The Big Deal-A Big Deal?
A bulk of this issue is going into discussing Jack-In-The-Box’s new ‘Big Deal’. In case you haven’t seen the previews for this bad boy, it is a taco, a hamburger (or chicken sandwich if you chose to substitute), fries, and a small drink-for the grand sum of $2.99. The old Jack head is advertising this as a great deal and saying that it is putting your money in a good place. It is only this food blogger who dared pose the question: Should we even be making a big deal out of the big deal? After investigating, my definitive answer: NO! Let me break the down prices for you: a taco- 50 cents, a cheeseburger or chicken sandwich-1$. This means that you are paying $1.50 for a small drink and small fries, is that a good deal? I think not. Their fries are $1.09 for the smallest, which ultimately boils down to you getting a really cheap drink. This is not worth it. True, their big deal is one of the cheapest items on the jack menu, but the food is not that great. When doing my investigation, I opted to substitute the cheeseburger for the chicken nasty sandwich, which was, by far, the nastiest part of the meal. If you do ignore my advice and get a big deal do yourself a favor and don’t substitute. I would describe the taco, but I am guessing most, if not all of you, have had a jack taco in your lifetime. These don’t change. Ultimately while cheap, this deal does not offer a lot of food. It leaves you hungry, unless of course you do what jack hopes you do and fill up on soda. The fries are just fries despite the deceptive title of ‘natural cut fries’. I give jack kudos for trying to save the consumer some money and throw a good deal out there, but the execution of this deal just didn’t cut it for me. Ultimately, going with a Subway 5$ footlong, or a nice, thick burger from somewhere else might be worth the couple extra bucks it will cost you. So, Jack’s new ‘Big Deal’ receives 1.5 out of 5 dollar signs. The answer is no, we do not need to make a big deal of the big deal.
I know, I know, it’s extremely hot here in SoCal each summer day, and I care about your well-being. (I do too) So, this week I am comparing two quick, really cold drinks and seeing which is worth your money. The first is the aforementioned Jack-in-the-box’s flavored ice teas. These come in three flavors: raspberry, peach, and mango, and I am not sure how they make them but the cost $1.89 each, which is about $2.07 after Tax. I tried the raspberry flavor recently, and I have to say, Jack let me down again. This was wayyy to sweet and didn’t have enough of that refreshing ice tea flavor that I love. They fill up the cup they give you most of the way with ice, so you don’t even end up getting that much tea, which tasted more like raspberry water than tea. My other drink is Burger King’s Icee Float. Most people don’t know what an ice float is, and that is like a rootbeer float but instead of root beer they use icee. This, on the contrary to jack’s drink is very refreshing. Normally ice cream makes me thirsty, but the icee does a good job of quenching that thirst. It comes in Orange cream or soda flavored icee, and it runs about as much as jack’s drink, for a good amount, but also comes in a smaller size if you feel you don’t need as much. This is a far better deal than Jack’s ice tea, so I’d say stick with an Icee Float which wins this week for refreshment.
There are three health food chains right now all competing for prominence: Henry’s, Trader Joe’s, and Fresh and Easy. This week, I’ll be reviewing Fresh and Easy, with reviews of the other two coming in the following weeks. But first off, let’s dice fresh and easy. Fresh and Easy is sort of a newish healthy store whose slogan is “Quality you can trust at Budget prices/Why compromise?” Their prices, however, are not budget. I have not gone to F and E for extensive shopping, but they aren’t really that great for that. Their half-off racks are great buys however, and I frequently order off of their half-off racks. Another good feature of F and E is their drinks: They’re famous for their Strawberry Lemonade and their Black Tea is also great, but again, too expensive unless these drinks are found on the half-off racks. Another feature of F and E is their self check-out which virtually eliminates the need for human interaction, which is good and bad because sometimes people feel lost. Ultimately, Fresh and Easy is a nice place to go once and a while, but their sandwiches aren’t great and their burritos are dry. Getting the right items at the right times can pay off, but I’d say you’re not missing anything by not going.
