Value in the Mind of the Customer

Anonymous said on Chipotle's Prices Rising; Portions Shrinking....

"ok---not to defend your experience or justify what happened, but you obviously had a $9.00 an hour employee making some wrong choices. As someone who has worked in the food industry for over 35 years, there is no company in their right mind that would both INCREASE their prices AND shrink their portions at the same time. Chipotle was built around a reputation and still has that same one today. The one in my town has not changed anything but a small price increase. The food is still huge and incredible. Gas prices may be down, but have you seen ANYTHING else drop in price yet? All the price increases in EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY that were put into place due to "rising fuel costs" have NOT MOVED AT ALL. I was in a cab the other day and read a sign that stated a "fuel surcharge" of a $1.75 would be added effective on July 1st, 2008 as per the state regulators. That price is still in play, even with gas dropping. You tell me, when do you think the inflated prices from this past summer will drop? Right now the entire food industry is suffering from inflated prices more to import/export demands and rising costs from products used to create and maintain the food sources. (I.E. equipment, livestock feed, taxes, distribution costs) Do your homework before complaining about your burrito. People pay $4.00 for a CUP of coffee without blinking and complain about a $3.00 GALLON of gas. Go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and look at their prices for a large cup, and then do the math against a gallon of gas at the current price. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY. You had a bad experience with a minimum wage employee---don't slam a good company when you have no idea what you are talking about."

Posted: December 29, 2008 at 8:27am

Dear Anonymous:

First, thank you for reading Green Eggs and taking the time to offer your very passionate comments. However, after your remarks I feel that a further analysis of Chipotle's price increase and my thoughts is necessary.

I agree with you - it's highly possible that I was experiencing a thoughtless Chipotle employee who just happened to be having a bad day. The reason I don't think this is likely though is that I go to Chipotle almost twice a week, our local Chipotle catered my wife's baby shower, and I know (because of my frequent visits) many of the employees there.

That's not the point though. The point is about price, affordability and the value equation.

I've done my homework and I've found an article that you may find of interest. According to CNN Money (click here) food costs are falling and therefore many restaurants in order to drive traffic and increase frequency are reducing their prices, not raising them. Any average consumer most likely has noticed that prices all around them are falling - not rising. Every major Casual Dining Restaurant brand is running specials and limited time offers that all revolve around a low price point.

With that said, it doesn't matter what Starbucks, Dunkin or any other restaurant charges. Why? Because in the end it's just numbers and I can compare two prices next to each from totally different occasions/time frames and make the same point you attempted to make.

Why pay $100 for two people at Fleming's when you can spend $20 at Texas Roadhouse (it's still steak right?) Why spend $20 at Chili's when you can spend $8 at McDonald's? Why pay $60,000 for an Escalade when you can spend $20,000 on a Kia? I could go on and on and on and on.

This brings me back to value in the mind of the consumer. Starbucks is allowed to charge $4 for a cup of coffee because that's what it's "worth". If you recall when Starbucks raised their price 9 cents a cup people were outraged...even though it was only 9 cents. Why? Because suddenly we were paying more than we thought it was "worth."

Let me set the record straight, if you were a regular reader of this website you would know my deep passionate for Chipotle and their food. (Here, here and here are some examples). My previous post was simply a disappointing rant about what I see happening.

You can't ignore that prices have gone up and will continue to go up (even though the rest of the industry is going down). I know it's because Chipotle delivers a quality product however, my question to you and anyone else is: when is enough enough? When will Chipotle not be "worth it" anymore? When will price overwhelm quality and people stop caring?

As I said in my original post, we all have a number in our minds of how much we want to spend at each restaurant. When that number is violated and increases we become turned off and irritated. Eventually that irritation leads to customers reducing their number of visits.

Doing homework is tough, but I hope you will give me an A+.

Thanks,

Dan

Popular Green Eggs Stories

Below are 10 of the most popular, exciting, life altering posts from Green Eggs in no particular order. Click the title to read and be enlightened.

