KFC Snacker

Mktg - KFC,setting the platter right

2010-06-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

Smarting from a protest-ridden start, KFC is now on its second course deciphering the Indian audience.

Companies will seldom rue having the first-movers advantage. Does it not naturally lead to a competitive edge? Not always, as KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken - found out with its jerky start in 1995. By then the multinational brand, founded in 1952 by Colonel Sanders, already boasted of 5,142 stores in the US with a reported sales of $3,720 million.

But India presented a juggernaut of protests that marked it out for its worldwide notoriety in handling fowl, a threat to the Indian farmer's opportunities in food processing, a high level of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in its content and even two flies buzzing around in one of its kitchens. However, the lobbying failed to hoodwink anyone from seeing how unwelcome multinationals still were in the country.

KFC learnt the obvious lesson that a multinational, entering a country where nationalists were still making it harder to shake off the licence raj, could not afford hubris. Its parent, Pepsico Restaurants International (which later spun-off its restaurants business under a company in 1997 that was eventually named Yum! Brands Inc) had inadvertently made KFC an easy scapegoat by opening its outlet as the first of its flamboyant target of 60 fast-food stores in seven years. KFC slipped into anonymity with no advertising and froze its expansion.

But was KFC up against just a first-mover's "disadvantage" in 1995? For only a year later, India saw an uninterrupted influx of QSR (quick service restaurant) brands such as Domino's and McDonald's (which entered only after researching the market since 1990). Even KFC's sister chain - Pizza Hut - went on to put 140 outlets in no less than 35 cities since 1996. KFC, it seems, might have rushed in where it should have carefully treaded.

"KFC was guilty of a classic MNC mindset of just bringing its global products to India, expecting the consumer to accept them without any changes," feels Lulu Raghavan, the client director at Landor, a brand consulting company. India has often posed a different challenge to multinationals.

"Indians expect their global brands to provide the same international standards in service and ambience, but will not accept an alien food culture, for example," explains Raghavan. Not only was KFC's menu all chicken-based, they were meant to be had without any other accompaniments while Indians "liked their chicken with something," points out Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults. A stiff pricing also meant that the brand had a low salience.

It took almost a decade for KFC to regain the buoyancy that had driven its Indian ambitions in 1995. In 2004, it went in for a makeover and revamped its Bangalore store with a new décor and menu and stepped up its expansion across the country.

Its journey since 2004 bears the signs that KFC not only consolidated its business partnerships for a sound supply chain but also came to understand its Indian consumer better in that hiatus. Its parent Yum! Brands Inc in the meanwhile had concentrated on Pizza Hut, while KFC, the company claims, mulled over the Indian market.

KFC had to figure out what Pizza Hut and McDonald's had already got a hang of. While McDonald's had to orient to a largely non-beef-eating population, Pizza Hut dished out Indi-style toppings and beverages all in an effort to "customise for the Indian palette", according to Pinakiranjan Mishra who is a partner at Ernst & Young, handling retail and consumer products practice.

For this chain of fried chicken, the task meant introducing new dishes to accompany its regular fare and broadening its menu for a country with large swathes (the north and the west) comprising over 50 per cent of vegetarians.

The year 2004 saw vegetarians order a tikka wrap 'n roll, a chana snacker, veg fingers or potato fries even as their non-vegetarian friends feasted on chicken buckets and zingers coupled with vegetarian pulao and a makhani curry at a KFC. To reassure the veggies, the dishes came out of kitchens carefully segregated from the non-vegetarian section.

Brand repositioning

Erring on the price can be as costly as the wrong platter in India and KFC ran the danger of alienating the middle class with most of its chicken offerings priced higher than what they could comfortably afford. Yet it was this section that was poised to be its largest consumer base as Raghavan points out "KFC's clientele consists primarily of the middle class because the premium segment is not looking for a fast-food experience, on a regular basis."

In came the sub-Rs 50 snackbox (at Rs 49) and the chana snacker that costs just Rs 25 which now jostle for menu space with the quintessential zinger burger, hot and crispy chicken and original recipe chicken. "These [the products] make people try out the brand," explains Unnat Varma, KFC India's marketing director.

Turning part vegetarian and selling mini-meals besides its gigantic chicken buckets could have diffused KFC's brand appeal in other markets. But KFC did not have much choice. Raghavan says, "While focussed positioning is what brands should aim for, focussing on just fried chicken in India would have made it very difficult for KFC."

It helped that the brand's relaunch had been quickly followed by a global renaming in 2006 from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC, a far more inclusive moniker without any of the connotations of "fried" or "chicken", reason perhaps why it continues with it despite the brand reverting to its previous name in the US to break through the clutter there.

KFC's communication strategy that targets the youth, revolving around how "finger-licking good" its food is has made it easier for the brand to gloss over its legacy of selling fried chicken and leverage its different tasting products. Explains Varma, "We know consumers will not come to us for food they can get elsewhere. The taste we offer is not available anywhere else but in KFC."

