In the ancient battle of Man vs. Food, e-sportbooks and restaurants are betting on the man. For example, BetED.com recently posted odds for the epic "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest," held every 4th of July.
Of course, Nathan's isn't the only place to find gourmands gorging themselves for fame, glory and free food. Amateur gluttons and the restaurants that serve them are found across the country. We researched 40 gut-busting restaurant challenges for those seeking free food and entertainment. A couple words of advice: Don't fill up on bread and remember foods dunked in liquids slide down easier.
And if you scope out any ringers, let us know so we can call our bookie.
McDonald's To Offer Free Wifi - The Consumerist: "What goes better with greasy fries and corn syrupy sodas than delicate electronic equipment? McDonald's announced today that they plan to roll out free wi-fi in their outlets that currently offer it for a fee. The goal is to make their restaurants more amenable to people hanging out, and gobble up more of Starbucks' share of the latte-sipping market."
We recently had the pleasure of trying out a new Nintendo DS games prior to launch by receiving a sample tester cartridge from Sandbox Strategies. The game has you running a fast food restaurant and making lots of different foods quickly for customers. The game was really fun and the different tasks and good use of the Nintendo DS stylus makes the game really fun.
Details on Fast Food Panic:
Fast Food Panic: Players are determined to have their restaurant become known as the best in the country. In order to achieve that recognition, they will have to handle an increasing amount of pressure and manage a growing list of priorities, from greeting and quickly serving customers, to making the best food possible, to keeping dining tables clean and making deliveries. The game features a wide variety of food to prepare, and also offers numerous bonus games to add to the fun and variety.
Burger King Gets A Make-Over with TV Screen Menus: "If you were a fan of the Whooper but didn’t care much for that scary King that who menaced innocent folks, then you may find yourself making your way to the home of the Whopper once again. Burger King will be renovating their 12,000 locations worldwide with the new design called 20/20. The new interior will include rotating red flame chandeliers, TV-screen menus and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls. Almost like fusion of retro meets modern design.In Miami 60 stores of the chain have already gone under the ‘knife’ and Burger King hopes sales willincrease or atleast give a new image to a your typical fast food chain. Personally I’ll just go in to play with the TV-screen menus."
On Sept. 17, 2009, Steve Mallie, owner of Mallie's Sports Bar and Grill in Southgate, Michigan created the new World's Largest Hamburger. It weights 185 lbs and took 15 hours to make. Mallie plans to sell the burger for $499.
Happy Meals: McDonald's Combo Meal Includes Gun And Bags Of Pot: "A South Carolina teenager got more than he expected from a McDonald's in Charleston, according to WIS 10 news in Columbia. And, no, we're not talking supersize fries. After placing his order and paying, he drove up to the pickup window, where the attendant asked him, 'who gets the bags?' The customer said it didn't matter, so the Mcster handed him three bags — two containing food for the driver and his passenger, and one with some extras: a loaded handgun and bags of weed."
Steering Wheel Dining Table | Random Good Stuff: "Introducing the AutoExec WM-01 Wheelmate Steering Wheel Desk Tray – Gray – , featured in our Other Vehicle Parts department. This product generally ships within 2 business day(s) from Pinellas Park, Florida, and weighs 2 pound(s). Attaches to your steering wheel for easy access to a writing and drink storage surface. The Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk is flat for writing and perfect for lunch or a snack. This Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk stores neatly in your car when used with the larger Auto Exec Laptop Car Desk. For safety reasons, never use this product while driving."
Epic: KFC Has A Bacon Sandwich That Uses Fried Chicken As "Bread": "Meet the KFC 'double down.' Although no mention of it is made on KFC.com and we have never seen an ad for it ourselves, we are being lead to believe that it is real by Foodgeekery.com. They have crappy cell phone camera footage of a commercial (from Omaha, apparently) for the mysterious beast, as well as photographic evidence of it in the wild."
Lifehacker put together a great guide showing just what foods aren't so bad and what should be avoided at all costs. The good news is that good ol' Chicken McNuggets aren't so bad, providing 280 calories in a 6 piece box. And a hamburger has only 250 calories if you can stand eating it without cheese."
Jack in the Box, Now With Less Human Contact: "Thankfully, the grizzled shack dwellers out there may soon have another option -- Jack in the Box. A photo submitted to Consumerist shows an ordering kiosk in a Bellevue, Washington branch of this fast-food chain. According to Keith, who submitted the photo, you can order and pay for your meal at the kiosk, including options like no sauce or a salad instead of fries with your combo. You'll only have to interact with the staff to pick up your order."