Chipotle's Prices Rising; Portions Shrinking (Reader response here. Response from Chipotle here)
The Red Lobster Saga (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Trash Can Salad
Cheesecake Factory Owns You
Tasting Paula Dean
Dear 711
10:31am - Panera is Out of Eggs
Death to the Butter Packet
6 Reasons to Avoid Wing Street
Wanted: Friendly Server
Save the Best for Last?
Come for the Burger, Stay for the Hot Dog

In case you missed it, the below free eBooks are also available for FREE download. (Click any of the titles for automatic download)

Classy Eater
Dazzling Desserts
10 Steps to Save Casual Dining
27 Thoughts for Restaurants

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Thanks again for reading and being a part of the Green Eggs blog!

Chipotle's Prices Rising; Portions Shrinking

Something very frightening is happening at Chipotle.

In the past 6-8 weeks I have slowly been observing some very dramatic changes they have made to their pricing structure and portion sizes. What I have seen is alarming for the future of one of the greatest restaurants in America

First let's reflect on what Chipotle used to be:

- Naturally raised products with no chemicals or preservatives.
- Made fresh daily salsas, sour cream, guac, cheese, beans, rice and meat prepared on an open grill.
- Moderate/Affordable pricing for this high quality/gourmet Mexican experience: just under $6 for an entree and 75 cents for chips. (Not bad considering what you could pay at many other places)
- Large portions that fill you up and the ability to get extra without receiving a dirty look from the employee.

Now, what has happened?

The prices have increased substantially. Burritos, Bowls etc depending on the meat you get have risen about 25 cents in price (this may vary depending on where you live). A brown bag of chips has gone up from 75 cents to $1.15 (FOR A BAG OF CHIPS!). The guac price and drink price has also gone up.

That's not even the worse part.....the portions are shrinking, significantly.

At the old Chipotle you used to receive a generous helping of rice, beans and meat. They used to cover your entree in as much cheese as you want and smother it in salsa and sour cream. Now however, it's quite the contrary.

Sure, you still get a nice portion of rice and beans (after all those are cheap). But they have gotten very stingy on the meat and cheese. A few weeks ago when the employee dropped about 3 pieces of chicken on my bowl, I asked him for more (not "double" meat, just the appropriate amount for a single serving). He put more on for me but then said, "I'm really not suppose to do that, they have cameras watching us."

WHAT!?!?! Since when does Chipotle monitor and track how much food their employees are serving up?!

The cheese is even worse. Personally I like a lot, I mean a lot of cheese on my bowl. Now the employees are sprinkling about 16 shredded pieces of cheese on top. I find myself asking 2-3 times for more cheese until they finally get it right.

This might sound silly to you, after all it's just a few cents right? You might not have even noticed. But that extra change adds up to be a substantial price increase to your final bill. Depending on what you order you're final check total may rise $2-$3. That's a lot for a "fast casual" chain with no service.

Before we go out to eat in a restaurant we all have a number in mind of what we want to spend. It might be $15, $25 or $50 depending on where you're going to eat. For some place like Chipotle, Panera or Moe's that number should be significantly less than what you would pay at a full service restaurant.

For me I know I will spend about $13-$14 at Chipotle. Now that number has risen to over $15. That's irritating. For a larger family of 3 or 4 it could mean a price change of $28 to over $30....suddenly things feel very different.

The scariest part of all is - when will it stop? When will it be enough to make you stop going? This price change/portion reduction was something Chipotle did for themselves, not for us the customer. In these challenging times I can imagine that their price to serve us high quality food has risen. So instead of coming up with alternative solutions they have pushed that on to the customers to pay.

Doesn't seem right to me.

The Christmas Cookie

Soft, chewy, sweet, covered in frosting.....nothing beats a sugar Christmas Cookie. It's a shame that we only get them once a year.

You can't find a truly divine Christmas Cookie in a restaurant, shop, gas station, or bakery. Real Christmas Cookies are baked in your own kitchen by your wife, girlfriend, mom, grandma, aunt or sister. The ingredients they put into their cookies while most likely simple, are also mysterious. How they heck do they make them so good!?

You know what they taste like, how soft or crunchy they are, how they decorate them and what kind of sprinkles they put on top. If your anything like me you look forward every single year to eating just a few (or a ton) of their special Christmas Cookies.

Of all the foods we eat on Christmas, the ham, the fruitcake (ew), the dinner rolls, fudge, ice cream, or candy, Christmas Cookies stand out as the most significant. With Christmas Cookies something aside from sugar, flour and eggs is baked in. Maybe it's a dose of Christmas spirit or maybe a tiny bit of love but whatever it is we all cherish them to mean so much more than any other ordinary cookie. This is why we can't find them in a restaurant. No one except a family member understands how to bake magic into cookies.