For now, it is guiding the brand with its efforts to improve its healthier vegetarian food. Niren Chaudhury, the managing director of Yum! International Restaurants, the Indian arm of Yum! Brands Inc informs, "To make our vegetarian fare finger-licking good, our research team and our local vendors are working to make it 'crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside', the way our chicken products are."

KFC plans to launch more options and eventually take the spruced up vegetarian portfolio to its markets outside India. It signals the brand is intent on its vegetarian fare in India unlike its salad forays in the US market made just to win the veto vote of the vegetarian.

Even then Varma reaffirms that KFC is "proud to be known for its fried chicken" while driving up its appeal among a wider audience with its vegetarian options. More of its popular zingers, hot-wings and twister and wrap products, along with side-dishes such as mashed potatoes are being lined up for launch. Knowing where its consumer is, the brand has homed in on states with over 90 per cent of non-vegetarian population such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh besides the cities it is already present in for further expansion.

Bolstering its second life in India has been KFC's franchisees. They play a vital role - from investments for expansion, better administration at the stores and back-end, to providing KFC's consumer interface by managing the shop-floors. KFC, on its part, makes sure it monitors their performances regularly through set parameters and audits.

Wading ahead

An evolving supply chain makes for smoother front-end operations for this fast-food chain. By turning to Venkateshwara Hatcheries Ltd (Venky's) for sourcing the key ingredient - processed chicken, it helped allay PETA's concerns about suppliers' cruelty to the birds as Venky's has been a reputed poultry supplier in the country since the seventies. Local suppliers pitch in with buns and vegetables.

While KFC may still be a long way from achieving the clockwork of McDonald's centralised logistics that starts from the farmer to the store, it has acquired the flexibility to absorb unforeseen spikes. In June - during the vacation season with the IPL just over and people trooping out of their houses - the chain saw an the demand increase by 10-15 per cent, throwing their regular forecasts into a tizzy. KFC cut short its transportation time by airlifting stocks from the suppliers.

KFC is now raring to put more stores on the ground. "We have been adding 10 stores a year since the relaunch, and will grow from 35 to 50 by 2008 end and to 100 by 2010," Varma says of the company's ambitious plans.

Saturated high streets are driving the brand to explore other retail options. Apart from the obvious choice of malls, food courts, some drive-throughs are likely to sport its logo this year itself, reminiscent of Nirula's, India's first fast-food chain, which has set express kiosks in airports, hypermarkets and petrol stations. Are its growth targets bullish enough when compared to players like McDonald's?

Varma answers, "They have reached the 100-stores mark in 11 years; we will achieve it in half as much time, since we only started to scale up from 2004-2005." Time will prove whether it can catch up with McDonald's which has put 137 restaurants across India since 1996, adding about 40 every year.

Putting more stores on the ground may become the least of worries for KFC in the future. Industry analysts doubt assembly-line restaurant food will flourish in the long term. Bijoor adds, "The fried chicken arena will face heat in the future with mounting health concerns and doubts about how the chicken is processed".

It is perhaps this fear that has the chain striving to bring in healthier and more varied options. Chaudhary informs, "We are looking at non-fried and toasted products." They could also look at the regional diversity to bring in more local dishes besides fried chicken as "Indians mostly like their food to taste Indian", feels Raghavan.

The jury may still be out on its foray in India but time is on KFC's side which has brought a precedence of other brands, a softening of anti-MNC sentiments and a set of consumers leading lives that necessitate eating-out more often. The QSR industry is now bustling at Rs 7,000 crore, of which the organised sector comprising brands such as KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Nirula's and Haldiram account for five to eight per cent, estimates Mishra.

McDonald's India's JV partner and MD of its west and south operations, Amit Jatia, points out that consumers who were once wary of the inconsistent quality and service standards across players are now accepting QSRs - which have evolved their supply chain and trained people - as an eating-out option.

With a market share of 10 per cent, by internal estimates, KFC India claims that it already contributes around 30 per cent of the total system sales for Yum! Restaurants International (Yum! Brands international division) in India. Russia and France, its other potential growth nations, may just have to take a backseat.

Reference: http://spoonfeedin.blogspot.com/2008/08/mktg-kfcsetting-platter-right.html

Free Tim Hortons Chicken Wrap Snacker

2010-06-14T14:56:00.001-07:00

Get a free Chicken Wrap Snacker at participating Tim Horton's April 1 from 11:30 am to 2 pm local time. Limit one wrap per customer.

Reference: http://couponsurfer.blogspot.com/2009/03/free-tim-hortons-chicken-wrap-snacker.html

KFC Coupon: Free 2-Piece Kentucky Grilled Chicken Meal

2010-05-28T14:56:00.001-07:00

For limited time, print a coupon for a FREE 2-piece Kentucky Grilled Chicken Meal from KFC, which includes two pieces of grilled chicken, two sides and a biscuit. Hurry though, you only have until 10:59 p.m. ET tomorrow (May 6th) to print this out. This coupon can be redeemed between now and May 19th, excluding Mother's Day (please don't tell us you were thinking of taking the women who birthed you to KFC with a coupon!). To get the coupon click here.