New Angus Third-Pounders at McDonald's - Delicious
We had the pleasure of eating one of the new Angus burgers this past weekend from McDonald's. We chose the Angus Deluxe and the 1/3 pound burger delivered. It's very large and very yummy - the amount of mayo, cheese, and burger are pefectly balanced. We also love how it fits in our hands and FEELS more like a traditional burger. The angus beef tasted like - BEEF. Great job McDonalds. Can't wait to order up two of these for a Double Angus.
There are three versions available - so check them out at your local McDonald's.
Angus Deluxe: American cheese, sliced red onions and sliced red tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, mustard and mayonnaise.
Angus Mushroom and Swiss: sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise.
Angus Bacon and Cheese: bacon, american cheese, sliced red onions, mustard, ketchup and pickles.
These photographs show extreme makeovers of actual fast food items purchased at popular fast food restaurants. No additional ingredients have been added except for an occasional simple garnish."
McDonalds to offer electric vehicle recharging at restaurants - SlipperyBrick.com: "First they offered their customers WiFi, now McDonalds is installing electric vehicle charging stations for the handful of you with electric cars. They are starting in Cary North Carolina, where McDonalds will be the first to offer car recharging via the ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations."
Top 10 Failed McDonald’s Products - Listverse: "In an attempt to stay on top of the game, McDonald’s occasionally tried out new menu items. Some of them become a great success while others are destined to fail before they even begin. This list looks at 10 of the worst McDonald’s products which eventually fell into obscurity or vanished entirely. Feel free to mention your own favorite worst products in the comments."
McDonald's crosses Big Mac and Snack Wrap to get Snack Wrap Mac
What do you get when you cross a Big Mac with a wrap? The Snack Wrap Mac.
The new concoction from McDonald's--a hybrid of its famous Big Mac and its recent hit the snack wrap-- was rolled out on a temporary basis this week throughout Canada. Oak Brook-based McDonald's has also been test-marketing the new item since late last year in 400 U.S. restaurants.
The McGangBang: a McChicken Sandwich Inside a Double Cheeseburger
The McGangBang ranks up there in the holy pantheon of WTF. It's a sandwich made from a double cheeseburger and a McChicken sandwich — where you put an entire McChicken sandwich inside a double cheeseburger. It's a creative manipulation of existing menu items, and an exercise in frugality: taking two items off of the Dollar Menu and creating an entirely new sandwich for a total of $2.16. Truly, it's a sandwich that's more than the sum of its parts.
For the second time in just seven weeks, a newly opened Carl’s Jr.® has set a company sales record, as the Porterville, Calif. restaurant posted $107,638 in sales in its first week. The previous Carl’s Jr. one-week sales record of $105,063, was set in Marysville, Wash., last month following its Dec. 9, 2008 opening, and that restaurant went on to break the first-month record as well.
Nice to see old Carl's Jr. doing so well - let's hope it happens for everyone soon too.
Yep - the list is out and one of the worst is a milkshake...
Can an appetizer with the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme doughnuts be justified? No. The 2,710-calorie Awesome Blossom has been purged from Chili’s menu—maybe the fat-drenched appetizer couldn’t withstand the scrutiny of being named one of the worst foods in America last year. No matter the reason, we applaud this waist-expanding starter’s retirement.
Coffee War Brewing Between McDonald's and Starbucks
McDonald's new ad campaign is taking a non-too-subtle jab at Starbucks. Residents in Seattle, Washington, the birthplace of Starbucks, can now see approximately 140 McDonald's billboards emblazoned with "large is the new grande" or "four bucks is dumb."
In a statement released Thursday, McDonald's called it "a light-hearted, fun approach to our brand," aimed at promoting the company's McCafe coffee products. However, Starbucks is not finding the ad campaign funny.
Odd Noggin Land is a surreal musical web TV show. Each episode follows the daily lives of three friends who just so happen to have… well… gigantic food items for heads. Odd Noggin Land was created by John Herman and Ryan Plaisted.
Japanese Fast Food Eraser Set - Erase Those Calories
Wait a minute - don’t some of the erasers you see up there resemble McDonalds items? Well, the Japanese might be relatively small in size, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love greasy fast food for a quick burst of energy during the mid-day break. Folks who love collecting quirky erasers (kids qualify, too) will be able to pick up the Japanese Fast Food Eraser Set for $6.95.
the Quarter Pounder come to Japan, there’s a whole shop that that’s all they sell, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, starting price 600 yen set and the regular Quarter Pounder with Cheese for a 500 yen set.
Wired Science from Wired.com: "That the $100-billion fast food industry rests on a foundation of corn has been known more through inference and observation than hard scientific fact — until now.
Chemical analysis from restaurants across the United States shows that nearly every cow or chicken used in fast food is raised on a diet of corn, prompting fresh criticism of the government's role in subsidizing poor eating habits."
