Fast Food

Chuck E. Cheese Slims Down Along With Restaurant's Profits

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:51:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. If you're like me you remember some great birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese. The mascot at the pizza joint, an oversized rodent, gave the best birthday hugs. But these days Chuck E. is just not himself. It looks like he's been on a major diet. The restaurant chain has had a few tough years.

Let's just say their profits have been thinning. And as part of a new marketing strategy, so has Chuck E. I guess if cheese won't help you lose weight, shareholders will. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Mon Dieu! Fast Food Now Rules In France

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:24:00 +0000

When it comes to culinary matters, France, in many minds, is synonymous with fine dining. So it might surprise you that, for the first time, sales at fast food chains have overtaken those at traditional restaurants in the country that gave us the word gastronomie.

That's according to an annual survey of consumer spending, traffic and other restaurant data conducted by Gira Conseil, a food consultancy firm.

Sandwich Monday: The Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich

Eva Wolchover — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:35:00 +0000

Artisan health food giant Carl's Jr. is currently testing a new summer menu item: the Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich. The timing couldn't be better, as it'll help you gain that final pesky 75 pounds before hitting the beach.

We don't have access to a Carl's Jr. here in Chicago, but luckily, we were able to re-create the sandwich using items procured from our office vending machine.

Sandwich Monday: Rip'n Chick'n

Ian Chillag — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:17:00 +0000

The fried chicken chain Popeye's, named because Popeye famously ate cans of fried chicken to make himself big and strong, is offering "Rip'n Chick'n." In so doing, they've accomplished what the great poets thought impossible: rhyme "chicken" and "ripping," and serve people a hand-shaped piece of chicken.

Eva: So you're telling me chickens could have been collecting their own eggs all this time.

Ian: It's called Rip'n Chick'n. It's nice.

Burger King CEO To Run Heinz

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:49:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And our last word in business today is, what do you want on your burger? The CEO of Burger King Worldwide is stepping down. Forty-three-year-old Bernardo Hees has been wearing the Burger King crown since 2010, when the fast food chain was bought out by 3G Capital.

In his new job, Hees is keeping it in the family, both in terms of his parent company and the product he's pushing. He's becoming the CEO of Heinz - the famous maker of ketchup and condiments - which was bought by 3G Capital for $23 billion earlier this year.