Reference: http://couponsurfer.blogspot.com/2009/05/kfc-coupon-free-2-piece-kentucky.html

Shape up or ship out

2010-05-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

I've come up with two new rules for myself today. I have some bad habits I need to nip in the bud. So, I commit to you blog readers that....

1) I am only going to spend one hour on the internet per day (half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening)

and

2) I will not taste the sweet nectar of Dr. Pepper (or any other pop substance...sweet sweet Cherry Coke) unless I have had a full 8 glasses of water to drink for the day already. I am crying right now just thinking about it. This particular rule won't take effect until Tuesday September 2nd, because what's the use of a road trip if you can't wear sunglasses and guzzle cherry coke all the while. I have my standards you know.

More rules to come.

Reference: http://kristibassett.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

Food Fun with KFC?

2010-05-26T14:56:00.001-07:00

I've discussed KFC before, regarding what their name and slogan should be. Not gonna do that today. Instead here's the story from Mediapost about the latest KFC marketing campaign:

KFC Embeds 'Secret Image' In TV Ads, POP Posters

by Nina M. Lentini, Friday, Apr 25, 2008 5:00 AM ET

KFC is at it again. The fast food restaurant with a history of getting consumers to slow down and take a closer look at its ads is launching a new way to engage them.

In national TV spots and in-store POP posters promoting its KFC Snacker, the company has embedded a "secret" image. Each day until May 3, the first 1,000 of those who spot the dol ... er, image and go to KFC.com will get a $1 KFC gift check which may be used toward the purchase of a 99-cent Snacker (tax may be extra).

So much does the company want people to win Snacker coupons, it gives them the following to choose from when entering the contest online: The Colonel; KFC Bucket; Four Quarters; Dollar Bill; State of Kentucky.

In the :30 spot, a trio of young adults discusses the value of a dollar and how it can buy a KFC Snacker. The Snacker is a chicken breast strip with lettuce served on a sesame seed bun that comes in four versions, including BBQ, Honey BBQ and Ultimate Cheese.

"We are an innovative, fun brand," spokesperson Rick Maynard tells Marketing Daily. "We like to engage with our customers and get them involved in our promotions."

KFC is spreading word of the promotion by emailing its Colonel's Club, which has nearly 1 million members, Maynard says, and at KFC.com.

The effort is directed at new customers as well as at fans, he says. "KFC is a dinner brand, and the Snacker line is a lunch item. We want to give people a reason to have lunch at KFC."

Previous campaigns, since early 2006, include KFC becoming the first brand to have a logo visible from space, freeze-frame ads that prevented viewers from fast-forwarding with DVR technology, ads embedded with high-pitched ring-tone technology and KFC aroma placement in the halls of corporate America.

Nina M. Lentini edits Marketing Daily. Email her at nina@mediapost.com

Sphere: Related Content

Food Fun with KFC?

Reference: http://sclohonet.blogspot.com/2008/04/food-fun-with-kfc.html

13 minutes of Total Feel Good

2010-05-25T14:56:00.001-07:00

Reference: http://bigjohn-littlejohn.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html

come and get more (insulation on your body)!!

2010-05-24T14:56:00.001-07:00

Calories, Fat (grams) �

1. Deluxe Breakfast Biscuit (McDonald's): 1,320, 63

2. Double Whopper with Cheese (Burger King): 990, 64

3. Chocolate Shake (large, 22 ounces, Burger King): 950, 29

4. TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwich (Burger King): 780, 43

5. Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza (Pizza Hut): 640, 29

6. French Fries (large, McDonald's): 570, 30

7. Meatball Marinara (6-inch wheat sub, Subway): 560, 24

8. Big Mac (McDonald's): 540, 29

9. Tuna (6-inch wheat sub, Subway): 530 31

10. Meat Lovers Hand-Tossed Pizza (1 slice, Pizza Hut): 490, 27

11. Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissan'wich (Burger King): 470, 32

12. Extra Crispy Chicken Breast (KFC): 440, 27

13. Supreme Pan Pizza (1 slice, Pizza Hut): 440, 23

14. Sweet & Spicy Wings (5, boneless, KFC): 440, 19

15. Cheesy Tots (large, 12 pieces, Burger King): 430, 24

16. Cold Cut Combo (6-inch wheat sub, Subway): 410, 17

17. Pepperoni Stuffed Crust Pizza (1 slice, Pizza Hut): 390, 19

18. Asian Salad with Crispy Chicken (McDonald's): 380, 17 30.

19. Original Recipe Thigh (KFC): 330, 24

20. KFC Snacker (KFC): 320, 16

21.Hershey's Sundae Pie (Burger King): 310, 19

22. Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch wheat sub, Subway): 310, 5

23. Coca-Cola Classic (large, 32 ounces, McDonald's): 310, 0

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/calories-and-fat-in-36-fast-foods.htm

Reference: http://redialthisnumber.blogspot.com/2008/03/come-and-get-more-insulation-on-your.html

AFTER SKOO'

2010-05-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

After school was great, and really fun. We went to KFC (maria, stephanie, deborah, and me.) and then deborah got some popcorn chicken, which had a few pieces and we kept laughing at how much the chicken was. XD it was $3.24 while stephanie's kfc snacker was 1.07 and maria's was somewhere in that range. i got a big meal worth $8.00 and we kept laughing at deborah. like, teeheeing. it was great. then after kfc, we laughed at deborah because it looked like she was wearing a dress and it was hilarious. really.

tommorow's gonna suck because i have phys. therapy. yeah. wish me luck ^_^"

abcedfghijklmnopqrstuwvxyz.

post the alphabet below and see how fast you typed it ;)

NO CHEATING.

