2016 SEASON OF GIVING (DAY 10): $5 Burger King Gift Card

Marvo 123 Comments

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Burger King had an amazing year, if by “amazing year” means a bunch of products that made folks say “WTF” or odd enough that they ended up being mentioned during your local news because they needed to fill 15-30 seconds. Here’s a list of the most interesting products from the fast food chain this year:

March 2016 – Angriest Whopper with a red bun
April 2016 – Chicken Fries Rings
May 2016 – Whopper Dog
June 2016 – Mac n Cheetos
August 2016 – Whopperrito
September 2016 – Cheetos Chicken Fries

RULES:

To enter this prize drawing for a $5 Burger King Gift Card, leave a comment with THIS post. You can write whatever you want, but please don’t forget to fill out the email field because we’ll be emailing the randomly selected winner for his or her mailing address.

We will stop accepting entries on December 24, 2016 at 12:00 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (2:00 a.m. Pacific, 5:00 a.m. Eastern). Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents 18 years old or older.

Good luck!

FINE PRINT: The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you emails about hair care products made from aloe vera. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you empty USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail or damaged mail.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Double Stacked Tacos

Marvo 6 Comments

Taco Bell Double Stacked Tacos

Taco Bell’s newest offerings you can pay for with the loose change in your car’s nooks and crannies are the new Double Stacked Tacos.

They’re similar to the Double Decker Taco in that they have both a crunchy shell and soft tortilla. But instead of refried beans sandwiched between the two, there’s melted cheese and a sauce.

The Double Stacked Tacos are available in three flavors: Nacho Crunch, Cool Habanero, and Spicy Sweet.

Nacho Crunch features seasoned beef, lettuce, cheese, red tortilla strips, and nacho cheese sauce. It has 380 calories, 170 calories from fat, 19 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 650 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Cool Habanero features seasoned beef, lettuce, cheese, reduced fat sour cream, and habanero sauce. Its nutrition facts are 350 calories, 180 calories from fat, 20 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 630 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Spicy Sweet features seasoned beef, lettuce, cheese, habanero sauce, and sweet chili sauce. It has 340 calories 160 calories from fat, 18 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 640 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

If you’ve tried any of them, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via Taco Bell’s Facebook page)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Trader Joe’s Crunchy Cinnamon Squares Cereal

Marvo 6 Comments

Trader Joe's Crunchy Cinnamon Squares Cereal

Cinnamon Joe’st Crunch Cereal? (Spotted by Sylvia at Trader Joe’s.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Chicken McGriddle

Chris 17 Comments

McDonald's Chicken McGriddle

Update: We did another review that covers both the Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit! Click here to read it.

McDonald’s has been stuck in a rut. The clown king of fast food may still push billions of burgers a year, but a dipping sales trend and changing cultural attitudes have investors shaken. Attempts to produce higher-end burgers have flopped, leaving the Golden Arches with few options.

But in a sea of dry mozzarella sticks and sexy Hamburglars, one promotion was an undeniable hit. All-Day Breakfast broke the morning menu free from a 10:30 a.m. cutoff, and brought the Golden Arches a much-needed PR win.

So it wasn’t long before cross pollination of the breakfast and dinner menus began, and bore fruit.

McDonald's Chicken McGriddle 2

Currently available in select markets as part of a 2 for $3 promotion, the Chicken McGriddle is hilariously basic. It’s a standard McChicken patty, slapped between the syrup-infused McGriddle buns. No condiments, no cheese, nothing but what the name promises. A sweet and savory hybrid, echoing the ‘Chicken and Waffles’ pairing that headlines so many late-night food porn binge sessions on the Food Network. But in practice this sandwich is too simple to offer anything but novelty.

The issue is that McGriddle buns aren’t quite sweet enough to harmonize with the chicken. When getting a plate of fried chicken and waffles, it’s common to see fried breasts smothered in sweet maple syrup. The Chicken McGriddle has only a few artificial pockets of maple brown sugar to offset a peppery chicken patty.

You’ll get a nice sweet hit at first, and cinnamon taste that lingers on the tongue – but the meat of the bite is all about the chicken. I found myself longing for some sort of maple spread, or even a slice of cheese. Anything to give the sweet side more of a leg to stand on.

McDonald's Chicken McGriddle 3

It’s hard to understand where the Chicken McGriddle fits into the average McDonald’s order. The taste it leaves behind is too sweet for a large soda, but far too heavily seasoned for coffee. It’s not going to fit in at breakfast, but seems too simplistic for lunch. As such, it makes sense for this to be part of a combo promotion. Paired with a Double Cheeseburger or Spicy McChicken, it works as an interesting novelty. Failed experiment or not, it’s worth it to see McDonalds trying something undeniably odd.

(Nutrition Facts – 390 calories, 130 calories from fat, 15 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1000 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: 2 for $3
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Unique offering by McDonald’s standards. Cheap enough to try on a whim. Watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives at 4 a.m. while not wearing pants.
Cons: Not sweet enough to offset the savory. Hard to pair with a beverage. Very bland.

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Chris

Chris 2 Comments

As a child, I was a product of cable TV, reruns, and the finest DSL internet access the fine folks at MSN could provide.

My parents did everything they could to avoid me turning into a total couch potato. They’d encourage me to play outside, despite our small Oregon town’s constant rain and lack of residents under the age of 50. Console video games were forbidden. But most critically of all, they limited fast food trips to once a week – Friday nights. What was at the time a sensible step to teach dietary responsibly, created something of a pavlovian link in my brain. McDonalds french fries, Taco Bell nacho cheese, and Burgerville milkshakes were more than food – they were the harbinger of weekend joy.

Considering I’m now being paid to review both junk food and video games, I guess my parents’ efforts didn’t exactly produce the intended outcome.

My fascination with junk food is always about the cutting edge, and items than transcend cliche. I’ve personally guzzled back gallons of Mountain Dew Game Fuel, without a hint of irony. Anytime I catch wind of a new Ben And Jerry’s Flavor or ludicrous Burger King sandwich, a hunger forms in my curious soul. Call it a hobby, an obsession, or just a poorly-justified eating disorder – I’m a sucker for the junk food industry’s cynical appeals. A good gimmick will never fail to grab my attention.

That force is what pulled me to The Impulsive Buy, of which I’ve been a regular reader for years. Checking out new Spotted on Shelves posts is a near-daily habit of mine, and have had a serious impact on my grocery habits. Joining the site as a reviewer is tremendously exciting. It’s a little bit like being asked to join The Avengers, if Thor was more concerned about fried chicken than defending Asgard.

As a contributor, I vow to put my taste buds on the line to get you all the #HotTakes on hot cakes, the rapid reactions on ramen, and a third pseudo-pun about reviews of fast food items.