Image credit PR Newswire, courtesy McDonald's of Southern California

Last week, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded LEED Gold certification to a Riverside, California McDonald’s, making it the fourth of the chain’s locations to earn such an honor from the non-profit trade organization.

According to literature available on the USGBC website, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED) Green Building Rating System awards points for implementing specific construction and design elements, as well as technologies, that “promote healthful, durable, affordable, and environmentally sound practices.”  These points are earned for accomplishments in each of seven pre-defined categories, such as “Indoor Environmental Quality” and “Water Efficiency.”

En route to earning enough points for a Gold certification — the second-highest level, below Platinum — the franchisee-owned McDonald’s at 2242 University Avenue in Riverside boasts accomplishments in five of these categories.  Included among the building’s environmentally conscious features are methods for reduced water consumption, a solar array, LED lighting, specialized plants and landscaping, and recycled materials used in insulation, windows, tile, and even the wood paneling surrounding the dining area.

The restaurant, located less than three miles from the University of California at Riverside campus, follows three other McDonald’s locations that have earned LEED certifications.  The first, a McDonald’s near McKinley Park in Chicago, Illinois, earned its Gold status in 2009 using similar methods.  According to website GreenBeanChicago, the restaurant also utilizes reflective concrete (for its drive-thru lanes), water-collection and heat-recovery systems, a “green roof,” and “paints and cleaning chemicals…chosen for their low environmental impact.”

McDonald’s locations in North Carolina and Georgia soon followed suit, earning their own LEED certifications.  In addition, the company renovated its corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois in order to earn a Platinum-level certification.  Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that the overhaul took only six weeks and $150,000 to complete.

While McDonald’s corporate headquarters garnered the USGBC’s highest certification, none of its restaurant locations has.  Fast casual chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, however, earned Platinum certification for its Gurnee, Illinois location — the first restaurant to do so.  Last fall, a combination KFC-Taco Bell in Indianapolis, Indiana earned parent company YUM! Brands its latest LEED Gold certification.  Other popular food chains with LEED-certified locations include Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Arby’s, Starbucks, and Pizza Fusion.

Image courtesy BusinessWire

Burger King garnered lots of attention this week after announcing a national rollout for the chain’s first ever stuffed hamburger. 

The Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse infuses chopped jalapeño peppers and cheddar cheese inside an extra-thick, all-beef patty.  Other standard toppings include lettuce, tomato, and a sauce made with poblano chiles, a mild pepper that recipe website A Taste of the Southwest describes as “Mexico’s favorite chile” with “a bell pepper flavor.”

After a test offering in Indiana last summer, this latest addition to Burger King’s XT line of premium hamburgers arrives countrywide with a reduced price of $3.99 — down from $4.35, as reported by Indy Grub Review.  Both USA Today and website Burger Business note that the nearly-four dollar price stands out in a month when several of the restaurant’s competitors are heavily promoting value-priced items and combo deals, but the Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse boasts a price equal that of not only sister entrée, the Steakhouse XT, but also other chains’ premium entrées, such as The Original Six Dollar Burger, found at Carl’s Jr.  Furthermore, while variants within the Six Dollar Burger line (like former offering the Prime Rib Six Dollar Burger) can cost as much as $5.89, traditionally, sandwiches like the Stuffed Steakhouse are only found at fast casual and casual dining restaurants, which charge significantly more for their hamburgers than Burger King does for its latest creation.  By looking at Burger Business’ list of stuffed hamburgers supposedly more “daring” than the Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse, a similar product elsewhere might cost between $7.50 and $14.

Despite its lower cost, Burger King’s version of the stuffed hamburger likely will not emerge as a favorite.  Although Time Magazine claims that “everyone will be talking about [the Stuffed Steakhouse] soon,” nearly a quarter of respondents to a reader poll on The Consumerist blog reacted with “Gag me!” after learning about the new sandwich.  Moreover, Citypages blogger Rachel Hutton describes the Burger King entrée as a “knockoff” of the Jucy Lucy (alternatively spelled Juicy Lucy), a Minnesota creation comprised of sliced cheese enveloped by two separate hamburger patties.  In her piece for an OC Weekly blog entitled Stick a Fork in It, Michelle Woo also references the Jucy Lucy, implying that it tastes more “thrilling” than the Stuffed Steakhouse.  A review on AOL’s Slashfood blog awards the Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse a “B-,” in part because “there is no ‘bite’ in every bite.”

Customers can find the Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse at participating Burger King locations throughout the U.S. now until mid-February, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

[Burger King on Facebook]

Image courtesy Whataburger Restaurants, LP

Whataburger this week unveiled two hamburgers, two breakfast entrées, and two desserts, with only certain items available in certain states across the Southwestern and Southern U.S.

