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- April 1 falls on a Sunday this year — Easter Sunday and in the middle of Passover, no less — so the #brands are getting their April Fools’ Day jokes in a little early. Arby’s and Warby Parker are cooking up a supposed partnership called WArby’s. “We may not have a whole lot in common, but that thin slice in the middle there — we’ll call it the ‘arby’ — was just enough to convince us to fully commit to a partnership with Arby’s,” Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal says in a faux announcement. “You can’t pass up a medium-rare opportunity like this, I guess.”
- Instead of intellectual types, White Castle may be angling for the meatheads with its April Fools’ prank. The chain is marketing a slider-flavored protein powder.
- In more serious news for Arby’s, some people are asking the roast beef chain to stop advertising on right-winger Laura Ingraham’s show. This comes after Ingraham launched an attack on student survivors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Hey@Arby’s i love what you do but you need to stop ads on Laura Ingraham’s show. @IngrahamAngle is now attacking kids for no reason other that them speaking their minds.
— hugh acheson (@HughAcheson) March 29, 2018
- Peep the menu for do-gooding chef José Andrés’s brand-new Esports Arena in Las Vegas. The wide ranging “gamer-inspired” selections include maki, rice bowls, flatbreads, soups, and sandwiches.
- Rick and Morty fans in the United States have been going nuts over the return of McDonald’s Szechuan sauce, but in China, the reception has been a bit more tepid. “Is this really the chili sauce that the Americans go nuts about?” asks one tough critic. “It’s not spicy at all.” Eater’s Robert Sietsema agrees.
- That wagyu burger that McDonald’s recently launched in Australia isn’t doing so well, either.
- Keith Villa, the guy who created Blue Moon, is launching booze-free weed beers in Colorado.
- The Massachusetts Restaurant Association is against a forthcoming rally, planned for Boston, that will attempt to raise awareness for the #MeToo movement.
- A new study brings the dour news that dining out “risks elevated levels of potentially harmful chemicals linked to diseases including cancer in the body.” Research found that levels of these chemicals were 35 percent higher in people who regularly took meals at sit-down restaurants, cafeterias, and fast-food joints.
- Health-ade Kombucha, which markets itself as a wellness brand, is being sued over misleading levels of sugar.
- The idea of transforming chicken and waffles into a sandwich isn’t too wild: Use the waffles as buns and throw a fried cutlet in the middle. KFC Canada somehow got the formula backwards.
Double Down? Chicken and Waffles? It’s about time. Meet the new #WaffleDoubleDown. pic.twitter.com/UMZ38HY3s5
— KFC Canada (@kfc_canada) March 26, 2018
- Old episodes of The Great British Bake Off are headed to Netflix in the United Kingdom. The streaming platform has acquired the first seven seasons of the series, it’s entire run on the BBC. As for new eps, Amazon has secured a sponsorship deal for the next season, GBBO’s second on Channel 4. catalog (for UK viewers) and Amazon is sponsoring the next season of the show.
- For a product with such a downer of a name as “funeral potatoes,” this packaging is pretty cheery.
- Christening a boat before its maiden voyage with a bottle of Champagne seems like a waste of good bubbly, but, as it turns out, fake bottles of sparkling wine are available for the job. They break easily because the bottles are scored, and the foamy explosion when glass meets ship comes from soapy water.
- Despite its throwback business model that showcases drive-ins and servers on roller skates, Sonic is contemplating a modern move. The chain is testing a mobile ordering platform that allows diners to choose their meals in advance and receive their food faster upon arrival. The system is getting a trial run in a few markets, and if all goes well, a national roll-out could come this summer.
- Martha Stewart has always been fabulous.
- Finally, Canadian rapper Drake apparently doesn’t eat meat anymore, so he has been bestowed the honorary title of Kale God. Bow your heads and pray to a vegetarian Drizzy.
