The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Sauced & Loaded Waffle Fries

Marvo / February 20, 2025 / Reviews

Oh, no!

Does the introduction of Jack in the Box’s new Loaded Waffle Fries mean my beloved potato wedges will soon be gone?

If so, how can I appease the Big Ball-Headed Fast Food God? Must I give it my firstborn? Do I have to sacrifice a fresh Big Mac and/or Whopper by throwing it into a volcano? Please keep potato wedges on the menu, oh, mighty and strong (and handsome) Jack!

For those who aren’t keeping count, Jack in the Box, at the moment, offers FOUR types of fried potato sides — waffle fries, regular fries, curly fries, and the fabulous potato wedges. (Also, tater tots were once on the menu for a limited time.) However, waffle fries are only available sauced and loaded, while all the others can be ordered unsauced and unloaded.

This might just be Jack testing to see if there’s possible interest in making waffle fries a permanent item. Or it might be a plot to get rid of potato wedges for good? (Don’t do it, Mr. Box!)

Jack in the Box’s Sauced & Loaded Waffle Fries feature waffle fries topped with cheddar cheese, nacho cheese sauce, crumbled bacon, and buttermilk ranch. If you’ve had previous Sauced & Loaded products, this waffle fries version will taste very familiar since it has pretty much the same toppings as the loaded tater tots and potato wedges Jack has offered.

Despite being doused and plopped with toppings and enduring a four-minute drive, the waffle fries, surprisingly, still had a crispy exterior when I bit into the sauciest and load-est(?) fry. However, that fry was also quite salty because of all the toppings. So, I spread out the heap of meat, cheese, and sauces so things wouldn’t be so condensed. When I did that, there was a balance between the bacon, cheeses, and ranch, with the potato flavor still noticeable. The waffle fries almost taste like the potato wedges, but the spudsiness is milder.

If I had to rank Jack in the Box’s newest potato product, but naked, I’d put it ahead of regular fries because they taste a little better and are crispier, but behind curly fries and potato wedges. As for these Sauced & Loaded Waffle Fries, while everything tastes familiar, they’re still satisfying.

But it’s not as satisfying as potato wedges. Please don’t take them away from me again, Jack!

Purchased Price: $4.79*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories. No other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

SPOTTED: 2/20/2025

Marvo / February 20, 2025 / Spotted on Shelves / 1 Comment

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Quest Chocolate Explosion Overload Protein Bar

Quest Cookie Commotion Overload Protein Bar

Quest Sundae Funday Overload Protein Bar

(Spotted by Erin K at Hy-Vee.)

Premier Protein Limited Edition Lemon Bar Shake

(Spotted by Tommy at Sam’s Club.)

Premier Protein Limited Edition Lemon Bar Shake Bottle

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Market Street.)

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

365 Whole Foods Market Whole Grain Iced Oatmeal Snack Bars

365 Whole Foods Market Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Snack Bars

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

(Spotted by Robbie at Circle K.)

Fr’izzle Krackles Peach Freeze Dried Candy

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

(Spotted by Amanda Y at H-E-B.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew

Heather / February 20, 2025 / Reviews / 3 Comments

How many combinations of cold brew and cold foam do we think Starbucks has up its sleeve? The newest to the lineup is the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew. This one has the Starbucks signature Cold Brew with vanilla syrup, plus a hazelnut cold foam and a chocolate cookie topping.

Dear reader, I’m not going to chocolate/hazelnut-coat it for you. This one just didn’t hit the mark in my book. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I find it easiest to break this review into a set of bullet points with my thoughts. Here goes:

The biggest thing missing from this drink was the hazelnut. I didn’t get a hint of it at all. I honestly thought the cold foam was chocolate versus hazelnut because the chocolate flavor was MUCH more prominent. That said, I did like the chocolate crumble topping. It got a little melty with the cold foam and was a nice treat to finish off at the end when it got to the bottom of the cup.
Despite the cold foam not having the flavor it should, it was its usual, nice foaminess with good volume on the top of the drink. It settled in nicely with the Starbucks Cold Brew, making the beverage smooth and easy to drink.
I will say the flavor got better as I went along. It took me about an hour or so to finish it, and I liked it a little more at the end. It could be attributed to that cold foam hitting the bottom of the cup, or it could be that I was warming up to it.

A final random musing: I do not know if this is part of the Starbucks revamp we’ve been hearing about in terms of its products and customer service, but I could NOT get the lid off this cup. Did the cups change? Someone, please let me know in the comments to make me feel better about my apparent hand weakness. This lid was absolutely locked. It made me feel better about driving with it and carrying it up three flights of stairs to my office, but apologies for not getting a photo with the lid off, internet friends.

This drink was okay but definitely not knock-your-socks-off good. We’ll see how long this one sticks around!

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 180 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of protein and 145 milligrams of caffeine.