In a recent move, the 60-year-old hamburger chain has divided all Whataburger locations into three regions.  The first consists of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Texas, while the second market encompasses the remainder of the Lone Star State and Oklahoma.  Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida comprise the final, easternmost market.

To go along with this regional segmenting, the company has made a distinct combination of limited-time menu offerings available in each market.

During the day, Southwestern diners can treat themselves to the Green Chile Double Cheeseburger, which combines two beef patties, two types of sliced cheese, and green chiles topped with a “Special Seasoning,” according to the Build a Meal section of Whataburger’s website.  Phoenix New Times writer Laura Hahnefeld describes the Green Chile Double Cheeseburger, available in both a regular and Junior size, as “a solid sandwich” despite its “crazy-high” sodium content — 1867 mg for a regular-sized burger, or nearly 80% of the FDA’s recommended Daily Value of the nutrient (for an adult consuming 2,000 calories per day).  Also available in this market: the Chorizo Taquito and Breakfast on a Bun, both of which contain egg, cheese, sliced jalapeño, and chorizo (fried ground pork sausage).  Like all Whataburger breakfast options, customers can only order these two items from 11PM to 11AM.  Finally, for dessert comes the Hot Chocolate Pie, as reported by Burger Business.

In Oklahoma and Central & East Texas, the Steak Sauce Double replaces the Green Chile Double Cheeseburger as the restaurant’s newest entrée.  With its two slices of bacon, diced onions, “Special Seasoning,” and steak sauce, the new sandwich (also available in two sizes) recalls both the company’s A1 Thick & Hearty Burger, available for eleven years until 2009, as well as 2010 offering, the Chop House Cheddar Burger.  Furthermore, the Steak Sauce Double’s ingredient list draws inevitable comparison to that of Burger King’s premium A1 Steakhouse XT — a hamburger that blogger Peter Mier describes as “mediocre” when weighed against Whataburger’s similar sandwiches.

Whataburger’s final market will see the addition of the Steak Sauce Double, both breakfast offerings, the Hot Chocolate Pie, as well as an additional treat, Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits, served hot and topped with melted margarine and icing.

The Green Chile Double Cheeseburger, Steak Sauce Double, Chorizo Taquito, Breakfast on a Bun, Hot Chocolate Pie, and Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits are all available now at participating locations for a limited time only.

[SOURCE]

[Whataburger on Facebook]

Image courtesy Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. via A Hamburger Today

Wendy’s this month will complete its transition from using two varieties of bacon to relying only on the premium version currently added to the chain’s salads and marquee sandwiches.

Paul Ziobro, in an article for Dow Jones Newswires, reports that “a higher-priced, Applewood-smoked, center-cut bacon” will find its way onto the Wendy’s Junior Bacon Cheeseburger by the end of August.  This change will completely phase out a cheaper, microwaved-heated variety of bacon also used by the restaurant.  Information listed on the Wendy’s website appears to confirm this detail — a description for the aforementioned sandwich, part of the chain’s Super Value Menu, includes mention of “hickory-smoked bacon,” while descriptions for other sandwiches that incorporate the ingredient list “strips of thick, fresh-cooked Applewood Smoked Bacon.”

According to Ziobro, phasing out the lower-end bacon serves as just one element of the chain’s recent emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients.  Last month, Wendy’s overhauled its Garden Sensations line of premium salads with four new offerings, all of which WalletPop author Sarah Gilbert describe as “reminiscent of something you’d find in a far more upscale restaurant” with their “lolla rossa lettuce, red and green romaine, spinach, and chard.”  The two-year-old strategy also extends to the company’s upcoming breakfast menu, according to a story for Convenience Store News.  The morning lineup, currently available in test markets only, includes a pastry containing cranberry and oatmeal, a panini, a burrito, and “an ‘artisan’ sandwich that has a ‘cracked egg,’ hollandaise sauce, Asiago and [a] choice of bacon or sausage.”  Both the breakfast and Garden Sensations lines utilize the more expensive, Applewood-smoked bacon.

Ziobro’s piece indicates that the removal of “hickory-smoked” bacon from Wendy’s kitchens will likely result in increased prices for the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger.  If the price does indeed rise, it will do so in order to accommodate the switch in bacon varieties, and not the rising price of pork bellies, which Wall Street Journal writer Curt Thacker defines as “the fatty part of a pig’s abdomen” from which bacon is sliced.  The wholesale price of pork bellies reached a twelve-year high today at $1.43 a pound (up 72% since January) reports Bloomberg.  Thacker’s article suggests that prices will rise further still, since “hogs available for slaughter in August through early September are forecast to be 5.4% lower,” while “stockpiles of frozen pork bellies were at a record low for the end of June.”  Ziobro, however, quotes Wendy’s spokesperson Denny Lynch on his position that the company “won’t raise the prices of any sandwiches with bacon due to higher pork belly costs.”