~Good Luck and Good Eats
A bulk of this issue is going into discussing Jack-In-The-Box’s new ‘Big Deal’. In case you haven’t seen the previews for this bad boy, it is a taco, a hamburger (or chicken sandwich if you chose to substitute), fries, and a small drink-for the grand sum of $2.99. The old Jack head is advertising this as a great deal and saying that it is putting your money in a good place. It is only this food blogger who dared pose the question: Should we even be making a big deal out of the big deal? After investigating, my definitive answer: NO! Let me break the down prices for you: a taco- 50 cents, a cheeseburger or chicken sandwich-1$. This means that you are paying $1.50 for a small drink and small fries, is that a good deal? I think not. Their fries are $1.09 for the smallest, which ultimately boils down to you getting a really cheap drink. This is not worth it. True, their big deal is one of the cheapest items on the jack menu, but the food is not that great. When doing my investigation, I opted to substitute the cheeseburger for the chicken nasty sandwich, which was, by far, the nastiest part of the meal. If you do ignore my advice and get a big deal do yourself a favor and don’t substitute. I would describe the taco, but I am guessing most, if not all of you, have had a jack taco in your lifetime. These don’t change. Ultimately while cheap, this deal does not offer a lot of food. It leaves you hungry, unless of course you do what jack hopes you do and fill up on soda. The fries are just fries despite the deceptive title of ‘natural cut fries’. I give jack kudos for trying to save the consumer some money and throw a good deal out there, but the execution of this deal just didn’t cut it for me. Ultimately, going with a Subway 5$ footlong, or a nice, thick burger from somewhere else might be worth the couple extra bucks it will cost you. So, Jack’s new ‘Big Deal’ receives 1.5 out of 5 dollar signs. The answer is no, we do not need to make a big deal of the big deal.
I know, I know, it’s extremely hot here in SoCal each summer day, and I care about your well-being. (I do too) So, this week I am comparing two quick, really cold drinks and seeing which is worth your money. The first is the aforementioned Jack-in-the-box’s flavored ice teas. These come in three flavors: raspberry, peach, and mango, and I am not sure how they make them but the cost $1.89 each, which is about $2.07 after Tax. I tried the raspberry flavor recently, and I have to say, Jack let me down again. This was wayyy to sweet and didn’t have enough of that refreshing ice tea flavor that I love. They fill up the cup they give you most of the way with ice, so you don’t even end up getting that much tea, which tasted more like raspberry water than tea. My other drink is Burger King’s Icee Float. Most people don’t know what an ice float is, and that is like a rootbeer float but instead of root beer they use icee. This, on the contrary to jack’s drink is very refreshing. Normally ice cream makes me thirsty, but the icee does a good job of quenching that thirst. It comes in Orange cream or soda flavored icee, and it runs about as much as jack’s drink, for a good amount, but also comes in a smaller size if you feel you don’t need as much. This is a far better deal than Jack’s ice tea, so I’d say stick with an Icee Float which wins this week for refreshment.
There are three health food chains right now all competing for prominence: Henry’s, Trader Joe’s, and Fresh and Easy. This week, I’ll be reviewing Fresh and Easy, with reviews of the other two coming in the following weeks. But first off, let’s dice fresh and easy. Fresh and Easy is sort of a newish healthy store whose slogan is “Quality you can trust at Budget prices/Why compromise?” Their prices, however, are not budget. I have not gone to F and E for extensive shopping, but they aren’t really that great for that. Their half-off racks are great buys however, and I frequently order off of their half-off racks. Another good feature of F and E is their drinks: They’re famous for their Strawberry Lemonade and their Black Tea is also great, but again, too expensive unless these drinks are found on the half-off racks. Another feature of F and E is their self check-out which virtually eliminates the need for human interaction, which is good and bad because sometimes people feel lost. Ultimately, Fresh and Easy is a nice place to go once and a while, but their sandwiches aren’t great and their burritos are dry. Getting the right items at the right times can pay off, but I’d say you’re not missing anything by not going.
~Good Luck and Good Eats
