Wikipedia

Mac n' Cheetos

Mac n' Cheetos are a deep-fried macaroni and cheese product based on the Frito-Lay snack Cheetos. Mac n' Cheetos were introduced in late June 2016 and sold at Burger King in limited supplies. The original product contained five pieces and was served with a side of ranch dressing.[4] Today, Mac n' Cheetos are available frozen at grocery stores around the United States.

Mac n' Cheetos
Nutritional value per 5 pieces (115 g)
Energy310[1] kcal (1,300 kJ)
37 g
Sugars9 g
Dietary fiber2 g
13 g
Saturated4.5 g
Trans0 g
9 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A0 IU
Vitamin C
0%
0 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
0%
0 mg
Iron
0%
0 mg
Sodium
31%
710 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Energy from fat120 kcal (500 kJ)
Cholesterol15 mg
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[2] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[3]
Source: Burger King

Many publications have pointed out that Mac n' Cheetos is part of a larger trend of blending fast foods with well-known snack foods, as well as reflecting the current state of fast food alliances.

Product description

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Cross section showing the macaroni filling

Mac n' Cheetos are fried macaroni and cheese bites shaped and coated to resemble Cheetos brand cheese curls.[1] The fried shell of a curl is crunchy, and is flavored and colored like Cheetos. Burger King president Alex Macedo described the food item as a "triple threat", because it combines Burger King, Cheetos, and macaroni and cheese.[5][6][7]

Mac n' Cheetos is a portmanteau of mac n' cheese and Cheetos.

Currently, there are two known varieties of Mac n' Cheetos: "Creamy Cheddar", and "Flamin' Hot".

History

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Fried macaroni and cheese had existed prior to the introduction of Mac n' Cheetos. The Cheesecake Factory and Wayback Burgers have sold similar products in the past. [8][9]

Other fast food restaurants like Taco Bell have previously employed a similar strategy. In 2012, Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum! Brands, introduced the Doritos Locos Taco, whose taco shell is composed of the Doritos chip.[10][11] Offshoots followed as Cool Ranch, Nacho Cheese, and Fiery Doritos.[1] Consumerist's Laura Northrup compared them to 7-Eleven's Doritos Loaded and Hostess Brands's deep-fried Twinkies sold at participating Walmart locations.[12]

In 2015, Burger King entered into a partnership with PepsiCo's Frito-Lay, which also owns the Doritos and Ruffles brands.[1]

On June 22, 2016, Burger King announced that they would begin selling the product the next week.[1] The product was test-marketed at Burger King restaurants during a product trial in Southern California.[13] Mac n' Cheetos were introduced nationwide on June 27, 2016.[14][15] In an interview, Burger King president Alex Macedo said, "We’re partnering up with one of Americans’ favorite brands. It's quite unique."[1]

Later, Burger King offered Cheeto Chicken Fries, based on their BK Chicken Fries.[16]

Mac n' Cheetos, including other Burger King products like the recently introduced Oscar Mayer hot dogs, reflects the fast-food alliances restaurants have with other companies.[1] While PepsiCo owns Frito-Lay's Cheetos, the American restaurants sell Coca-Cola beverages.[1] Despite this recent product, Macedo remarked, "It’s not a plan for us to migrate to Pepsi. Our relationship with Coke is as good as it is with PepsiCo."[1] However, Macedo has also said, "We’re working on a few other menu items. There’s room for us to do more together in the future."

Mac n' Cheetos have also been sold at U.S. convenience store/gas station Sheetz stores in North Carolina and Ohio. [12][17]

On May 18, 2017, Burger King returned the Mac n' Cheetos to its menu for a limited time.[5][18] Frito-Lay also introduced a "Flamin' Hot Mac n' Cheetos" based on a spicier variant of Cheetos.[19]

In response to fan interest following the popularity of the Burger King limited time releases, Frito-Lay released frozen Mac n' Cheetos in grocery stores.[20]

Reception

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Fox News described them as "bright orange" with a "pretty unusual" shape.[21] The Chicago Tribune's Joseph Hernandez called the color of the menu item "neon-orange".[22] Consequence of Sound's Ben Kaye remarked that they were "new cat poop-shaped fried mac and Cheeto cheese curls".[23] Consumerist's Ashlee Kieler perceived its color as "glowing, orange-ish".[24] The Verge's Dami Lee commented that they were "coagulated orange clumps of processed cheese".[13] Bloomberg News's Leslie Patton said it was "portable macaroni-and-cheese bites are similar to mozzarella sticks".[1] Food & Wine's Mike Pomranz said "Like a car crash, this bizarre mashup is just too intense to ignore."[25]