Wendy’s unveils a new entrée, the Double Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, later this month for a starting price of $1.89.

[SOURCE]

[Wendy's on MySpace]

Image courtesy Business Wire

The Mini Blizzard, a 6.5 ounce version of Dairy Queen’s hallmark dessert, debuted nationwide yesterday.

The treat combines blended vanilla ice cream with a variety of different toppings, including candy, cookies, baked treats, and fruit.  The Oreo Brownie Earthquake  Blizzard — named “Blizzard of the Month” for August — mixes crumbled Oreo cookies, chocolate brownie bits, marshmallows, and a fudge sauce with the chain’s signature soft serve.

Unlike its larger counterparts, the Mini Blizzard addresses “two significant consumer interests — value and portion control,” as stated by chief brand officer Michael Keller for an story in Time Magazine. An official release announcing the new treat mentions that prices for the Mini Blizzard start at $1.99, more than a dollar below the average price of a small Blizzard ($3.09, according to the Time article).  Nutrition information for the dessert has not yet been made available online.

Prior to its nationwide debut, the Mini Blizzard appeared in select markets, as well as at other locations, as part of the twenty-five stop “Blizzard 25th Birthday Party Tour,” celebrating the quarter-century anniversary of the menu item.  The final stop on the tour takes place this Thursday, August 5, in Minneapolis, near the company’s Edina, Minnesota headquarters.  August 5 also marks the North American date for DQ Miracle Treat Day, on which Dairy Queen will donate “$1 or more from every Blizzard treat sale” to Children’s Miracle Network. An article in the Iowa City Press-Citizen notes that last year’s combined Miracle Treat Day events (a separate date is scheduled for Canada) netted over four million dollars for the charity.  Last week, a novelty Dairy Queen spoon signed by investor Warren Buffett drew in $4,500 for an online auction, also benefiting Children’s Miracle Network.

Customers can find the Mini Blizzard at all Dairy Queen and DQ Grill and Chill locations.

[SOURCE]

[DQ Miracle Treat Day]

Image courtesy Jack in the Box Inc.

Jack in the Box’s newest creation, the Breakfast Pita Pocket, premieres today.

With its component scrambled eggs, strips of bacon, sliced ham, and American cheese, the Breakfast Pita Pocket nearly mirrors the Grilled Breakfast Sandwich, which first appeared at the restaurant this April.  As its name suggests, however, the new menu offering substitutes the premium artisan bread of the Grilled Breakfast Sandwich for a pita pocket made with whole grain.  Jack in the Box already uses pita bread for its Chicken Fajita Pita and Pita Snacks.

The Breakfast Pita Pocket premiered this past March as a test product in San Diego, California, home to the hamburger chain’s headquarters.  Back then, occasional fast food reviewer That Bootleg Guy dismissed the entrée, commenting that “there’s simply not enough breakfast meat in the Breakfast Pita to make it any more substantial than a snack” and noting how his serving appeared instantly “uninteresting.”  With its nationwide debut, however, Jack in the Box describes the 424-calorie Breakfast Pita Pocket as “a filling and protein-packed alternative to the more common fast-food fodder.”

Prices for the Breakfast Pita Pocket start at $2.69.  Like the chain’s entire breakfast menu, the item can be purchased all day.

[SOURCE]

[Jack in the Box on Facebook]

Image courtesy Taco Bell Corp.

Cantina Tacos debut at Taco Bell locations today, marking the chain’s first true attempt to recreate authentic Mexican cuisine.

The new entrée combines either grilled chicken, carne asada steak, or carnitas (shredded pork) with chopped onions and cilantro inside two corn tortillas.  Each taco comes wrapped in foil alongside a sliced lime wedge.

In a news release announcing the new offering, Taco Bell Corporation Chief Marketing Officer David Ovens describes Cantina Tacos as “based upon authentic-style Mexican street tacos.”  The restaurant appears to have done a good job at recreating that dish, which writer Karen Hursh Graber calls “the heart and soul of [Mexico's] diverse cuisine.”  In her article for MexConnect entitled, “Wrap It Up: A Guide to Mexican Street Tacos,” Graber notes how onion and cilantro find themselves added to street tacos “automatically,” and how lime wedges are “ubiquitous” at the numerous taco stands and carts that serve street tacos across the country.  In addition, an entry on the blog Indy Grub Review emphasizes that Cantina Tacos faithfully approximate the look of their Mexican inspiration.

