Krispy Kreme Offers St. Patrick’s Day Treats For Fans Wearing Green
Krispy Kreme has announced a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with the rollout of four new donuts, their so-called St. Patrick’s Day Collection. They’re available now at participating locations and come in a custom green box (of course!). They are:
- Lenny Leprechaun Donut – A glazed donut with green and black icing decorated like a leprechaun with buttercream and a fondant hat.
- Luck O’ the Rainbow Donut – An original glazed that is dipped in green icing and green sprinkles then topped off with buttercream and a sugar piece rainbow.
- Patrick’s Shamrock Donut – A donut filled with original kreme and dipped in white icing and topped with a shamrock sprinkle blend.
- Green Iced with Sprinkles Donut – An original glazed that’s dipped in green icing and topped with a St. Patrick’s sprinkle blend.
They’re also bringing back their O’riginal Glazed Donut which is a green-dyed version of their original glazed and anyone who dresses in green tomorrow and Thursday can get a free O’riginal Glazed Donut in-shop, pick-up or drive-thru and no purchase is necessary.
Read More HERE
BuzzFeed Tried 8 Of The Most Popular Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Vegan “meat” products have been the big thing over the past couple of years and now BuzzFeed staff members Ebone’ and Whitney have reviewed of nine of the most popular vegan chicken nuggets on the market. Here’s what they thought:
- Gardein Ultimate Plant-Base Chick’n Nuggets – Ebone’ said these were very tasty and similar to popcorn chicken after being baked in the oven and Whitney agreed, saying they were crispy and tasted great. Both gave them a 5 cluck rating out of 5.
- Impossible Nuggets – 4 clucks from Ebone’ with a very positive review and 5 clucks from Whitney who said these nuggets are pretty much perfect all the way around.
- Daring Chicken – Ebone’ said these had the most chicken-looking texture and loved the seasoned bread coating and Whitney said these didn’t turn out great due to being cooked in a skillet and not an oven. 4 clucks from both for these.
- Beyond Chicken Plant-Based Breaded Tenders – Ebone’ had to get hers at a KFC location and said they were delicious and better than any “real” nuggets she had ever had and Whitney agreed, saying she recommends them to anyone serving fake chicken at a party. They both rated them 5 clucks.
- Hungry Planet Chicken Chipotle Patties – Ebone’ wasn’t too keen on these, saying she felt like she was eating “fake” meat and gave them 3 clucks and Whitney also gave them 3 clucks because they lacked flavor, were mushy and not the most meat-like.
Other products they tested were Like Meat’s Like Nuggets, Alpha Foods Chik’n Nuggets, and Jack & Annie’s Chicken Nuggets. Jack & Annie’s got 5 clucks from both, Alpha got 3 and 4 clucks and Like Meat’s got 2 and 4 clucks. The favorite and overall winner however was the Beyond Chicken Tenders, rated the best in tasting and feeling like a real chicken nugget and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
Read More HERE
5 Restaurant Chains Making The Biggest Comeback
Restaurants in the U.S. have had a difficult time over the past couple of years due to the pandemic issues, but according to the folks at EatThis, NotThat!, there are five chains making the biggest comebacks in the business.
- Applebees – founded in 1980, this chain has had numerous highs and lows over the years and suffered a slump in the 2010s, a busted re-branding effort in 2016 and an acquisition by IHOP, but president John Cywinski told FSR Magazine that “The brand is exceedingly well-positioned now to thrive, to flourish – use whatever term you want” and says that the franchisees are enthusiastic and the company is in the best shape he has seen in his five-year tenure.
- IHOP – IHOP took a hard hit during the pandemic with almost 100 restaurant closings due to declining sales and S&P Global Market Intelligence picked IHOP’s parent company Dine Brands Global likely to default on loans. However, the company has adapted and almost 25 percent of their sales are through takeout and delivery and is planning to launch tho new virtual brands – Super Mega Dilla and Thrilled Cheese, so look for good things coming for IHOP.
- Potbelly – Sales at Potbelly have declined for the past five years and reached new lows last year and also has lost 57% of its stock value since 2017. However, business has been improving with last quarter sales up over 30% and stockholders received a 21% return in the 12-month period. Potbelly expects continued growth and plans to have 2,000 restaurant locations operational in the next ten years.
- Golden Corral – This chain saw its locations decline from 483 in 2019 to 250 last year and some of those locations were operating as cafeterias instead of the usual buffets. Franchisees also had to wait on royalty payments and relief funding is still being considered. In 2022 the number of units is back up to 360 and sales are up due to third-party delivery providers. They also have plans for a casual sister brand, Golden Corral Steakhouse.
- Jack in the Box – Jack in the Box actually thrived during the pandemic as it grew its sales and attracted new and higher-income customers and increased its locations by 201. There are plans for more than 6,000 restaurants by 2030 and they intend to expand from a regional chain to a national presence.
Read More HERE
A new study shows that within the last year sales for candy and chocolate are up over 11%. On top of that, 83% of people that went on road trips admitted that candy and chocolate are included in their travels.
Read More HERE
Photo: Getty Images