Reference: http://monsterpudding.blogspot.com/2009/05/after-skoo.html

This is just gross

2010-05-21T14:56:00.001-07:00

Confessional tripe

My jeans are digging in more than just a little bit after a day-long eating binge. I get like this about three days a month; it takes me the other 27 days to work off the pounds I pack on during these caloric rampages.

Adjectives fail; only a catalog can fully describe my shame.

Today, I ate:

4 Balance bars. I have to quit buying those in bulk; the bag lasts only a couple days, at best.

A regular Coke. I keep them for freinds, but it's a special day.

About four gum balls

4 or 5 steamed dumplings

An ample lunch of fried tilapia and Asian risotto. I cleaned the plate in like five minutes. Wasabi-miso sauce, yum.

An 8-ounce frozen yogurt

A Reese's Cup ice cream bar

A whole bag of black pepper Doritos. A big old bag. It said "No Trans Fat," so what the hell.

4 antacid tablets

A small Cold Stone Creamery sweet cream, with a brownie thrown in.

2 KFC Snacker sandwiches

A piece of Cappuccino cheese cake

An order of pancakes and eggs. Actually, I didn't finish these - they were not good, and even I have my limits.

My repentance begins tomorrow, when all I'll have to eat is a Big Salad for dinner.

I am so ready.

Reference: http://meanoldman.blogspot.com/2005/06/this-is-just-gross.html

Food Review: McDonald's Southern-Style Chicken Sammich

2010-05-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hatesexy: eating weird-ass food so you don't have to.

The Southern-Style Chicken Sandwich is the first time in a looooong time I was completely swayed by awesome advertising photography to devour something I normally wouldn't. The billboards and bus-kings are all over LA. I wish I could find an example, but this photo from PR Web is pretty close:

MMMM. Doesn't that look good? That crisp, fluffy bun...that delectable and juicy-looking hunk of meat...those amazing, crunchy-looking pickles...man, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. For weeks now I've been telling Trix that I just had to have one, like immediately. Sensible girl that she is, she told me "Dude, there's no way those things are as good as the photographs."

Last night, though, we found ourselves starving at 10 PM after a dance recital, and so , culinary experimenters that we are, we decided it was time to give 'em a shot.

So how are they?

Well, frankly, I had no idea what "Southern-Style Chicken" was, being, y'now, from about as far North as you can possibly get. Apparently this sandwich was invented to compete with a popular Southern restaurant chain. But hell, when I think Southern Chicken, I think gravy and there's no damn gravy to be seen.

What we have? A buttered bun, two pickle slices, and some chicken. That's it.

It's tiny. Seriously. Its really small. The bun is crisp and fluffy, I suppose, and the meat is juicy. But c'mon, juicy meat at McDonalds? You just know those bastards injected a portion of Mashed, Reprocessed Chickeny-Flavored Meat Goop with 2 gallons of water to make it juicy.

No gravy. I swear, I wanted gravy.

At any rate, end result? It's fairly yummy, but its really just like having a McNugget sandwich, which, y'know, sounds like something you'd concoct if you were really high. "Oh, dude, we have those leftover McNuggets from last night, and a couple buns from the grill-out last weekend. I think there's some pickles. Oh, and margarine!! Let's throw it in the microwave and eat the shit out of that stuff. Puff puff pass, dude, puff puff pass!"

I give it a firm 6 out of 10. Its on the good side of good, but it sure ain't nothin' to write home about.

Reference: http://hatesexy2.blogspot.com/2008/06/food-review-mcdonalds-southern-style.html

Like a Rinestone Cowboy

2010-05-19T14:56:00.001-07:00

This weekend was fun; on Friday Hooman's family came over, we played 1 vs 100, I was in the mob for a round but I got eliminated on a question about mayonnaise (if I had gotten it right I would have gotten a free arcade game and some ms points), the whole guest stars on 1 vs 100 is anticlimactic -- it would be cool if the final round they were 'the one.' afterward Hooman and I took turns on sets playing some All Pro Football 2k8 online (surprisingly people still play). Even though Madden is arguably a better football simulation, APF2k8 is original in that it attempts to create balanced teams with legends. Here's a related ironic picture:

The next day, after a friend's going-away party we went to Alladdin Gyrocery, I ordered a Jumbo Pita Zaartar even though it was a little expensive for what I received ($5) it was tasty, 8.5/10, I still stand on my point that their gyros aren't very good.

On Sunday I played some Pro Evolution Soccer 08 on Hooman's PS3, fun game but repetitive (but that's typical for soccer / sports games in my opinion). PES08 is very easy to learn to play and the character creation was really detailed; the biggest drawback of this game is the ease of getting red cards (that might say something about how I play.)

