Fast food chains have been gearing towards the healthy bandwagon that a lot of people seem to be jumping on. The several cases of people claiming fast food restaurants made them fat caused a lot of negative publicity and a decline in sales, causing them to react. “McDonald’s low-fat beef burger, the McLean, flopped. Pizza Hut’s addition of lower-fat pizza toppings failed. Then, things started to turn around. For example, Burger King’s grilled chicken sandwich, the BK Broiler (now called the Tendergrill), was more successful” (Nerac). Now, they still do have high fat, high cholesterol, and high sodium items on their menus, but they’ve started to add healthier options like salads.

Above are Wendy’s Garden Sensation salads: Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad, Baja Salad, BLT Cobb Salad, and the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. These actually sound pretty good to me, but I’ve never tried them.

McDonald’s also had their fruit and yogurt parfait that contains strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, and granola.

According to Nerac Food Science Analyst Shanon Trueman, sales for all of these have been strong. However, even though items like these are marketed as healthy, they may not be as healthy as consumers think. For example, below is the nutrition label for McDonald’s fruit and yogurt parfait.

So, 1.9 grams of fat isn’t bad for breakfast. But 19 grams of sugar? That’s basically eating 5 straight spoonfuls of sugar. I don’t know about you but that sounds disgusting to me. 

I rarely eat fast food but everyone craves a burger, salty fries, and a McFlurry every once in a while. Now that seemingly healthier menu items are on the rise, I may opt for those instead of indulging in a cheeseburger (even though most still aren’t healthy, whoops).

Source: https://www.nerac.com/as-fast-food-goes-healthy-what-opportunities-await-food-companies/

Tampa's Tastiest: 5 Places You Must Try

If I could eat out every day, you better bet I would. Too bad I'm a college student living on a budget. Mac 'n' cheese, ramen noodles, and frozen veggies consists of most of our diets with the occasional burger (yay!). I have, however, had the chance to go to a few of these amazing eateries that the Food Network suggests in their Tampa Eating Tour article.

1. Taco Bus: One of my favorites. Taco Bus is a food truck out of an actual old school bus. Cool idea, right? They serve authentic Mexican food and have grown to five locations because of their popularity and unique menu here in Tampa. 

2. Buddy Brew: Are you a coffee lover? This is the place to be. Breakfast lover? This is the place to be. Tea? You guessed it, Buddy Brew is awesome. It’s a cool, relaxing place to get some work or homework done. 

3. Oxford Exchange: Located right across from the beautiful University of Tampa, it only makes sense to have a beautiful place to eat, hang out and get some coffee or tea. I don't know anyone that's had a negative experience here. Their lunch? To die for. Their breakfast? Don't even get me started. You'll have a new favorite every time you order something different. As one of Tampa's #1 spots, the combination of the atmosphere and menu options will keep you coming back, that's for sure. 

4. Bern's Steakhouse: If you're looking for a more upscale place to dine, Bern's Steakhouse is a great option. It's located in what is supposedly a haunted mansion and is family-owned (there's no better combo). The large filets, locally grown produce, and large baked potatoes make me wish I wasn't a college student. 

5. Daily Eats Diner: Everyone in Tampa knows this place. Owner, Ciccio Restaurant Group, also owns Green Lemon, Fresh Kitchen, Lodge, and Ciccio Cali (probably my all time favorites). Daily eats, the casual and nutritious eatery, is the prefect brunch spot. But wait, you MUST remember to grab a shake on your way out. It might be the best one you've ever had. 

Once only chain restaurants, Tampa has grown to have special independently owned restaurants and food trucks bringing Florida back to life and todays times. 

Now, the only reason I know of these places is because of other students and professors around the University of Tampa. So from my experience, word of mouth plays a large role in the marketing efforts of restaurants like these around south Tampa.

What are some of your favorite places to eat around Tampa? I agree with Food Network. They list about ten, but these are some of my favorites! Comment your opinions below 'cause good food should never be kept a secret :)



Sources: http://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/photos/welcome-to-tampa--a-newcomers-eating-tour.html

A+ Examples to Instagram Your Food & Drink Brands

Instagram is a compete visual platform. Is your post of the new skateboard you got boring and not creative? You won't get the attention like you would if you were riding that skateboard into the sunset. The same goes for promoting a brand. Vibrant and creative posts are a must when using platforms like Instagram. Just like foodies, brands that are trying to increase brand awareness or just stay in the game need to try new things and think outside of the box. So, here are a few companies that have recently been successful at promoting their brands on Instagram. 

First, we have McDonald's. Now to a foodie, McDonald's probably isn't a first choice or a choice at all. But, they have really pushed the envelope with their branding recently. They have tried to steer clear of the unhealthy, cheap image and create bright, positive and real portrayals of their image.  

Next, we have Dorset Tea. This company has used Instagram to bring their brand in full circle. The visual platform is working well to their advantage with all of the landscape, nature and lifestyle posts that seam their products right together. 

Lastly, we have Coca-Cola. This brand seems to be all about happiness and that doesn't fall short on their Instagram account. Their posts are colorful with a whole lot of red and the people in them are always smiling and having a great time making memories. 

According to Instagram.com, Instagram has over 500 million monthly active users and over 300 million daily active users. That's a lot of people. A lot of people that you can reach with your creative, vibrant, and attention-getting posts. If you do it right, you can tremendously increase brand awareness through this visual platform. 

How do you use Instagram? For personal reasons, social, for your business? Let me know what you think about using Instagram for all these different reasons in the comments section! :)

Sources: https://www.instagram.com/press/?hl=en