Those crazy guys over at McDonald's are always coming up with new, questionable ways to clog our arteries (ahem, McRib). Usually things make their way from the coasts out here to the heartland, but this time, we got it first. McDonald's is testing its new "Shakin' Flavor Fries" in St. Louis and northern California. Naturally, Gut Check had to do a taste test.
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There are three different flavors: zesty ranch, spicy buffalo and garlic parmesan. McDonald's gives you extra bags to shake up the fries in. First, pour your fries from their usual container into a special paper bag and top with a packet of flavor powder. Then, shake up the bag real nice, and out comes some "Shakin' Flavor Fries."
The garlic parmesan was pretty unoffensive, but by the time you've done all the shaking, the fries aren't that hot anymore and the room is filled with a flavored powder haze. The spicy buffalo definitely had a kick to it, but the bright orange color was mildly alarming. The zesty ranch was the most tolerable, but it tasted as if you dusted Cool Ranch Doritos all over it.
The Shakin' Flavor Fries are already a hit in Hong Kong; they debuted in St. Louis and California on Friday, May 9. "The idea came from popular seasoned fries in Asia known as 'Shake Shake,' which first debuted in 2005 in Hong Kong before spreading into other countries including China, India and Australia," McDonald's director of media relations Lisa McComb tells Gut Check.
"As with all tests, we aren't in a position to draw conclusions or make assumptions about the test since it is just beginning," McComb says, "but we hope customers in these two markets enjoy the new flavors."
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