Unrelated Sidenote: The title of the post is a song that has been stuck in my head, here it is.

Reference: http://justinabbasi.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Meal Recap

2010-05-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

Goal: 1500 Calories

Breakfast: Oatmeal 150cals

Morning snack: pealed apple 53cals

Lunch: Dae jang soup, kimbab, kimchi 508cals

Afternoon snack: almonds 61cals

Dinner: Dae jang soup 158cals

Late night meal: KFC snacker and fries 564cals

Alcoholic drinks: 339cals

Total: 1670

Shame, I must do better when going out with friends.

Reference: http://prettyftw.blogspot.com/2009/09/meal-recap_25.html

Shelter Updates and Blue BRATT Saturday

2010-05-09T14:56:00.001-07:00

Peaches

Jake

This weekend Jake, our longest resident in the shelter thus far, was adopted. His new family has already sent pictures and an update about how happy they are with him. Jake is a black lab mix with lots of energy and sweetnes. They are a very active family who have already gone hiking and fishing with Jake so it sounds like a great fit. Now the dog that has been at the shelter the longest is Peaches, and she will be our new featured dog. She is a sweet dog but a little lively in the kennel and tends to scare people off when they are looking at her. Hopefully, some extra exposure will get her adopted quickly.

This Saturday I snuck away from the house while CornyT and Mame were sleeping and did my morning shift with the doggies. The shelter was a little light on volunteers and I was the only blue BRATT their. I did feel like I was more helpful as a blue BRATT because there were a lot more blue dogs than green dogs. I tried to get as many dogs out as I could in the short 2 and 1/2 hours I was there. However, by the time I left a lot of dogs still needed to get out of the kennels. The whole time it was pretty obvious I was working with a different level of dogs. The most obvious difficult dog was Gypsy, a blonde, six-month old pitbull. She immediately tried to push her limits in the run, she jumped, nipped and ran around like crazy. She ran so much she kicked up a rock that flew back and went straight down her throat causing her to sputter- kind of funny in a sad way:). She was really getting out of control until I remembered another volunteer had walked in her space- kind of pushed her away without giving her any good attention. The results were amazing, she immediately stopped jumping on me and calmed down enough to get her leash on and get her back to the kennels.

The biting and excessive jumping is more of a yellow behavior and I won't be surprised if they do change her color.

Reference: http://angieinaustin.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html

Shelter Updates and Blue BRATT Saturday

2010-05-08T14:56:00.001-07:00

Reference: http://angieinaustin.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html

Nice try Rocketman

2010-05-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

Yves Rossy is some swiss dude that gets thrown out of planes with a backpack on that looks like he has wings. With these wings he can increase his time spent in the air and his ability to cover great distances in a short amount of time. This past week he was able to cross the English Channel with his special wings. I really don't know how I feel about this accomplishment. The amazing thing is that this man is flying, which is tremendous. The boring thing is that his wings aren't real and the person flying isn't me. I am not saying that I don't respect what he is doing. This type of thing reeks of adventure and I bet chicks totally dig it. I am just saying that maybe we should all hold off on giving him handjobs until he does it with naturally grown human wings. Now that would be impressive. I am currently working on growing mine right now.

Reference: http://burtdestruction.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

The Game of Lent!

2010-04-30T14:56:00.001-07:00

A good two years ago when I was still blogging on myspace, I set up my own personal goal for Lent: To go around Long Island and try the Fish Sandwiches at every Fast Food chain. For those of you are are NOT Gentiles or simply don't know what the hell Lent is (I have a loose grasp of it myself), is that in the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday & Easter, you can't eat meat on Fridays, and everyone usually eats fish instead. Unless they forget.

Basically when this season rolls around, many of the meat favoring fast food chains deck out special Fish sandwiches that are only available during this brief window of time. The only three ingredients of a fast food fish sandwich is the fish itself (usually haddock of something), tartar sauce (a nice compliment), lettuce (gotta have your greens), and sometimes cheese (just 'cause).

Fortunately, my dear readers, I managed to complete this quest in the alotted time, with a week to spare! Here, in my rewritten original words, is how they all weighed in (w/pics borrowed from Flickr):

1) McDonald's - Filet-o-Fish (regular & Double)

We start the list off with the reason why fish sandwiches are around in the first place: McD's Filet-O-Fish. Created for the Lent season after the failure of the Hula Burger (a slice of pineapple sandwich with cheese), it is one of the most popular sandwiches McDs has to offer. It's also the one sandwich I've eaten at the most. Taste-wise, it's alright, you can really taste the fish, the cheese as well as the globs of tartar sauce on it.

Through some whim, I've also once eaten the Double that they offered at the time, and it's basically the same, but with another patty. It's one of my favorites, and it doesn't give me that "I'm gonna die!" feeling that most of the other stuff McDs offers gives me. Strangely, it's one of 2 Fish Sandwiches that did not come with lettuce and came with cheese (the other is White Castle's)

2) Wendy's - Fish Sandwich

This is the sandwich that inspired me to create this challenge in the first place. Taste-wise, its OK, it was crispy, and the lettuce that was on it was a bit limp and moist, but it was OK, but not as good as the Filet-o-Fish.