The Raw Story's Brad Reed saw it as "radioactive-orange" and "Trump-colored", but remarked "do look marginally more appetizing than the terrifying bright-red Whopper Burger King released earlier this year".[26] Vice's Alex Swerdloff noted the product as "a chode-like mass" and resembling "the lovechild of E.T.’s finger and a bloated corpse that was given a spray tan".[14] Yahoo! Style's Claire Lower called them "orange nuggets".[27] The Denver Post's Megan McArdle reported it "bearing the same resemblance to real food as a plastic Lego tree does to a stately elm".[28] The Guardian's Joshua David Stein said the Cheetos crust was "bright orange".[29] The Capital Times's Rob Thomas said they were "five stubby cylinders that look like mozzarella sticks, dusted heavily with orange Cheeto dust".[30]

Business Insider performed a blind taste test for Mac n' Cheetos. About half of the testers were repulsed by the product.[31]

Fox News Channel's Chew On This enacted a blind taste test for Mac n' Cheetos in the streets of New York City. Reception proved positive.[14] In the web series Juggalos Review Foods, two Insane Clown Posse fans (or Juggalos) tried the Mac n' Cheetos with a more mixed reception.[32][23] One of the hosts appraised the food product with "this tastes like processed weird gross mac and cheese-like gimmicky piece of crap food item from Burger King".[23]

USA Today's Ted Berg said "they’re not good" but also "not totally awful" either.[24] Kotaku's Mike Fahey said "pleased to report that Mac n’ Cheetos taste much better than they look" but also that they do not taste like the cheese puff but rather like the Kellogg's cracker Cheez-It.[33] Chicago Tribune's Joseph Hernandez described the meal as "gritty, fried nugget of Easy Mac, rolled in the remains of the bottom of a bag of Cheetos".[22] Yahoo! Style's Claire Lower said "I liked them but, maybe this is because my standards for stunt food are much too high, I didn't love them."[27] The Capital Times's Rob Thomas reviewed the interior of the Mac n' Cheetos favorably stating "does indeed have the satisfying cheesy blandness of a container of quick-zapped microwave Easy Mac, salty and starchy". However, Thomas was critical of how it did not taste like Cheetos saying "[i]t’s very disappointing".[30]

When the menu item was brought back in October 2016 by Sheetz, Consumerist's Laura Northrup described them as "orange breaded carbohydrate globs."[12] Fortune's Michal Addady called it "essentially fried mac and cheese coated with flavoring from Cheetos, a PepsiCo brand."[17] Bustle's Claire Warner described Mac n' Cheetos returning via Sheetz as "the Internet basically threw a party."[34]

When the food item returned to the Burger King menu on May 18, 2017, Eater.com's Amanda Kludt described it as "novelty dish and millennial-bait."[35] Brit Co's Maggie McCracken ranked Mac n' Cheetos #1 on the list "10 Most Popular Mac and Cheese #Cheatday Meals on Instagram" with "a WHOPping (get it?)" 35,000 likes on Instagram.[36] Bustle's Claire Warner said "it sounds like what happens when you accidentally drop a glob of macaroni and cheese into a half-consumed bag of Cheetos resting on your lap, and a few hours later, you decide to eat said glob because it's 2 a.m. and nobody's watching. You already know if this is something you're into."[34]

Price

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Mac n' Cheetos contains five pieces and was originally priced in Burger King at about $2.50[22] In New York City, the total cost including New York state sales tax is $3.26.[37] USA Today's Ted Berg was critical of the price choice, as he thought it would be 99¢ at Taco Bell.[37]

When the food item was brought back in October 2016 at Sheetz, it was priced at $2.99.[17][38] Sheetz offers it available for pickup via the Sheetz Apps menu.[17] However, it costs $3.49 in Altoona, Pennsylvania.[12]

In May 2017, the Mac n' Cheetos was priced $2.69 at Burger King.[10]

Advertising

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Burger King called its product a "dangerously cheesy re-imagination".[17] In May 2017, a press release described them as "cheesiest, most amplified version of mac n’ cheese imaginable."[39]

In June 2016, a commercial featuring Chester Cheetah unboxing the Mac n' Cheetos debuted.[40][8]