Cantina Tacos fall short of the Mexican street taco ideal, however, with regard to other details.  Graber’s article also states that taco stands south of the border “will usually have an array of salsas [including] a cooked red salsa made with dried chiles, a tomatillo-based green salsa, and a guacamole-type salsa,” and that one can expect to find other garnishes, including green onions, radishes, and sliced cucumber.  Elsewhere, a review on food blog Brand Eating characterizes the texture of the steak Cantina Taco as indicative that the meat has been “braised rather than grilled” and that the corn tortillas likewise “don’t appear to be grilled.”

Though it’s the nations biggest Mexican-style quick service restaurant, Taco Bell follows a string of other fast food and fast casual restaurants that have already introduced similar, street taco-inspired dishes.  Del Taco, North America’s second largest Mexican restaurant chain, added Tacos Del Carbon to its menu in 2003.  Three years later, fellow competitor El Pollo Loco introduced Tacos al Carbon as part of the Loco Value Menu.  In his article for Nation’s Restaurant News, Bret Thorn mentions other, more recent forays into Mexican street food found in Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas.

Cantina Tacos appear today at Taco Bell for $1.49 each.  They can also be purchased as a pair for $2.79 and as part of the Cantina Tacos Combo — two tacos and a soft drink — for $4.99.

[SOURCE]

[Taco Bell on Facebook]

Image courtesy Culver Franchising System, Inc.

One hamburger and one chicken sandwich make their debut at the Wisconsin-based fast casual chain, Culver’s, while a second hamburger will debut in the coming months.

QSR Magazine today reports on the arrival of the Pepper Grinder Bacon ButterBurger and Pepper Grinder Bacon Chicken Sandwich.  The former takes the restaurant’s signature sandwich, the ButterBurger (a two ounce beef patty topped with pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard and served atop a buttered, four-inch, toasted bun), and adds “hot pepper cheese and hand-mixed four-peppercorn mayonnaise, along with bacon.”  The Pepper Grinder Bacon Chicken Sandwich uses the new ingredients, in addition to lettuce and tomato, to complement a breaded or grilled chicken breast patty on a buttered hoagie bun.

Yet another offering, the Luau ButterBurger, will soon follow.  The Sauk Prarie Eagle notes that the sandwich arrives as the winning recipe submitted to the Ultimate ButterBurger Build-Off Contest, which challenged customers to invent their own, unique ButterBurger variation.  Ingredients that comprise the new sandwich include “a pineapple ring marinated in teriyaki sauce, a slice of Wisconsin cheddar cheese and the traditional ButterBurger.”

The Pepper Grinder Bacon ButterBurger and Pepper Grinder Bacon Chicken Sandwich both remain on the Culver’s menu until September 19.  The Luau ButterBurger launches on an undisclosed date for a limited time at the chain’s flagship location in Wisconsin, with a possible national rollout later.

[SOURCE]

[Culver's on Facebook]

Image courtesy El Pollo Loco, Inc.

The Queso Crunch Burrito returned to El Pollo Loco Saturday.

The entrée now comes with a choice of either grilled chicken or grilled sirloin steak.  Otherwise, the burrito remains exactly the same as the last time it appeared on the restaurant’s menu, nearly two and a half years ago.  Along with one of the two meats available, the Queso Crunch Burrito also includes crispy tortilla strips, pico de gallo salsa, and optional jalapeño slices, all topped with two types of cheese — Monterey Jack and poblano queso — and wrapped in a flour burrito.

On her blog for the Virginian-Pilot, Lorraine Eaton notes the new dish costs $5.99.  The WalletPop blog, Julia Scott’s Bargain Babe, points to a coupon to receive one for free.

The Queso Crunch Burrito can be found at all El Pollo Loco locations until the end of September.

[SOURCE]

[El Pollo Loco on YouTube]

Image courtesy California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.

The latest round of the CPK Don’t Open It Thank You Card Program begins today.

The promotion, described by the restaurant’s co-founders as a show of appreciation for “the loyalty of [CPK's] amazing customers,” involves presenting diners with a sealed envelope once they finish their meal.  Aside from a general greeting card, the envelopes also offer prizes, including meal discounts, coupons for free CPK Grocery frozen pizzas,  shopping sprees, vacation packages, and cash.  In addition, this year, a code for a new, online sweepstakes can be found inside each envelope, giving customers a chance to win $100,000.

Prizes can only be redeemed if the envelope remains sealed until opened by a restaurant manager on a subsequent visit.

Customers and non-customers alike — the official rules stipulate that one can simply request an envelope without making a purchase — will receive Don’t Open It Thank You Cards until September 7 at all full-service California Pizza Kitchen locations.

[SOURCE]

[California Pizza Kitchen on Twitter]