3) White Castle - Fish w/Cheese

Ah yes, the Legendary White Castle. The smallest (1/2 the size of an index card), and the cheapest ($1.25). I've told several people that White Castle is an acquired taste, and this one could either be the best sandwich, or the grossest. Fortunately, I'm in the party that loves this, and I thought that it was great. Besides being one of 2 sandwiches that includes cheese and does not have lettuce, it also does not include tartar sauce (you have to put it on yourself). It has good taste, and you're better off eating it if it's the first in a series of WC sandwiches you get (impossible to have just one, as I mentioned before).

4) KFC - Fish Snacker

Ah, another newcomer to the fast food world, the KFC Fish Snacker! Depending on which KFC you go, the price can range from 99 cents to 1.50 (saw it in NYC) I, getting it in a mall, had to pay $1.39 for it. There's a reason why it's called the "Snacker", since the sandwich in the pic above is the actual size. I'm just kidding, but it is small, roughly the size of 3 White Castle burgers. I have to say, it was alright, not the best, not to worst (I'll get to that one in a moment), but I can see why The Pope wouldn't bless it.

5) Burger King - Spicy Big Fish

Here we come to one of Burger King's 2 fish sandwich offerings of the BK Big Fish. I had the spicy version, and man...BK is evil. They do mean that it is the "Big" Fish, as it is the biggest regular-sized sandwich that I had on the whole quest. They trick you into thinking that when you're eating it that it's OK to eat it, and that it tastes OK with the lettuce & spicy tartar sauce. And then the aftertaste...ick, I can still taste the low tide feeling in my mouth now. You know how some saltwater places like a bay or the ocean smells during low tide? Well, that's how the Big Fish sandwich tasted and it made me nauseous for the rest of the day and it almost derailed my quest just a week into officially doing it.

6) Long John Silvers - Classic Fish Sandwich

Ugh, I gotta cleanse the palate a little bit. Now we come to a rarity in these parts, a Long John Silvers! The one I went to, pictured above was only non co-branded one on Long Island, and coincidentally, it was directly on the other side of Sunrise Highway of my college, St. Joseph's in Patchogue. All my life, I kept wondering how that place stayed in business, only to have it close roughly six months after eating there.

If I can say this about LJS: It's something worth trying once. When I ate it, I thought it was pretty good, top tier, but not the best. Size-wise, it's the 3rd smallest, if this sandwich's lenght was measured in White Castle Bugers, this would be 4 WCs long.

7) Checkers (Fish Sandwich & Deep Sea Double)

Now we come to what I think is the best of the bunch: Checkers! There's the regular fish sandwich and there's the Deep Sea Double, the version pictured above. Hmm, I don't remember there being cheese on it, but then again, I did have that them a few weeks ago...freaking glamour shots, discombobulating me. Either way, both of them have the same stuff, tartar sauce, lettuce, (possibly cheese), and the sandwich overall tastes great. And the Double is...double good? (Edit: Turns out that this pic is indeed the Deep Sea Double and yes, I do remember Cheese being on it. Still awesome, though)

8) Checkers - Fish Screamer

Hmm, yes, it seems that Checkers made a 3rd Fish Sandwich at the time, the Fish Screamer to compliment their Chicken version for their montly promotion. There is actually a difference between the ones I just reviewed: The fish patty itself is great as always, and besides lettuce, it actually has mayo, onions, and pickles. Taste-wise..same good patty, but with all the fixin's, its taste eerily resembles the Filet-o-Fish.

9) Nathans - Fish Sandwich

(No obtainable pic found)

Here's an oversight I never noticed: Nathan's offers a fish sandwich too. I'll also admit, I cheated a bit and found it not on LI, but in Penn Station. Sure, I have yet to go to a Nathans in recent memory that was NOT co-branded with an Arthur Treacher's (I'll get to that in a bit), but I know they're out there. Very peculiar, as it is Triangular shaped, but nonetheless, it was pretty average compared to the rest. Since it was in Penn Station, It was also the only sandwich that I had access to the legendary Roy Rogers Fixin's Bar, despite already being served with lettuce, tartar sauce, and a tomato slice. It was good already, but with the fixins, it was made better. I can see why not many Nathans carry this, the ones that are co-branded would make having this seem redundant.

10) Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips - Fish Sandwich

Another obscure chain, this primarily Fish & Chips fast food place had recently been absorbed by Nathan's and are usually co-branded with them (I've heard stories about one co-branded with a Pudgies. Freaky). Look-wise, it's not much different from Nathan's, it's triangular shaped, but there is the difference that it was fried with batter, instead of being breaded like Nathan's is. There's tartar sauce & lettuce here, and it made the sandwich taste good, but the fish itself could barely be tasted on account of all the sauce on it. I know this is making you hungry reading this, right? Didn't think so.

And we come to our conclusion. There were also A&W and Roy Rogers chains on the Island, but they weren't covered, and I offer this explanation to you: I tried, I really did.

