KFC Pizza And Denny's Downfall: The Week's Top Food News

This week we learned a lot, including where to find the best Mexican food in the United States, how much to pay for novelty popcorn buckets at the movie theater concession stand, and just how fast Krispy Kreme can churn out a free doughnut promotion. Read on for the top food news of the week, from February 19-23.

The city of Tucson, Arizona just came in real hot, claiming the title of America's Best Mexican Food. Here are a dozen of our personally vetted, tried-and-true, historic, and most locavore-minded picks for the best Mexican food in Tucson, and why each one needs to be on your bucket list. - Su-Jit Lin Read More

The hoagie haven of the East Coast has big plans to expand. Wawa, a Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain with a loyal customer base, currently has around 1,000 store locations, most of which are concentrated in Eastern and Southern states—but Bloomberg reports that Wawa's owners are ready to bring the chain to new markets over the next 10 years. - Angela L. Pagán Read More

It's no secret that movie theater owners are struggling for business right now. One source of revenue is through popcorn sales, which is why some independent owners want to add intermissions for more snack breaks, and other theaters now deliver concession snacks directly to your home. Some are even branching out into bespoke candy and (possibly) booze. But there's another source of revenue that more cinemas are starting to take advantage of: the collectible popcorn bucket. - Dennis Lee Read More

We love shouting out a good marketing stunt when we see one, and this week, Krispy Kreme has impressed us with its rapid response to the massive cell phone outage across the U.S. The chain announced via Instagram that anyone in need of a pick-me-up could head to their nearest Krispy Kreme shop from 5-7 p.m. for a free Original Glazed Doughnut. – Marnie Shure Read More

Put up your dukes, Domino's, because there's a new competitor in the ring. No, it's not Pizza Hut. Fried chicken giant KFC has announced that it will soon be adding its own type of pizza to the otherwise poultry-focused menu: Starting February 26, it's unleashing what's known as a Chizza to the U.S. masses—and to some KFC fans, that name might sound awfully familiar. - Dennis Lee Read More

Coca-Cola has hit the ground running with new flavors in 2024. Immediately following the release of its newest permanent flavor, Coca-Cola Spiced (a spiced raspberry cola), Coke has announced a new one: K-Wave Zero Sugar. This sugar-free flavor is a limited-time drop as part of the brand's ongoing Coca-Cola Creations program, which releases amorphous, conceptual flavors with names such as Starlight, Move, and Dreamworld. It's a soda that, according to Coke, "combines that classic Coca‑Cola taste with an additional burst of fruit flavor and K-Pop magic." - Dennis Lee Read More

You never know what you're going to get at Universal Studios, and that's especially true when it comes time to eat. Sometimes you're getting a meal prepared by Chef Toad himself in Super Nintendo World, and sometimes it's a Minions-themed lunch where every element is impressively shaped like Minions. The park excels at creating food that might actually scare you to death or infect you with a deadly cordyceps plague. And right now at Universal Studios Hollywood, there's a secret menu full of exclusive delights. It requires a code to access, but that code is simple: Just say "annual passholder." - Julie Tremaine Read More

Whether it's making special requests at restaurants or paying extremely close attention to the ingredients lists while grocery shopping, living with multiple food allergies can be a challenge. However, NPR reports that a new drug recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration may protect against the worst reactions to those allergens. - Angela L. Pagán Read More

It might only be February, but there's nothing wrong with fantasizing about a summer filled with a backyard full of juicy tomatoes. I can see some of you plotting out your gardens already. You can already grow red ones, green ones, yellow ones, orange ones—but this growing season, home gardeners will be able to add a new color to the list: deep purple. - Dennis Lee Read More

Blue cheese is named for the color of the veins of mold that run through it—but we might have to start thinking of some different ways to refer to it. That's because scientists have discovered that the cheese's namesake color can actually be manipulated to take on different hues. Blue cheese, it turns out, can run the gamut of colors between white, yellow-green, red-brown-pink, and different shades of blue. - Dennis Lee Read More

To the casual observer, the world of wine comes with a whole lot of rules. You have to hold your glass a certain way, there's a whole lexicon of tasting terms to learn, and the "best" option changes depending on what you eat. According to Google search data, we even struggle with what these wines are called, exactly, and there are some varieties whose pronunciation seems to trip us up constantly. - Marnie Shure Read More

By late 2022, Dave & Buster's knew it had to make a change. The national restaurant and barcade chain had taken a hit during the pandemic, and even three years after COVID's onset, same-store sales were still flagging. The solution? The company announced that it would fashion itself as a hip destination for adults, not just adolescents. Now, just over a year later, we're starting to see those plans for a fresh new Dave & Buster's take shape. - Marnie Shure Read More

Denny's was once a stop for the perfect breakfast combo of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns known as the Grand Slam. But all the latest developments from this once mighty restaurant chain indicate it could be dying a slow death in the American marketplace. - Angela L. Pagán Read More