If you want free tacos and ice cream, this week's news is for you [WEEKLY ROUND UP 4-30-21]

 

Breaking news for ice cream lovers…

This week’s ice cream headlines have stirred up mixed of emotions. Mainly, happy ones, but one fast-food restaurant fan favorite is dealing with poor reception to its ice cream milkshake news.

That’s right. It appears that Chick-Fil-A is making some changes to its menu and fans aren’t exactly thrilled about it. The word is that the popular fast-food brand is doing away with its large size options when it comes to some of their beverages, ice creams, and shakes; now customers will only be able to order one size. Namely, news about not being able to order large milkshakes has customers pretty upset.

The company is also consolidating portion sizes for the Chick-fil-A’s Kid’s chicken nugget meal. According to a company rep, one of the reasons the fast-food joint is tweaking its menu options is so that it can make room for new items. This means that customers may soon be wowed with new food and beverage options.

In fact, this week Chick-Fil-A also announced that they are making a popular secret menu item a menu regular. Over the years, customers have custom ordered a lemonade and sweetened ice tea mix, and now they’ll be able to find it on the menu under its new name Sun Joy.

The good news is that for those that need a big ice cream fix, maybe even a pint-sized one, Ben and Jerry’s is making a lot of cookie dough-lovers dreams come true with their limited- time only Totally Unbaked ice cream edition. Ben & Jerry’s Totally Unbaked ice cream will feature a mix of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter swirls. The flavor is now available nationwide.

And, if that isn’t enough for ice cream fans this week, then luckily there is another welcoming announcement. Ice cream lovers will be elated to hear that Mcdonald's is giving away a free McFlurry. This delightfully free offer is based on a years-long perplexing plastic spoon-straw enigma.

Many customers have wondered why the straw in the McFlurry is so hard to use, only to later realize that it is not a straw but it is simply a spoon. As a result, the burger chain has announced that it will give a free McFlurry to anyone who thought the spoon was a straw, which according to their press release is believed to be basically everyone.

The chain doesn’t seem to require an official declaration of your misunderstanding of its spoon, so as long as you download the McDonald’s app and scan the offer code within, you can pick up a free regular size Caramel Brownie McFlurry on May 4th at any participating McDonald’s location. Also, if you’d rather not leave home, you can also order your free McFlurry from May 3rd-9th via Uber Eats (a minimum $15 purchase is necessary though).

By the way, if you are wondering what the deal is with the McFlurry spoon (that is not a straw), well according to McDonald’s the hollow-neck of the spoon hooks on to a mechanism that mixes the ice creams and toppings together.

 

These oldie snacks will give you all the nostalgic feels this summer.

The ’90s were a time of mixtapes, Nintendo and bulky TVs, waiting for the landline to ring, “cool” bucket hats, hallway vending machine breaks, and those amazing after-school snacks. Ah, yes those snacks, and this brings us to a piece of welcome news.

Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Dunkaroos, a popular 90’s treat, are making a comeback this summer. April 27th, Dunkaroos announced on its Instagram that the Chocolate Dunkaroos will be available at 7-Eleven, Circle K, and other major grocery stores. For those not familiar with Dunkaroos, they are essentially a deconstructed frosted cookie packets - you dunk your vanilla cookie in a packet of frosting with sprinkles.

According to Wikipedia, Dunkaroos were first launched in 1990. Then in 2012, they were discontinued in the US but still sold in Canada. In 2019, Nestle unofficially brought the Dunkaroos back in a chocolate hazelnut flavor, but it was only available in Australia. Fast forward some, and in May 2020 Dunkaroos were again available in the United States at 7-Eleven stores and later in other majors chains stores. Almost a year later, in April 2021 Dunkaroos are surprising us again with the comeback of the Chocolate Dunkaroos.

With chocolate Dunkaroos back of the shelf you’d think all your childhood snack dreams have come true, but there’s more!

If you are a sit-by-the-bonfire-and-make-smores kinda human this Hershey’s S'mores Variety kit may be just what you need; the kit is imported from Canada and available on Amazon. Also, everyone’s favorite childhood treat, Goldfish is partnering with Franks RedHot to create a spicy version of the famous fish-shaped crackers. The collab will yield a Goldfish with a little bit of heat from ingredients like cayenne peppers. However, if you have a hankering for these spicy cheddar cheese crackers, then you’ll have to wait for a “hot” minute. The Goldfish Franks RedHot crackers will be available at nationwide retailers starting May 2021.

This talk of spicy cracker may have you needing something to cool your palette, and coincidentally this week brings us one more oldie-inspired treat but in liquid form. Crooked Hammock Brewery in Delaware and South Carolina has created a Fruity Pebbles infused brew called Yabba Dabba Brew. The best news about this brew is that it has real fruity pebbles in it, and the bad news is that the brew is only available at the brewery locations and not online or in stores. If you don’t live nearby you may just need to just settle for a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

May showers bring spring flowers and more plant-based food options too.

Nothing screams late spring and summer more than iced drinks, pool days, and grilling, and hopefully, this summer there will be more of this to enjoy. However, at the very least we’ll have some new summer treats.

Dunkin Donuts is sprucing up its iced beverage offering by introducing coconut milk to its plant-based line-up. Coconut milk will be joining other plant-based milk options at Dunkin Donuts, making it even more fun to customize beverages.

Over the years household purchase of plant-based milk has been increasing while the purchase of cow's milk has decreased a little according to a USDA report. There isn’t a significant decrease in household milk purchase over time but the decrease is happening while plant-based milk consumption continues to creep up. In fact, according to data shared by the USDA, between 2013-2017 plant-based milk purchases have increased by 36%.
It appears this affinity towards plant-based milk options reaches far and wide, and nationwide coffee houses have been working hard to accommodate preferences with a variety of options ranging from soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, and coconut milk.

Dunkin Donuts’s addition of coconut milk also brings with it 4 new beverages. Customers will be able to purchase Dunkin’ Coconut Refreshers which are energy-boosting beverages with vitamin B and a combo of coconut milk and flavored fruit concentrate. They come in 3 flavors, and for coffee lovers, Dunkin’ Donuts has also added a Coconutmilk Iced Latte with coconut and espresso flavors. These beverages are now available, and you can get them at a special price of $3 from April 28th to May 25th.

Finally, a true summer’s day isn’t complete without a burger on the grill, and Beyond Meat is making it even easier for everyone to enjoy. The brand is releasing a brand new version of its plant-based Beyond Burger. This new burger patty will again feature 35 % less fat and it will pack nutrients like B vitamins and minerals. The patty will be available in 3 pack-size options and will hit shelves on May 3rd.

The moon will guide you to a FREE taco. Here’s how.

If you are a Taco Bell fan or really just a taco fan, then it appears that all the stars in the universe are lining up for you on May 4th. According to Taco Bell’s press release, May 4th marks the start of a new lunar phase, and the moon’s shape (half-moon) that night will be in the shape of a taco. The fast-food joint is coining it the Taco Moon, and it is on this day between 8-11:59 pm that fans will have the opportunity to score a free Crunchy Taco in person or all day via the company’s app or website. This Taco Moon campaign is special in that it engages 20 other international markets and fans as the fast-food company continues to open up more restaurants around the world.