A new federal class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York alleges that Wendy’s and McDonald’s advertising exaggerates the size of their beef patties. The claims: McDonald’s ads use undercooked patties to make them look bigger, and Wendy’s ads pile toppings on their burgers so they look 15 percent to 20 percent larger than they really are.
Is it “food styling” or falsehood? Let the court decide. Don’t expect a fast fast-food decision, though.
More:
“McDonald’s, Wendy’s accused of beefing up burgers in ads,” María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post
“This is the photographic evidence presented in a lawsuit over fast-food burger sizes,” Michelle Cheng and Amanda Shendruk, Quartz
Image (“Pharaoh Seti I Offering a Burger to the Gods”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Back in August, Ted Cruz spokesperson Emily Miller called his Democratic political opponent Beto O’Rourke “a Triple Meat Whataburger liberal who is out of touch with Texas values.” The beef (ahem) started when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram claimed the O’Rouke logo looks like a Whataburger Spicy Ketchup packet.
Unlike Emily Miller (Baltimore) and Ted Cruz (Canada!), Whataburger and Beto O’Rourke were both born in Texas. So was film director Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, Slacker), who calls out Mr. Cruz for his distinctly un-Texan affection for White Castle sliders:
California fast-food favorite, In-N-Out Burger, recently dished up something controversial on it’s secret menu: a $25,000 political contribution to the California Republican Party. That’s not all that surprising, given the religious conservatism of the family-owned business, but California Democrats found it hard to swallow, and some vowed to boycott the burger chain.
In what may be the most Texan comment in this year’s Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, Cruz spokesperson Emily Miller called Beto “a Triple Meat Whataburger liberal who is out of touch with Texas values.” The beef (ahem) started when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram claimed the O’Rouke logo looks like a Whataburger Spicy Ketchup packet.
Note: Unlike Emily Miller (Baltimore) and Ted Cruz (Canada!), Whataburger and Beto O’Rourke were both born in Texas.
More:
“What Could Ted Cruz’s Campaign Have Meant When It Called Beto O’Rourke a ‘Triple Meat Whataburger Liberal’?” Dan Solomon, Texas Monthly
Updates:
“Beto O’Rourke Could Be The Democrat Texas Has Been Waiting For,” Anne Helen Petersen, BuzzFeed News
“Beto O’Rourke: can the upstart Texas Democrat eject Ted Cruz?” Tom Dart, The Guardian
“Beto O’Rourke vs. Ted Cruz and the Fight for America,” Christopher Hooks, GQ
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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un reportedly wants a McDonald’s in Pyongyang. Guess he’s preparing for a Korean visit from U.S. Supreme Leader Donald Trump. In the meantime, you can get a burger at Pyongyang’s Munsu Water Park, but it will cost you $76. You want fries with that?
Burgers! That’s America’s food. But wait, the hamburger is named after some German city … what gives? Food historian George Motz and animator Jorge Corona explain:
McDonald’s plans to open 1,250 new restaurants in China over the next five years. The burger monger already has 2,200 outlets in the People’s Republic. China will be the fast food chain’s second-largest market after the USA. And Americans can’t get McD’s Corn Cup or Taro Pie.
More:
“McDonald’s to open 1,250 new China outlets,” BBC News
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Image (“Glorious Joint Venture Feeds the Masses”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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The Russian economy is in a nosedive thanks to falling oil prices, Western sanctions, and general lack of faith in the Ruble. But the county’s McDonalds’ burger biz is booming, and the fast-food chain is adding 60 new Russian eateries this year, and now has over 500 outlets from St. Petersburg to Siberia. What gives? Use of locally-sourced products keeps prices down, and avoids the retaliatory foreign food bans imposed after the Ukraine crisis triggered Western economic sanctions. McD’s also added a line of lower-priced pork burgers to fit the slimmer wallets of today’s Russian consumers. Are those fried brie nuggets still on the menu?
More:
“Russia’s economy is tanking. But McDonald’s is still lovin’ it,” Dan Peleschuk, Global Post
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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Everyone likes burgers. Everyone likes fresh coffee. But not everyone likes the impending merger of the USA’s Burger King and Canada’s Tim Hortons.
Canadians are demanding that the new corporation’s HQ locate in Oakville, Ontario, job security for all Tim Hortons franchise employees in the Great White North, that Tim Hortons remain a distinct brand, with a board that’s at least 50% Canadian, and more. Politely demanding, of course.
So does Burger King’s acquisition of Tim Hortons mean that the US triumphed over Canada? Nope. Burger King is owned by a Brazilian private equity firm.
More:
“We finally have an idea of how much money Burger King will save by moving to Canada,” Roberto A. Ferdman, Washington Post
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In Pyongyang, Kim Jong-eun did a stately pleasure dome decree … and built a goofy water park. A hamburger at Munsu Water Park will cost you $76.00. You want fries with that?
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