fast food

Wealthy Spending More On ...Fast Food?

Filed under: Dining, Wealth, Luxury Shopping

The recession might be on its way out but it seems many of the most affluent Americans have developed a habit that doesn't want to go with it: spending a lot of money on fast food. A recent study by American Express found that the rich spent 24% more on fast food during the second quarter of this year than they did during the same time last year. Spending also increased on fine dining, but only by about half as much.

The explanation for this unexpected spending trend could be attributed to fast food's addictive qualities or simply to choosiness on the part of wealthy Americans in regards to where and what they want to spend on. "We're seeing a bifurcated behavior pattern, with a lot of affluent consumers still trying to be frugal where they can by spending at quick-service restaurants and discount retailers, but we're also seeing a return to higher-end spending on air travel and luxury items," said Ed Jay, senior vice president of American Express Business Insights.

Or maybe they've just rediscovered the greasy awesomeness of a drive-thru cheeseburger and fries.

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Tags: economy, fast food, recession, spending

Fine Dining Chef Promotes Wendy's Salads

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

A well-respected Chicago chef has taken an unusual career turn, working as a brand ambassador for a fast food chain. Nation's Restaurant News says that Rick Tramonto, a fine-dining chef who founded the successful Tru restaurant with pastry chef Gale Gand, is now helping Wendy's to promote its new line of salads. Tramonto presented the salads to media at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, assembling Wendy's new Apple Pecan Chicken, Baja, BLT Cobb and Spicy Chicken Caesar salads.

Turns out Tramonto has a Wendy's past, his first cooking job was working with Dave Thomas at Wendy's. Tramonto will also be doing two online product briefings for bloggers next week. Tramonto recently left Tru but still has another restaurant Tramonto's Steak & Seafood as well as other projects including a cookbook. The NRN article points out that Tramonto isn't the first Chicago culinary king to take a fast food turn, Rick Bayless, chef-owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco, worked with Burger King in 2003 to promote low-fat chicken baguette sandwiches.

Tags: fast food, Rick Tramonto, Wendys

Otarian Carbon-Friendly Vegetarian Dining

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Green

Otarian Vegetarian Eco-Friendly Fast Food

The words vegetarian, eco-friendly, and fast food have not gone together until now, under the name Otarian. Founded by Radhika Oswal, a woman who described herself as a "hungry vegetarian" and pitched the idea to her husband 3 years ago after being frustrated at not being able to find anything but "pizza and french fries" while traveling.

And so Otarian was born, a fast food chain that not only serves "global vegetarian cuisine" but does so in an eco-conscious and sustainable way. "This isn't a chain of vegetarian restaurants, but a chain of sustainable restaurants," Oswal says. Everything from the as-local-as-possible food to the way the buildings are constructed to the packaging and production practices of the stores is geared towards being ecologically responsible. They even label each sandwich and combo meal with its carbon number and the carbon number of a similar meat dish, so you can see how much you've offset by choosing vegetarian.

Currently there's an Otarian located on Bleeker Street in NYC, with another planned to open in the city this Friday (the 23rd) near Columbus Circle at 8th Ave and 56th St and two more planned to launch soon in London. Stop by and grab a Portobello Mushroom Burger (shown here) for lunch and do your part for the planet.

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Tags: burger, dining, Earth Day, earth day 2010, earth day april 22, fast food, green, vegetarian

Wear Your Food, Don't Eat It

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping

Staying slim in Hollywood is as popular as ever and healthy eating is slowly becoming the mantra of many Americans, both of which explain why, instead of stopping into McDonald's for a snack, shoppers in LA are stopping by Intuition. The boutique has offerings like the McDonald's cookie tee packed inside a happy meal box, so at least the A-list can rest easy knowing that these shirts are diet-friendly. The faux-vintage tees bear logos from old advertising campaigns and now defunct promotional characters, such as Mayor McCheese. Anyone interested can pick one up for $56.