Arby's has chicken tenders. Just in case you didn't know or have been living under a rock, Arby's has been making a big push of late to make sure people know that they are the place to go for all kinds of meats. Their "We Have The Meat" slogan and fun employee t-shirts with all the different animals on it might make vegetarians cringe but meat lovers like me embrace the meaty love.
Arby's is sitting on the fence between bundle and full blown combo with the deal in my latest coupon mailer. For $2.99 I get three Prime-Cut Tenders and a small order of curly fries. They call it a snack, I call it a cheap, light lunch.
Fast food restaurants have started a new trend, bundling smaller "value" items into a combo meal at a bargain price, usually in the $4 to $5 range. We reviewed one of the early trendsetters last summer when Taco Bell rolled out boxed items including the Bacon Club Chalupa Big Box. But, at least among the burger joints, the focus seems to be on a $4 price point.
2016 is well underway and thanks to an improved economy fast food chains are poised to have a strong year. To compete for those consumer dollars, we suggest watching for the following fast food trends this year:
Let's explore each trend in more detail:
Expect fast food chains to continue moving away from non-descriptive food names in favor of lengthy ones that remove ambiguity about what you're getting. Some recent examples: Arby's Crispy Fish Flatbread, the Del Taco Epic Grilled Chicken Avocado Burrito, Wendy's Asian Cashew Chicken Salad, and Burger King's Grilled Dogs.
Del Taco Explicitly Named Burrito from their website
A notable exception to the trend is the king of the made-up names, Taco Bell. What's a Gordita? Well, now you might as well also ask about the Doritos Cheesy Gortida Crunch. Taco Bell has even gone as far as to combine names as they combine ingredients. Behold the Quesalupa, which is a Chalupa with cheese in the shell.
Keep reading to find out more trendsTop Three Trends in Fast Food for 2016
Rolling out today are Burger King's new Grilled Dogs. Two all-beef hot dog variants are offered. The Classic comes with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions. The Chili Cheese comes with, well, chili and cheese. I tried them both.
The Classic Grilled dog came loaded, just the way I like it. In the commercial (below) Snoop Dogg said that the buns were "all fluffy and whatnot." He is right, but it's not an extraordinary bun. However, it is sized right for the dog, holding onto the ingredients all the way through to the last bite. The all-beef hot dog tasted savory and meaty, but not over-the-top. It doesn't have the thick casing of a designer dog, but it does taste flame-grilled. The meat is sliced down the middle to help the grilling go all the way through.
For this year's Super Bowl, Jack in the Box rolled out a Million Burger Giveaway that ran from 2/7 through 2/15, or one million burgers (whichever comes first.) I picked up my burger on Sunday 2/14 and since it was free opted for the Double Jack with Cheese.
Since 2000, Fast Food Source has been the premier independent site dedicated to fast food lovers, offering fast food restaurant menus, and nutrition information, as well as fast food blogs, articles, forums, and fast food industry news. We offer fast food location information for over 50 cities and more than 80 fast food chains.