It's Been A Confusing Week In Cheeseburger News
Who would have thought the humble cheeseburger would be the breakout food celebrity of the week? Not us. We thought it would be kimchi or something more carb-tastic, in honor of the PyeongChang Olympics. Nevertheless, cheeseburger news has been popping up reliably since Monday. Some news is in favor of cheeseburgers; other news is decidedly against.
McDonald's Prepares To Ditch Happy Meal Burgers
If the happiness in your kid's Happy Meal is contingent on a cheeseburger, prepare for a tantrum of tsunami proportions. Reuters reports that McDonald's is planning to phase out the cheeseburger Happy Meal option by June 2018. While it will still remain available "upon request," it won't be featured on the menu. The fast food giant will also eliminate Happy Meal toys in 100 markets by 2019, replacing them with books.
Friendly's Can't Give Away Cheeseburgers Fast Enough
On the flip side, Friendly's is offering free quarter-pound cheeseburgers with the purchase of a fountain beverage. The promotion runs the first week of March and is limited to 20 locations across Long Island. This means that if you choose to stop at Friendly's for nothing more than a Diet Coke (something none of us can remotely fathom), you leave with a cheeseburger. Perhaps you can donate it to an unhappy Happy Meal recipient.
Athletes Interact With Cheeseburgers, For Better Or Worse
Two athletes had cheeseburger news this week, an Olympian and an NBA player. The New York Times reports that although the LA Clippers' Milos Teodosic was said to be eating cheeseburgers daily for breakfast (by teammate Sam Dekker), he in fact eats breakfast sandwiches.
In Olympic news, PyeongChang chef Cha Gwen Sol featured a joke item on his menu for the crowds of spectators attending the event. It wasn't just any cheeseburger on offer, but a ₩1,000,000 ($920) cheeseburger Cha named the "Flying Tomato," after for champion snowboarder Shaun White. A snowboarding instructor himself, Cha's burger consists of two patties, two types of cheese and two chicken wings. He told Reuters he couldn't believe his eyes when the Olympian walked into his restaurant, Santa Burger, and ordered the special. "Is it real? This is Shaun White? It is not a dream? Shaun White tells me it is real. Oh my God, unbelievable."
XL Cheeseburgers Proliferate
It just wouldn't be a cheeseburger news roundup without bringing you the latest and greatest from the wide world of excess. The Horny Ram in Manhattan serves up a pancake bacon cheeseburger that throws the notion of buns to the wayside in favor of a more breakfast-friendly way to get your patty on. And in old London town exists a five-patty burger injected with five different cheeses: Jalapeño, Stilton, Montgomery, Cheddar and American. Had enough? Onwards we go! The burger also boasts five different meats between the patties. Surely you've had your fill. No? Good, because the thing comes with a pint of cheese sauce meant to be poured over the top like you mean it. The burger was created in honor of Man vs. Food's new host, Casey Webb, and costs £30 (about $42) or, as is tradition, free if you finish it within 15 minutes.