In May 2017, David Miami created a music video starring The Burger King and Chester Cheetah dancing to the Mark Morrison R&B song "Return of the Mack", remade as "Return of the Mac n' Cheetos".[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Patton, Leslie (June 22, 2016). "Burger King Jumps Into Snack-Brand Hybrids With Mac 'n Cheetos". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  3. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). "Chapter 4: Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". In Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). pp. 120–121. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  4. ^ Premack, Rachel (June 23, 2016). "Burger King's latest fast food monstrosity is sadly genius". Wonkblog. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Ballerstatus.com staff (May 13, 2017). "Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos Are Back Again". Ballerstatus.com. BallerStatus.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  6. ^ QSR Magazine staff (May 11, 2017). "The Mac n' Cheetos are Back at Burger King". QSR Magazine. JOURNALISTIC INC. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Shrayber, Mark (May 10, 2017). "Mac N' Cheetos Are Back At Burger King, So Grab A Defibrillator And Get Down There!". Uproxx. Woven Digital. Archived from the original on May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Wohl, Jessica (June 27, 2016). "Burger King Unboxing Video Stars Chester Cheetah". Advertising Age. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Wohl, Jessica (June 28, 2016). "Chester Cheetah Unboxes the New Burger King Offering That's Going to Ruin Your Beach Diet". Creativity. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Alexander, Allison (May 16, 2017). "Mac-n-Cheetos make a comeback". KVOA. Cordillera Communications. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  11. ^ Shah, Khushbu (June 24, 2016). "Did Burger King Rip Off Those Viral "Mac n' Cheetos" From a Popular Food Blogger?". Food.Mic. Mic. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d Northrup, Laura (October 4, 2016). "Mac n' Cheetos Now Available At Sheetz For Some Reason". Consumerist. Consumer Media, LLC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Lee, Dami (June 22, 2016). "Burger King's new Mac n' Cheetos are so beautiful I want to cry". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Swerdloff, Alex (July 1, 2016). "America Loves Burger King's Mac N' Cheetos and We're All Doomed". Munchies. Vice. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  15. ^ Lower, Claire (June 24, 2016). "My Standards for Stunt Food Are High: An Entirely Serious Review of Burger King's Mac 'n' Cheetos". xoJane. Time Inc. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  16. ^ Chamlee, Virginia (September 12, 2016). "Burger King's Cheetos Chicken Fries: How Did We Get Here?". Eater. Eater. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d e Addady, Michal (October 5, 2016). "You Can Now Get Mac N' Cheetos at Sheetz". Fortune. Time Inc. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  18. ^ Calfas, Jennifer (May 11, 2017). "They're Back: Mac N' Cheetos Returning to Burger King For A Limited Time". Fortune. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  19. ^ "Burger King launches Flamin' Hot Mac n' Cheetos". Fox News. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Mac N' Cheetos Is Back! The Grocery Freezer Aisle Just Got Dangerously Cheesy!". Cision. PR Newswire. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  21. ^ News.com, Fox (June 30, 2016). "People actually like Burger King's Cheeto-dusted mac and cheese bites". FoxNews.com. Fox News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  22. ^ a b c Hernandez, Joseph (June 27, 2016). "We taste Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos, now available in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. tronc. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  23. ^ a b c Kaye, Ben (July 12, 2016). "Even Juggalos think Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos are gross". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  24. ^ a b Kieler, Ashlee (June 29, 2016). "Burger King's "Slightly Congealed" Mac N' Cheetos Underwhelm Customers, Food Reviewers". Consumerist. Consumer Media LLC. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  25. ^ Pomranz, Mike (June 23, 2016). "BURGER KING ADDS UNHOLY FOOD MARRIAGE 'MAC N' CHEETOS' TO MENU". Food & Wine. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  26. ^ Reed, Brad (June 22, 2016). "Burger King's new 'Mac 'n Cheetos' sticks leave the world gasping in horror". The Raw Story. Raw Story Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  27. ^ a b Lower, Claire (June 28, 2016). "My Standards for Stunt Food Are High: An Entirely Serious Review of Burger King's Mac 'n' Cheetos". Yahoo! Style. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  28. ^ McArdle, Megan (July 20, 2016). "Judge not your neighbor's love for Mac n' Cheetos". The Denver Post. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  29. ^ Stein, Joshua David (June 26, 2016). "Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos: a logical step in America's quest for innovation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  30. ^ a b Thomas, Rob (July 18, 2016). "Yeah, I Ate That: Burger King Mac & Cheetos may not make America great again". The Capital Times. The Capital Times Company. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  31. ^ Taylor, Kate (May 11, 2017). "Burger King's most bizarre menu item is 'back by popular demand'". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  32. ^ Peck, Jamie (July 11, 2016). "Not even Juggalos can stomach Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos". Death and Taxes. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  33. ^ Fahey, Mike (June 22, 2016). "Snacktaku Eats Burger King's Mac N' Cheetos". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  34. ^ a b Warner, Claire (May 14, 2017). "Burger King's Mac N' Cheetos Are Back To Fill The Junk Food Void In Your Life". Bustle. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  35. ^ Kludt, Amanda (May 12, 2017). "Burger King's Mac 'n' Cheetos Make a Comeback". Eater.com. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  36. ^ McCracken, Maggie (May 9, 2017). "These are the 10 Most Popular Mac and Cheese #Cheatday Meals on Instagram". Brit Co. Brit Morin. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  37. ^ a b Berg, Ted (June 28, 2016). "I tried Burger King's new Mac 'n Cheetos, and they're not good". For The Win. USA Today. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  38. ^ Marvo (October 4, 2016). "FAST FOOD NEWS: Mac n' Cheetos at Sheetz". The Impulsive Buy. WordPress. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  39. ^ Lowin, Rebekah (May 15, 2017). "Burger King's Infamous Mac n' Cheetos Are Back—For a Limited Time". Food & Wine. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  40. ^ a b Diaz, Ann-Christine (May 18, 2017). "The King and Chester Cheetah Want You to Stuff Your Face With Jumbo Cheetos Oozing With Mac N' Cheese". Creativity. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2016.


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