After your done eating your special Christmas Cookies, when your opening your gifts, looking in your stocking, hugging your family, watching A Christmas Story, and turning on the Christmas lights take just a moment to remember the real reason for this special day. (It's not just about the Christmas Cookies...although they have a very important role).

Merry Christmas.

Living on a Dollar

Living on a Dollar a Day is rough. Many times over the past week I was isolated while my wife ate a full meal and I was left picking at my dollar sandwich, starving.

Much to my surprise, not all fast food chains offer options for a $1. When I visited KFC and Arby's I had to turn around because they didn't have anything in my $1 budget. The sharp contrast in quality of menu items between each restaurant was also amazing. Some restaurants (Wendy's/Taco Bell) had food that tasted good and didn't look cheap and trashy. Others, however really didn't care what it looked or tasted like because they had the attitude of, "you paid a dollar...deal with it."

As a final summary, here is the rundown:

Wendy's: by far had the most satisfying choices and gives you the biggest bang for your buck. With double and bacon cheeseburgers that are juicy and taste the way a burger should taste. My advise...next time you want a cheap burger hit up Wendy's (just make sure you get more than one).

Taco Bell: For some reason, Taco Bell always hits the spot. It's possible you could feed a family of 4 for about $10. As you can imagine they have a lot of great choices starting at 79cents. When it comes down to it though, the Wendy's burger was still more satisfying.

Burger King: In one word - disgusting. Their chicken sandwich isn't even worth a dollar. I would stay far away from the king.

McDonald's: For safety and health reasons, you probably don't want to eat chicken for a dollar (go to Chick-Fil-A instead). BUT, if only have a dollar and you really want chicken then go to McDonald's. I don't think it's really chicken, but at least it tastes like chicken. If you really want to have a good meal for a $1 at McDonald's get the sundae instead......amazing.

Frankly I'm glad it's over. While in many ways it was a glorious feeling to only spend $1 on a food at a restaurant, it wasn't worth the lingering empty feeling of hunger after it was over.

McChicken Covered in McMayo

Can someone please explain to me why the heck mayo and lettuce is suppose to taste good with fried chicken? Anybody?!?

After my my rather dry, spicy, cardboard experience with BK I knew that I had to dry the $1 chicken sandwich at McDonalds....the McChicken (what a cute, original name).

McDonalds, like most other fast food chains (except KFC) has a variety of $1 options. The McBurger, McChicken, soft drinks, sundae and more.

I pulled up and ordered the McChicken without even thinking to ask if it was coated in thick McMayo and lettuce.

First, it was much smaller than the photo to the right, but much larger than BK's attempt. I don' understand why they put pieces of lettuce scattered on top. It's not a whole piece of lettuce it's just shredded bits smeared around in attempt to make this deep fried treat appear to be healthy.

My bites around the edges were rather good. It has a unique flavor, is kinda juicy and it's a decent portion for a $1. Everything was going rather dandy until I chomped down into the middle and a jet powered stream of mayo came flying into my mouth. UGH! I started hacking and then finally had to shed the rest of the bun, mayo and lettuce and just eat the chicken.

Mayo, lettuce and chicken do not taste good together. It's weird and unnecessary. I have no idea why BK and McDonald's are doing this. They must have done research with people who are obsessed with dipping everything. It just tastes like lard why would you want it on anything!?

So if you want a dollar chicken sandwich, forget BK and head to McDonalds, but don't forget to ask for no lettuce or mayo.

Cardboard Chicken at the BK Lounge

There's a reason it's called Burger King, not Chicken King.

Tonight at the BK Lounge in search for a dollar menu item, I made a rather grave and risky decision: I got a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The conversation started as many of mine have in the past few days, "What do you have for a $1?" The employee listed them off and one in particular caught my attention. The Rodeo Burger.....after a brief description of burger, cheese, onion rings and BBQ sauce I decided it sounded like a $1 stomach ache so I passed.

Their menu is "extensive" however the Spicy Chicken Sandwich is the only item that seemed decent.

I pulled through the window, paid my dollar and was handed a tiny little brown bag with what appeared to be a chicken sandwich inside.

