What’s the worst part of eating at a fast food restaurant?
No, it’s not how you feel afterwards. It’s wrestling with those dang ketchup packets that are hard to open, hold far too little, and usually end up all over your lap.
Well, that about to change thanks to the new “Dip & Squeeze” package from Heinz – the first redesign since the classic ketchup packet was created in 1968.
As the name suggests, you can either squeeze the ketchup out the traditional way, or you can peel back the top and dip your fries directly into the new bottle-shaped packet, which is said to hold three times the ketchup as the old packets.
Chains such as Chick-fil-A and Dairy Queen started using the packets earlier this year, and more restaurants, including Wendy’s, are about to come on board. McDonald’s and Burger King are currently testing the packets but haven’t committed one way or the other.
How did Heinz come up with the idea for the new Dip and Squeeze packet? “Heinz staffers sat behind one-way, mirrored glass, watching consumers in 20 fake minivan interiors putting ketchup on fries, burgers, and chicken nuggets,” reported The Wall Street Journal.
But why the redesign and why now? Simple economics. The new packets cost a pretty penny to design, but Heinz believed that people were having so much trouble with the classic ketchup packets they weren’t ordering fries at drive-thrus.
Now there’s no excuse to skip eating your veggies.
A better cup of coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts sells more than a billion cups of coffee each year. And most of them end up in landfills -- or worse, on your front lawn. At any rate, those non-biodegradable foam cups are a major pollutant, not to mention a serious blight on the urban landscape.
To Double D’s credit, it knows that and wants to do something about it. In its new sustainability report, Dunkin’ says its top priority is finding an eco-friendly coffee cup.
How hard can that be? Just start making coffee cups from recycled paper, right? Wrong. The company says it has searched far and wide, but still hasn’t found a recyclable or compostable cup that will keep customers’ hands cool and coffee hot.
Meanwhile, arch-rival Starbucks remains several steps ahead. For the past five years, it has had a paper cup made with 10 percent recycled fiber, along with a recycled cup sleeve to ensure that fingers stay burn-free. Tongues, however, are another story.
Godly creation. We love Carl’s Jr. No, not the mediocre food. The awesome commercials! Carl’s latest ad campaign features a character called Hamblor, the “god of hamburgers.” The 30-second TV spot tells the epic tale of how Hamblor, accompanied by his adoring, scantily-glad goddesses, fashioned his new burger by firing onion strings from his hands, among other cool things. You can check out the spot here.
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