America’s Pathetic Kit Kat Scene Gets a Kick in the Pants With Mint Chocolate ‘Duos’

A new Kit Kat flavor waits in the wings

Although snack fans can find all sorts of Kit Kats in Japan, the options are much more limited in America, where the bars only come in chocolate, white chocolate, strawberry, and dark chocolate varieties. Nestle makes all the fun the Kit Kats overseas, while Hershey’s manufactures the normcore bars in the United States. Later this year, however, Hershey’s is going to introduce a new type of Kit Kat that could rock the American snack scene to its very core: Kit Kat Duos Mint + Dark Chocolate. These little candy bricks will feature a layer of mint cream on top and dark chocolate on the bottom, plus the standard Kit Kat wafers on the inside. Per Food Beast, these will be the first new American Kit Kats in over a decade. These bars basically sounds like giant Andes Mints with a bit more crunch. The Kit Kat Duos won’t hit store shelves until December 2019. In a press release, brand manager Christopher Kinnard promises that the company is “just getting started” with the new Kit Kat flavors.

And in other news...

• Rest in peace Milwaukee restaurateur Joe Bartolotta. The co-owner of the Bartolotta Restaurants group died on Monday at age 60. Working with his brother, chef Paul Bartolotta, Joe operated 10 restaurants around the Milwaukee area, many of which serve traditional Italian cuisine. According to his restaurant group, Joe “passed away peacefully in his sleep with a smile on his face.” Bartolotta was listed as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Awards earlier this year in the category of “Outstanding Restaurateur.” [Restaurant Hospitality]
• In a move similar to Costco branching out into the chicken business, Walmart is establishing its own network of cattle ranchers and meatpacking facilities that will supply beef for its stores nationwide. [WSJ]
• Blue Apron found Matthew Wadiak has a new business selling “pasture-raised, slow-growth, heirloom chickens” via Fresh Direct. [Washington Post]
• Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison says he has no interest in working with third parties to deliver his company’s pizzas. [CNBC]
• Over the last year, Chipotle has doubled its digital sales, while also increasing overall revenue by nearly 14 percent. [Skift Table]
• McDonald’s is working with AARP to hire more employees over the age of 50. [NRN]
• The LA Times learns that Hollywood’s real-life cops like to get food from local taco trucks and eat them on the hoods of their patrol cars so they can keep an eye on the neighborhood. [LA Times]
• And finally, although they share a magazine publisher and are major players in the world of lifestyle TV, Martha Stewart had never heard of Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines until meeting them at a party in New York this week. [Page Six]