I unwrapped and much to my dismay there was lettuce and mayo on with the chicken. (This, I believe is a strange combination). The picture above looks delightful doesn't it? Don't be fooled. The lettuce wasn't entirely green and was cut into huge chunks. the mayo was slopped on all over the place and the "chicken" was sliding over to the side trying desperately to hang on to the bun.

Speaking of the "chicken"....I'm not sure it was chicken as it was about the size of my fist and it was as thick as 6 pieces of notebook paper. Trust me, this chicken was thin. As I examined it a little more closely I almost backed out, I didn't want to go through with it. But, I had too.

So....it tasted like a spicy piece of cardboard coated in mayo and topped with lettuce. The chicken was smaller than the bun (which wasn't very big as it is) and I was able to pull the bun apart and get rid of the excess bun along with mayo/lettuce.

I ended up choking the whole thing down, but I wasn't too thrilled. I would have rather ate my dollar.

Overpriced Kernal, Right Priced Taco

It's been about 10 years since I last visited KFC.

They are just a weird concept. Their mascot is an old Kernel, they really only serve deep fried chicken (on the bone), and the whole "bucket" thing seems to have died in the 90s.

I was anxious to try something on their "value menu" as I had a feeling it wouldn't be any more than a tiny drumstick. I pulled quickly into the drive thru, ready to order. As I glanced over the menu again and again my jaw dropped in shock......they don't have anything for a $1. What's most interesting is their lack of involvement in providing options at a value price, when all of their competition is. How can they continue to compete without some real, affordable options.

Their cheapest menu choice was a Chicken Snack Wrap for $1.19. I was tempted, but it would have been completely against my goal so I had to reverse out of the drive thru and move on.

Conveniently, Taco Bell was just down the road.

We all know that Taco Bell offers a great number of options all for under a $1. Their Value Menu is fairly extensive with prices starting at 79cents. The cheap cheap options weren't for me though as one of them was just a "cheese wrap" (yes that's shredded cheese rolled up in a tortilla shell).

I chose what I believed would be the biggest menu choice for the price of 99cents, the Big Taste Soft Taco: beans, meat, shredded cheese, hot sauce, melted cheese, lettuce and hot red tortilla chips.

It was good, it was spicy and it was well worth the 99cents I spent on it. In fact, it was more spicy and flavorful then the infamous "Volcano Taco". I still could have had about 2 or 3 to truly satisfy my appetite, but for a buck it wasn't bad.

What's the moral of the story?

KFC is behind the rest of the fast food industry and unless you are craving a good ole fashion bucket of fried chicken, you aren't missing anything.

Taco Bell, a poor man's dream. While it's not the highest quality if you're on a budget and you want some spice it's the place to be.

Double for a Dollar

The Dollar Days adventure has officially begun.

Our first stop tonight was at Wendy's. They have been heavily promoting their 99cents options in my area for several weeks now.

Wendy's offers many choices on their Super Value Menu for 99 cents including: Spicy Chicken Go Wrap, Home style Chicken Go Wrap, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, 5 piece Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Double Stack, Value French Fries, and a Value Drink. Let's put it this way - you could get 9 meals for $9. That's about how much one meal costs at Panera.

While in the drive thru tonight my main objective was to get the most food for $1. Therefore I went immediately for the Double Stack (double meat, makes me think more food). However, looks can be deceiving.

When the disgruntled, difficult to understand employee put the burger in the bag it felt a little light when I grabbed it. I didn't care too much because I was still feeling all proud of myself that I got a double cheeseburger for a buck. When I got home though it was a different story.

I unwrapped the burger to find the traditionally cheesy, square burgers mushed together between two buns. I haven't had a Wendy's burger in years but I still haven't forgot it's unique taste and how the burger hangs on the outside of the bun. However it was like a mini version of what I am used to. It could almost be classified as a Jr/Kid burger.

After I was done staring at my dollar Double Stack and thinking how especially small it was, I finally decided to bite in. (Count to 6 right now). I'm done with the burger.

Yes it was short, yes it was juicy, yes it was cheesy and yes it was well worth the buck I spent on it.

Oh, and on the back of my receipt was a coupon (after taking a phone survey) for a Free Frosty Shake, so technically I got a Double Stack and a Frosty Shake for a buck - now that is worth it!

