White Castle Rolls Out Veggie Sliders—And Other Things We Never Asked For
Presumably ready to prep for the rush of resolution-crazed dieters, White Castle introduced a veggie version of its sliders. The patties aren’t housemade (they’re of the Dr. Praeger’s variety) and they may be of the bland persuasion (honey mustard, ranch, and sweet Thai sauces are offered in a possible attempt to add some spice/flavor).
The new burgers rolled out this week at 400-ish locations—none of which are in the Boston area, might I add—and, to quote White Castle VP Jamie Richardson, will provide “an incredible new taste experience that’s different from any other sandwich on our menu.’’ They also cost less than $1 — information the White Castle press release (wisely) chose to lead with.
And they’re terrible for you. Information that was (wisely) left out.
Experimental mass-produced food skeptic I am not—our newsroom consumed 7-Eleven’s Dorito’s Fully Loadedand all four contenders in Lay’s “Do Us A Flavor’’ contest—but there has been an extensive push for uncharacteristic options from chains over the past 12 months that cannot be ignored.
So here are 10 recent fast food ideas that fundamentally defy their brands’ DNA and should have never come into fruition, from the best of the worst to the very worst:
Full disclosure—I haven’t tried any of these, so my extreme criticism is purely based on their existence.
10. Booze at Starbucks—Wait—No! This was a great idea! Except it wasn’t here—which makes it terrible.
9. Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco—Those Cinnabon delights though….
Oh, fine.
8. Dunkin’ Donuts Croissant Donut—“Don’t call it a cronut! Don’t! Really! We’ll get sued! This is a croissant donut… like, a cros-nut. But really. Not a cronut. But like a cronut. But definitely not a cronut.’’
7. McDonald’s World Cup Burgers—The buns looked like soccer balls, toppings were supposedly thematic by country, and they were happily welcomed in other places, but not America. Much like real soccer.
6. Domino’s Specialty Chicken—This was essentially pizza made using chicken nuggets rather than dough, which is confusing and, in theory, bad.
5. Burger King’s Yumbo ham and cheese sandwich—What is this? Subway??
4. KFC’s Double Down Burger—What is this? Burger King??
3. Chick-fil-A’s “Reinvented’’ Grilled Chicken Nuggets—Nope.
2. Pizza Hut’s Skinny Slice Pizza—“What’s the key to ‘lighter’ pizza?’’ “(Hushed) Cut the pizza in smaller slices.’’
1. White Castle Veggie Sliders—Dead to me.
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