Many fast food restaurants are attempting to refresh their images by introducing new salads to their menus.??Besides the typical hamburgers and fries, tacos and burritos and other usually less healthy meal options, the addition of salads to the repertoire has become a popular attempt to claim a previously untapped group of customers-the nutrition-conscious.??
McDonald's introduced their new Premium Salads to their otherwise artery-clogging menu while Wendy's promoted their Garden Sensations Salads. Taco Johns offers their own version of a salad with a Mexican flare in their Chicken Festiva Salad.??
When thinking about salads and fast food, most people would be skeptical to put the two together, and rightly so.??Slightly soggy fries can suffice, but soggy lettuce is not a lunch option many people would go for, much less willingly pay for.??Also, most fast food restaurants have reputations for being not exactly gourmet when it comes to their products.?? But with all the new salads being introduced by numerous fast-food joints in the past few months, maybe they deserve a \fresh"" start.??
McDonald's
The newest additions to the McDonald's line-up are the Premium Salads, available in three varieties: the California Cobb, the Chicken Caesar and the Bacon Ranch. All three are served with either grilled or crispy breaded chicken, served hot atop the mixed greens.??McDonald's also boasts Newman's Own dressings, a few varieties of which are offered.??All salads are priced at $3.99.
The California Cobb includes fresh grape tomatoes, shaved carrots, mixed greens, chicken, crumbled bleu cheese, hickory smoked bacon and chopped egg, however the particular salad tested failed to include the last three ingredients. The Cobb dressing is a creamy, ""full-bodied vinaigrette"" with a mix of cheeses and spices. The low-fat balsamic dressing was also tried and actually beat out the standard dressing with the testers. While the Cobb was referred to as a ""typical creamy ranch-ish"" dressing, the balsamic vinaigrette had a ""zing"" with the testers, who agreed that it was a great, tasty low-fat option.
Despite the non-existent bleu cheese, bacon and egg, the freshness of the vegetables and the flavor of the chicken won testers over.?? Instead of the usual lackluster iceberg lettuce, this salad offered crisp mixed greens.??Testers noted the freshness of the grape tomatoes and appreciated the big pieces of carrots instead of the usual miniscule, shaved pieces.??Both the grilled and the crispy chicken were tried, and while both were excellent, the grilled chicken was the overall favorite with its tender, lean consistency and great seasoning.??The crispy chicken was also tender and moist, but was noted to be a bit soggy after the trip between restaurant and table.??
Overall, the tasters were impressed and agreed that they would buy this again on their own.?? Just make sure to check that all the listed ingredients are actually included in the salad.
Wendy's
Wendy's offers four varieties of their Garden Sensations Salads: the Chicken BLT, the Mandarin Chicken, the Spring Mix and the Taco Supremo salads. Each is also priced at $3.99 and comes with a vast choice of regular and low-fat dressings.??
The Mandarin Chicken salad came with a mix of salad greens, large chunks of chicken, mandarin orange slices, toasted almonds, crispy rice noodles and Oriental Sesame dressing.??
This was the overall favorite of the testers who appreciated the freshness and quality of each of the ingredients.??The lettuce was very crisp and a few types were present in the salad for variety. The chicken was hearty and tender. The mandarin oranges were sweet and juicy-not at all mushy.??Testers appreciated that the toppings-almonds and rice noodles-were packaged separately to keep everything crisp.??They also liked that it allowed them to adjust the amounts in their salads depending on their own tastes.??
The dressing was also a crowd-pleaser with its ""Asian flare"" and ""tangy zing."" One tester noted that the flavor went a long way, and only a small amount of the dressing was needed for the whole salad.
All testers agreed that they'd definitely order this salad again.??""I'm impressed,"" said one tester, claiming this salad was ""as good as salads at sit-down restaurants.""??With the large portion size and the substantial amount of toppings, this salad is a great healthy and filling meal option.
Taco Johns
Taco John's offers the Chicken Festiva salad, again priced at $3.99.?? This salad is supposed to contain char-grilled chicken on top of crisp lettuce with shredded jack cheese, tomatoes, green onions, black olives, sour cream and Festiva tortilla strips with a choice of dressings.??
This was a poor excuse for a salad. It began with shredded iceberg lettuce-the same lettuce used for all the other menu options-that was anything but crisp or fresh. The diced tomatoes were mushy and flavorless, and there was an overpowering amount of cheese and sour cream.??The tortilla strips were crunchy for the first few minutes before losing their consistency and becoming soggy and unappealing.
The chicken, or the three or four pieces found buried under the mound of sour cream, could not have been farther from char-grilled as claimed and were obviously from the same chicken used in the restaurant's tacos and burritos. It was mushy, bland and altogether unappetizing.
Testers tried the house dressing-an indecipherable creamy salsa mixture that was bland and almost completely flavorless. Besides the reddish-hue of the dressing, the addition of salsa would not have otherwise been apparent.??
All the testers agreed that they will not be spending their money on this anytime in the near future.??One tester seemed to sum it up, advising, ""Stick to the potato ol??s!""
In the end, it is fair to say that fast food deserves a second glance when it comes to their salads. Their attempt to target a fresh, more health-conscious clientele may prove to be successful.??While the monster burger and greasy fries may be calling your name, the great taste and quality of the majority of these salads will make the test of will power in actually ordering one and avoiding the less healthful choices a much more manageable feat.