I searched the only A&W within driving distance of myself to find that is was co-branded with KFC, so it basically meant no Fish Sandwich, or anything else A&W-related for matter save for the root beer from a tap of all things. I did manage to read the website, which stated it was only going to be offered at "Select Locations" which I guess didn't mean the ones on LI, but rather an actual full-blooded A&W place, which around here...there are none. Roy Rogers, on the other hand, I managed to find 3: 2 in Penn Plaza in NYC, and one out in Shirley. None of them had the Fish Sandwich, or any evidence of ever having it. The only time I ever saw them mention it was as a news blurb on their poorly-designed website. (clicking on anything leads you to a blank page)

Still, with 11 different sandwiches in the span of around a month, I considered the quest a success, and I'm probably not going to ever eat at many of these places again.

If I had to rank them, they would be this:

1) Checkers (Fish Sandwich & Deep Sea Double)

2) Checkers (Fish Screamer)

3) McDs (Regular & Double Filet-O-Fish)

4) Long John Silvers,White Castle, Wendy's

5) KFC, Nathan's

6) Arthur Treacher's

Last) Burger King. Yes, it's that bad, don't go there. Period. Colon: Exclamation Mark!

Reference: http://galileo908.blogspot.com/2009/04/game-of-lent.html

Sea Otter Classic - "Climate Neutral"

2010-04-22T14:55:00.001-07:00

I still like the good news better.

When I look at all the vehicles following the big races, and all the miles driven during multi-day tours I end up thinking about the disconnect.

My favorite way to think about the North American Solar Car Challenge that rolled through my town last summer is the image of a solar car being led by an SUV and followed by two SUV's.

So it comes as very happy news that the big spring race in California known as the Sea Otter Classic is partnering with Clif Bar to make this year's edition "Climate Neutral." From CyclingNews.com - "All told, Clif Bar and Sea Otter will offset nearly 748 tons of carbon dioxide."

I've offset my own CO2 emissions in the same way by purchasing tags here.

----------

3/30 10pm - maybe 3am is a bit early in the day to be reading news. I'm pretty sure CyclingNews.com was reporting this story, but here 19 hours later the story is gone. Poof...or should I say evaporated?

Reference: http://minuscar.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html

Fast Food Review: KFC $5 Fill-Up Box

2010-04-11T14:55:00.001-07:00

I learned a couple months ago, while reading a restaurant industry publication, that Subway's $5 foot-long promotion has been a massive hit and that the $5 price point is now considered the ideal number that customers respond to. That's why Quiznos introduced their "torpedoes" for $4, Pizza Hut came out with items starting at $5, and Boston Market created a $5 value menu. So it was not surprising to see KFC come out with their "$5 fill-up boxes." I decided to try one the other night.

You can choose from 4 different items to be paired with a side and a drink: two pieces of grilled chicken, three original recipe chicken strips, a "twister wrap," or five hot wings. In other words, nothing I really like. I wish there were other options, like popcorn chicken or boneless wings. I decided to order the twister wrap and hope it was better than the one other time I'd tried it.

I was impressed with the amount of food I received. There were more potato wedges than I could eat, and the wrap was a massive thing, much better than the wrap I had tried at KFC a couple years ago. The thing was the size of a brick and the chicken inside was nice and crispy, not the disappointing, limp chicken I had received the one other time I ordered the original recipe strips.

I did not like this wrap as much as I like a foot-long sandwich from Subway, but this is definitely a better deal. You get a large amount of food, and a drink, for only $5. If Subway were to offer chips and a drink for that same $5, it would certainly be a better deal than KFC. I am not sure if I will try one of these again. It was much better than I expected, but I usually get popcorn chicken at KFC, and that isn't available in the fill-up box.

By the way, I also had a coupon for 4 honey barbecue "Snackers" for 3 dollars. I've only tried that Snacker once and I did not like it. The bread-to-chicken ratio is way too high and the quality of the chicken is way too low. But I decided with that $3 deal I should at least give it another try. They were again lousy. The chicken was tough and there wasn't much of it. El Pollo Loco's chicken sliders are much better than these. I ate one of them with dinner, then the next day I reheated one in the microwave with Jarlsberg cheese and then added cole slaw and a pickle to it. That made it better, but still not good.

Reference: http://animmovablefeast.blogspot.com/2009/07/fast-food-review-kfc-5-fill-up-box.html

Subliminal Hidden Message in KFC Snacker Commercial

2010-04-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Reference: http://retank.blogspot.com/2008/05/subliminal-hidden-message-in-kfc.html

Towson U has redeemed itself - for now

2010-04-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

You may recall last week I was bitching about an inedible buffalo chicken sandwich on croissant. If you remember, I got it at the Paws dining area at Towson University, before a graduate class. Well, the folks at TU have proved today that some of their food isn't just fit for dogs. I had a rather tasty, juicy "Tuscan" chicken with pesto, again on a croissant with lettuce and tomato. Much, much better, in every way. No, it's not worth $6, but it's better than most food you will find at Towson or any other university. Not going to Towson anytime soon? Fairly easy to replicate. Just grill a piece of chicken breast and do not dry it out while doing so. Then, put a slice or two o' mater and some lettuce (not iceberg) on a buttery croissant cut in half. Finally, put the chicken on top of the veggies (yes I know, tomato is technically a fruit), and put a generous dollop of basil pesto on top of the chicken. Oh, and close the sandwich.

