April, 2010

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14
Apr 10

KFC Double Down, Fast Food’s Version of the iPad?

http://eater.com/uploads/double-down-real.jpg

Yum?

One of the most buzz worthy topics in the blogosphere these past few days has been KFC’s new Double Down sandwich.  The buzz has been growing louder, it seems, by the hour.  Nearly 25% of the posts I had in Google Reader this morning were Double Down related.  They ranged from ardent anti and pro positions to posts of the “would you eat this” variety.

KFC has to be (excuse me here), licking their fingers over the positive, negative, and even silly excitement this has generated.  It’s a marketing and publicity boon.  I’ve barely seen any commercials for it, yet it’s been constantly mentioned over the airwaves, showing up in late night jokes and on 24hr cable news.  Check Twitter Search and see how often this is getting Tweeted (it’s A LOT!).

The product development geniuses at KFC have hit a home run.  They’ve come up with the most audacious and revolutionary fast food product in years.  So I’ll say it right now, THE KFC DOUBLE DOWN IS THE iPAD OF FAST FOOD.

Think that’s stretching it?  Much like the iPad, there are:

Vigorous online debates about whether or not to buy it

A bevy of uploaded videos of people trying/reviewing it for the first time:

Editorial columns and their educated opinions (a NYT review makes this legit, right?), and review of the reviewer too.

Technically, the iPad is far superior to the KFC Double Down.  But just imagine if you could browse the web with it!  I will be waiting breathlessly for the next revolutionary product announcement KFC’s CEO makes, a la Steve Jobs, in front of an audience of adoring KFC geeks…

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8
Apr 10

Say Cheese! Phood Photos Gain Online.

All Maine Ingredients

A delicious smoked salmon sandwich

Yesterday, the New York Times had an article about people who obsessively photograph every (or nearly every) meal they have.  A couple of years ago, I tried taking photos of my meals while living in Spain.  I was posting them to another blog I had at the time, but found the chore of taking out the camera and disrupting the meal as too intrusive.  The people featured in this article don’t have those same concerns, although, they sometimes grapple with other people’s qualms about it.  But aside from how you feel about “phood photos” (that should be the term, right?), what is undeniable is their dramatic growth online and sharing on social networks. Continue reading →

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5
Apr 10

The Burger Brackets!

As the Final Four plays out on TV, a tourney with more delicious implications is reaching it’s dramatic conclusion online…

BurgerBusiness.com, a website dedicated to the hamburger industry, has put out their version of the NCAA Tournament Brackets, matching up 64 of the top burger joints around the country.  I can’t say that I agree very much with the burgers that made it to the tournament – where’s the Burger Joint, Corner Bistro, Hamburg Inn, Le Tub?  Nor can I say that I agree with some of the winners either (McDonald’s beats BLT Burger, WTF?).  But like the real NCAA’s, what makes this tourney so exciting, is that you never know who will win.

The battling burgers have battled it out to the Final 4: In-N-Out (no argument here), Rare Bar & Grill (NYC’s own), Cheeseburger Bobby’s (never had the pleasure), and Blanc Burgers + Bottle (where the heck is Leawood, KS?).  Much like tonight’s classic David versus Goliath match up between Butler and Duke, the Finals pit Blanc Burgers + Bottle v. In-N-Out.  Me personally, I almost always root for David.  I’ve never given the Bottle Burger a try, but if I find myself in the Kansas City, MO area, I just might have to make a little side trip to Leawood.

The winning burger depends on comments made by Burger Business’ readers, of which they’ve gotten over 1,000 of so far.  I would love to hear what your favorite burger is and why.  I’m thinking that there just might be a Burger World Cup 2010 tournament in June, hmmm…