Free Pie from Boston Market, Dark Grocery Stores, Rat-Shaped Donuts [12/22/19 – 12/29/19]

  • Boston Market is giving away a free pie from now until the end of the year with every purchase of a family meal. Boston Market is a go-to place for people looking for a fuss-free holiday dinner, so a free pie would be a great way to end a meal! You will need to make sure your location participates in this promotion and provide a coupon found on their website. The flavors are limited to pumpkin and apple and don't include cream pies or pecan pie. 

  • Krispy Kreme Japan is ringing in the Year of the Rat by selling rat and cheese-shaped doughnuts. Each pastry includes a cream cheese filling, yellow icing for the cheese, and chocolate ears for the rat. Each doughnut will be custom-made in-store the day of purchase, so no two will be alike. The Year of the Rat is the first year in the Chinese zodiac calendar and begins at the end of January.

  • You may want to think twice before eating the provided food on your next long-haul flight. An NBC News investigation found that there is minimal oversight when it comes to airline meals. The Food and Drug Administration only requires the bare minimum inspections for airline caterers; inspections that may occur three to five years apart. Under local and federal law, planes should receive random checks every six months, which rarely happen due to “time and opportunity.” When an inspection does happen, they are challenging to track and there is little to no consequence for a violation. 

  • Is it just us, or are grocery stores getting a bit too crowded? Online grocery shopping is becoming more and more popular, which means more workers with giant carts blocking the cheese aisle. Luckily, the grocery gods have been listening to our concerns and are building micro fulfillment centers or ”dark grocery stores” to help. The reason for the name is because the outside of the building has no windows and no discerning grocery store features. Inside, however, you will find your typical store complete with aisles and shelves, fresh fruit, and a meat counter. These stores are not open to the public, so you will still have to contend with the typical crowds and the occasional extreme couponer. Does this sound good to you? Many surrounding neighbors are not as jazzed to have a nondescript warehouse in their community.  

  • McDonald’s is starting 2020 with a bang by releasing two new chicken breakfast sandwiches! The McChicken Biscuit and the Chicken McGriddle will be added to a McDonald’s menu near you as early as January. There aren’t many details on these two sandwiches, but what we do know is there will be a spicy version of each later on in the year. It’s about time the Golden Arches threw its hat into the famous chicken sandwich wars!