Reference: http://baltimoresnacker.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

What are you doing with your gov't rebate check?

2010-04-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

Now that the rebate checks are in the mail and the economic stimulus package is well under way, what are the consumers doing? Clearly the government is hoping you will spend, spend, spend. Unfortunately for retailers, the needle barely moved on consumer spending which was up only 0.2% in April. I had expected more companies to actively market to $106.7 billion up for grabs after Congress passed the bill in February. So far the only thing noticeable is the lack of spending by the consumer and the lack of marketing by the advertisers.

Perhaps overcoming four straight months of job losses, a wobbly stock market, plunging home prices and record high gasoline price hasn't left consumers in a buying mood no matter where the money is coming. But that would be responsible buying behavior and that's NOT the American consumer I know.

Reference: http://marketingcollege.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

Get a Free $1 Gift Check from KFC

2010-03-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

KFC has a new promotion. Find the secret image - on the in-store poster or TV ad - and answer the question: "What image is hidden in the KFC Snacker advertising?" If you're among the first 1,000 people to tell us what is hidden each day for 10 days you will receive a coupon in the form of a $1 KFC gift check. (Hint: The correct item is paper and has a picture of George Washington on it!) Click here to go to kfc.com.

Reference: http://thriftyjinxy.blogspot.com/2008_04_24_archive.html

Subliminal advertising in News, Cartoons, Ads, Games, TV Shows

2010-03-26T14:56:00.001-07:00

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1 of 3 Interpreting Media (NLP) Neuro-inguistic Programming 
 
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Ever been watching a movie and suddenly get the munchies? Or sitting on your sofa watching TV and suddenly get the irresistible urge to buy a new car? If so, you may be the victim of a subliminal advertising conspiracy! Proponents include Wilson Bryan Key (author of "Subliminal Seduction") and Vance Packard (author of "The Hidden Persuaders"), both of whom claimed that subliminal (subconscious) messages in advertising were rampant and damaging. Though the books caused a public outcry and led to FCC hearings, much of both books have since been discredited, and several key "studies" of the effects of subliminal advertising were revealed to have been faked. In the 1980s, concern over subliminal messages spread to bands such as Styx and Judas Priest, with the latter band even being sued in 1990 for allegedly causing a teen's suicide with subliminal messages (the case was dismissed). Subliminal mental processing does exist, and can be tested. But just because a person perceives something (a message or advertisement, for example) subconsciously means very little by itself. There is no inherent benefit of subliminal advertising over regular advertising, any more than there would be in seeing a flash of a commercial instead of the full twenty seconds. Getting a person to see something for a split-second is easy; filmmakers do it all the time (watch the last few frames in Hitchcock's classic "Psycho"). Getting a person to buy or do something based on that split-second is another matter entirely. (The conspiracy was parodied in the 1980s television show Max Headroom, in which viewers were exploding after seeing subliminal messages called "blipverts.") 
 
"Inside Edition" Subliminal McDonalds Ad Busted 
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Subliminal Hidden Message in KFC Snacker Commercial 
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Disney Aladdin subliminal message 
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Hiding In My Fox 5 News Logo 
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Reference: http://saltoverpepper.blogspot.com/2008/11/subliminal-advertising-in-news-cartoons.html

Expired Freebees at Freebie Force International

2010-03-25T14:55:00.001-07:00

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Reference: http://crazedartist.blogspot.com/2008/06/expired-freebees-at-freebie-force.html

A dollar's worth: Wendy's Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

2010-03-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

I can't find a good photo of it (I really should just take pictures of everything I buy and/or eat), but Wendy's has a new spicy chicken sandwich on the Super Value Menu and I want to tell you about it.

The sandwich is about a dollar (it's so new, it's not even on the menu at our local place) and, as I've found with dollar chicken sandwiches, it's not giving you a lot of meat. Actually, that could be said of all value sandwiches, beef, chicken or otherwise.

I will say, however, that this is a satisfyingly spicy and decent chicken sandwich for the money. The spice is a bit different from what you get on their full-size spicy chicken -- this is supposed to be a Buffalo chicken spice whereas the other one is mainly just a pepper spice, it seems -- but it's still got some zing, which makes it preferable to the regular dollar-menu chicken sandwich offerings at Wendy's and elsewhere.

Here's the one unknown and the sector of the market I think Wendy's was aiming at when it made this: The KFC Snacker. For a dollar, KFC offers an Original Recipe or Buffalo-flavored mini chicken sandwich. Obviously, KFC knows how to do fried chicken, but from what I've seen, these sandwiches are little more than a chicken strip, some lettuce and mayo on a mini hoagie bun. So while I'm willing to bet their chicken is higher quality, I don't know how much of it you get compared to the Wendy's entry.

Reference: http://andrewtaylorrecommends.blogspot.com/2007/06/dollars-worth-wendys-crispy-buffalo.html