5 Restaurants, 5 Meals, $5

What if you only had $1 a day to spend on food?

Could you do it? Would you want to?

I think it's possible. With all of the dollar menus at every fast food chain in the country, for the first time ever you can get almost an entire meal for $1.

The bigger question - does that $1 meal fill you up, or are you left hungry for more?

This week I'm going to spend $5 on food.....$1 a day. 5 restaurants, 5 meals, $5. I call it Dollar Days and I'll be attempting to get a meal for $1 at the following restaurants: Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, and KFC.

What can you expect: complete coverage of what you can get for a $1 at each restaurant. Is it worth it? Is hunger satisfied? Does it taste good? These are all important questions that will be answered.

What might happen: I might walk away with a small fry and a cup of water if places don't offer an entire meal/entree for $1. This would be tragic.

What we'll know at the end: How far a $1 can take you. If eating out for a $1 can be enjoyable and are you getting what you pay for at fast food restaurants.

Let the Dollar Days begin!

(I hope I don't starve)

Peppermint Round Up

Some final thoughts on peppermint flavors and what else you may want to consider trying:

Peppermint Peeps: WOW these little guys are awesome. They ccontain all of the magical fluff of peeps plus little bits of peppermint candy! Caution - if your not careful you can eat this entire package in one sitting.

Peppermint Ice Cream: Even though I hate to admit it, realistically it's cheaper to buy a gallon of ice cream vs. buying ice cream from a restaurant. If you decide to go this route, grab a tub of Edy's Peppermint Ice cream.....simply the best.

Peppermint Oreos: Oreos are good.....these are even better. For added bonus put them in the freezer for a cold satisfying treat.

Candy Cane Hershey Kisses: After popping one of these in your mouth you will never want a milk chocolate kiss again. White chocolate plus candy cane flavored stripes makes these kisses truly memorable.

It's the Christmas season. It's almost over. You only have a little bit of time left to try all of these great holiday peppermint favorites. Get started now.

Peppermint Twisted Starbucks Heaven

It's something about the holiday season that makes Starbucks suddenly seem worth it.

Maybe it's because they have red holiday cups.
Maybe it's because it's a little cooler out and we feel the need to "warm up."
Or, maybe it's simply because they start heavily promoting peppermint flavored drinks.

About 3 years ago I wouldn't come within 15 feet of coffee or Starbucks. Then I was handed a Starbucks gift card for Christmas one year and I figured it was worth a try. I didn't like coffee so I tried to find the sweetest non-coffee tasting drink they had.....I stumbled upon the Peppermint Mocha.

After a few sips I concluded that it tasted, "chalky" and I didn't order it again.

As I continued to use my gift card up I became more chatty with the baristas and shared my feelings about the Peppermint Mocha. She told me she agreed and suggested I try a Peppermint WHITE Mocha (it wasn't on their menu board at the time). I gave it a try and at my first sip I became addicted.

Now, 3 years later and significantly poorer I have for the most part given up on having Starbucks very frequently...I might have it once a month at the very most.

Today however in celebration of all things peppermint I somehow managed to dig up the $4 it would take to relive a long lost fantasy of Peppermint White Mocha's

As I strolled into my local Starbucks today I was greeted by the overwhelming holiday cheer, overpriced stocking stuffers and stacks upon stacks of those famous red holiday edition cups.

I glanced over the menu and a new drink stuck out like a sore thumb: Peppermint White Mocha Twist.

My heart gasped, my jaw dropped and my legs quivered. What is this? A Peppermint Twisty thing? Is it really something new, or just a marketing attempt at re-inventing what they already had to make it seem sexy again?

I asked the barista - what's the difference between the regular Peppermint White Mocha and the Peppermint White Mocha Twist. His response....."Nothing really except the Twist has peppermint whipped cream and peppermint chocolate chunks sprinkled on top."

GASP.

I'll take one.

The rather jolly sidekick barista chimed in after seeing the joy on my face, "Do you want extra peppermint whipped cream?"

I nodded quickly.

It came out on the landing deck and I took a slow and enjoyable sip. Oh ya, this is good. The peppermint chocolate chunks had melted every so slightly over the whipped cream and the rich creamy sensation of white mocha, peppermint, and whipped cream were mixed together beautifully.

The bottom was the best. Somehow the chunks and whipped cream kinda hung out until the very end and the last sip was freakin awesome.

