke.' While another agreed, adding: 'Give over no they haven't.' A post on the McDonald's website apologises to customers, adding: 'Sorry it's gone, but not forgotten.' McDonald's often switches up its menu to add new burgers, desserts and sides while removing items that are no longer popular. How to save at McDonald's You could end up being charged more for a McDonald's meal based solely on the McDonald's restaurant you choose. Research by The Sun found a Big Mac meal can be up to 30% cheaper at restaurants just two miles apart from each other. You can pick up a Big Mac and fries for just £2.99 at any time by filling in a feedback survey found on McDonald's receipts. The receipt should come with a 12-digit code which you can enter into the Food for Thought website alongside your submitted survey. You'll then receive a five-digit code which is your voucher for the £2.99 offer. There are some deals and offers you can only get if you have the My McDonald's app, so it's worth signing up to get money off your meals. The MyMcDonald's app can be downloaded on iPhone and Android phones and is quick to set up. You can also bag freebies and discounts on your birthday if you're a My McDonald's app user. The chain has recently sent out reminders to app users to fill out their birthday details - otherwise they could miss out on birthday treats. This week the home of the golden arches launched five new menu items, including the launch of an iconic burger. The Big Arch made its debut on the fast food chain's menu on June 18. Several other items also rejoined the menu, to the delight of fast food fans. Among the items returning to menus were Halloumi Fries, the Toffee Crisp McFlurry, Cheesy McCrispy and Toffee Apple Pie. What other items have been discontinued? McDonald's axed several items this week to make way for the new menu offering. Among them were the Cheesy Garlic Bread Dippers, Lotus Biscoff McFlurry, Steakhouse Stack and McSpicy x Frank's RedHot. The menu update comes after the fast food chain discontinued the Chicken Bacon Caesar Wrap last month. McDonald's said it was part of a 'rotation' of its wrap offering. The wrap, which combined chicken breast strips, crispy onions, rashers of bacon and lettuce, was first launched in summer 2023. 3 3 Why are products axed or recipes changed? ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders. Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether. They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers. There are several reasons why this could be done. For example, government regulation, like the "sugar tax," forces firms to change their recipes. Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs. They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable. For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018. It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version. Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year. Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks. While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
In-N-Out Burger Being Sued for $3.2 Million
In-N-Out Burger is packed seemingly every day with guests wanting a burger with fresh fries in a very limited (albeit popular) menu. As of March 2025, In-N-Out has 418 locations across the United States. Most are in California and the West Coast, but the company has started to venture out to Texas as well. Unfortunately, In-N-Out is being sued for a whopping $3.2 million by one former employee, and the reason is because of his hairstyle, per Annie Goodykoontz of The Los Angeles Times. "In-N-Out Burger is being sued for at least $3 million by a former employee for alleged racial discrimination involving the employee's hairstyle, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court filing," the report stated. "According to the suit, 21-year-old Elijah Obeng, who is Black, said he experienced severe emotional distress after he was unfairly targeted by the burger chain's dress code. The dress code requires its employees to wear company-issued hats with their hair tucked in, and male employees must be clean-shaven, the lawsuit says." Obeng worked at the Compton In-N-Out store for nearly four years, and the report stated that the company took exception to his hairstyle and his sideburns with him even being sent home in May 2024 to shave his sideburns. Based on Obeng's lawsuit, the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN Act) is what the company is in violation of, which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their hairstyles and hair textures. The former employee's experience caused him 'anxiety, humiliation, and loss of dignity,' per the lawsuit. Moreover, In-N-Out responded and said that it was due to prior write-ups, but Obeng believes it was a discriminatory act resulting in his resistance against the dress code policy. From a financial aspect, a $3.2 million lawsuit is a small number compared to the $2 billion per year the company brings in, but dealing with this will likely bring negative attention to the well-known burger Burger Being Sued for $3.2 Million first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 20, 2025
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Adelaide woman makes a gross discovery while eating her Chinese hotpot takeaway
An Adelaide woman got a big surprise when she found something very unexpected at the bottom of her takeaway dinner. She had ordered a hotpot from a local takeaway shop last week and after eating about half, she planned to save the rest for lunch the next day - but ended up picking at it a bit more. That's when she noticed something strange. 'I was picking at the bottom and the container was feeling a little bit weird,' she said. 'So I kept digging and at the bottom of the container was a working phone.' She touched the screen and saw it was still on. 'I rang the place and I was like "hey I found a phone in my hotpot" and they were like "oh yeah we did have a phone missing from one of our chefs",' she said. 'They were apologising and I was like "no worries I'll bring it back". What had happened was apparently the chef put the phone down in the takeaway container and because it was black it blended in with the container. 'I paid $35 for the hotpot originally and they gave me $50 back and the chef was like "oh let me know when you're here next time and I'll give you a free hotpot".' She wouldn't name the fast food store 'because they're a very well-established business and I don't want to bring them down over a single mistake'. Thankfully since she lived nearby, she didn't need to reheat the meal when she got home. Putting a phone in a microwave is extremely dangerous and can cause a fire, damage the phone and the microwave, and potentially release harmful vapors. Aussies online praised her for not naming and shaming the business. 'Dinner with a side of phone,' one person said. 'It's really sweet of you to not making a bigger deal but glad that in the end everything worked out and you will get free hotpot,' another said.