Here's the good news. This drink isn't a "limited time offer". Starbucks always has the peppermint syrup, I don't know if they will make the peppermint whipped cream year round....but otherwise you can enjoy this Christmas drink in July.

If you're going to go do it though, go all the way and get extra whipped cream!

Oh Come All Ye Peppermint Blizzard Fans

Let's make this simple.

Peppermint pieces, ice cream, chocolate chunks, and peppermint syrup. That, my friends are the ingredients of a holy holiday treat from Dairy Queen.....The Peppermint Chip Blizzard.

The Blizzard of the Month is always exciting. But the rest of them might as well sit and melt in the corner compared to this peppermint flavored bad boy. Hands down it's the tastiest most satisfying Blizzard DQ has ever created.

I knew it was about that time of the month when DQ unleashed their new Blizzard, however I haven't been to DQ since my last pumpkin extravaganza. Two nights ago something unbelievable happen, my wife surprised me with the Peppermint Blizzard at home.

As I looked into the creamy depth of pink ice cream, chunks of chocolate and crushed up peppermint I couldn't help but whisper a short prayer of thanks that the season had finally come.

Specifically though, what is it about the Peppermint Chip Blizzard that makes it stand out from the rest? Simply put - its the perfect combination of flavors. No other Blizzard is able to create a flavor sensation like this one. It's like a peppermint parade in your mouth.

The most tragic news of all is that it's only available for, "a limited time." Celebrate the season now and give your taste buds the best holiday treat I have found so far...

Candy Cane Hot Chocolate

I'm not sure 711 counts as a restaurant.

Well, maybe it does because I see people getting their lunch there all they time. They have deli sandwiches, strange meat products on the grill and of course......Slurpee's.

Every now and then, 711 does something that I find truly wonderful - they give free samples. Usually it's of their new disgusting Slurpee flavor....like "cappuccino"

Traditionally when I am stopping by my local 711, I'm on a mission and I'm not distracted by their attempts to get me to buy $2 for 2 hot dogs or those tempting donuts in the clear case.

However, on a recent visit I found something I couldn't resist.......Candy Cane Hot Chocolate.

Much to my surprise they had free sample cups (about 1oz) to the side. Making sure my wife wasn't looking I grabbed one of the sample cups and watched the WHITE hot Candy Cane cocoa come pouring out of the nozzle. As it came bubbling up to the top it started spilling over and got all over my hands, but I didn't care. I have never seen white hot chocolate before that also happened to be candy cane flavored and my heart was racing.

I sip the sample down and soon realize that 711 is amazing. They are the experts at processed food and drinks. They have created some irresistible, classic holiday favorite straight out of a machine. It tastes just as good as something I would spend $4 on at Starbucks.

After I finished my sample, I got another sample cup and had another taste.....just as good as the first. These stupid free samples were started to convince me that I needed to buy a cup of this now.

I pass the sample cup to my wife and she agrees that it's, "Freakin good". I took her response as permission to buy a whole cup. When I got to the counter the employee kindly charged me for a "refill" so it only cost me $1.06 with tax. (Boo ya)

The magic of this drink is that it's delicate white hot chocolate with a small hint of candy cane/peppermint flavoring. Trust me it's worth a stop at 711.....even if you don't need gas.

All I Want for Christmas....

....is more Peppermint food and drinks.

The Christmas season is by far one of the best times of the year. People are nicer, there are sweet sales at every store in town, lights are hung form neighborhood houses, you get to spend time with family, and most importantly......you get to eat.....really awesome never ending food.

For some unknown reason most of America associates the Christmas season with peppermint flavored products: Candy Canes, Mint M&M's, Peppermint Bark, and the list goes on and on.

I'm sucker for all of this as peppermint is one of my favorite flavors of all time. I adore anything peppermint, especially around Christmas time. Restaurants, in beat with what everyone else is doing create all kinds of seasonal peppermint products and that I simply can't resist. Chick-Fil-A started it all with their Peppermint Shake a few weeks ago.

Therefore I have made it my mission to consume as much peppermint as I possibly can. I'm willing to try almost anything because I love it all. The next week I'm going to focus strictly on only peppermint food and drinks.

It's quite likely this will be the best week of my life. (Let me know if there is anything out there you have seen that you think I need to give a try).