"McDonald's Launches Vegan Ice Cream Revolution: Dairy-Free Dessert Fans Rejoice!"
"McD's Dumps IBM's Drive-Thru AI: Robot Ordering Fiasco Ends, Google Deal Looms!"
"Supermac's Slays Goliath: Irish Chain Snatches 'Big Mac' Trademark from McDonald's in EU Chicken Fight!"
"Fantasy Football Loser's McDonald's Punishment: 8-Hour Eating Marathon Goes Viral!"
"Lights Out for Iconic Hollywood Arby's: 55-Year Sunset Strip Fixture Shutters Amid Wage Hike Woes!"
"Whataburger's Solstice Surprise: Free Iced Coffee Fuels Longest Day of the Year Frenzy!"
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"McD's Dumps IBM's Drive-Thru AI: Robot Ordering Fiasco Ends, Google Deal Looms!"
"Supermac's Slays Goliath: Irish Chain Snatches 'Big Mac' Trademark from McDonald's in EU Chicken Fight!"
"Fantasy Football Loser's McDonald's Punishment: 8-Hour Eating Marathon Goes Viral!"
"Lights Out for Iconic Hollywood Arby's: 55-Year Sunset Strip Fixture Shutters Amid Wage Hike Woes!"
"Whataburger's Solstice Surprise: Free Iced Coffee Fuels Longest Day of the Year Frenzy!"
Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!
Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!
We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping?
Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and sign up for our newsletter here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This episode, along with hundreds ofothers from Caloroga Shark Media, is available
without commercials. Just look for thebanner on your Apple podcast app to subscribe
and try it free for a month. Caloroga Shark Media. Welcome back to
(00:21):
the Weekly Mac, your ultimate sourcefor the juiciest fast food news. I'm
your host, Mac Davies, andWe've got a jam packed show for you
today, filled with exciting updates fromyour favorite fast food chains. First up,
two new ice cream treats on offerat select McDonald's testing locations have peaked
the interest of the fast food chainsfans. The treats in question are notable
(00:43):
because they both contain the Vegan Approvedstamp from the Vegetarian Society. According to
product listings on the McDonald's website,the new vegan ice cream comes in two
flavors, chocolate and strawberry. Thefast food restaurant says each flavor is deliciously
smooth and creamy, a description thatmany fans who tested out the new ice
(01:03):
cream seem to agree with while sharingtheir opinions online. For now, those
who can access the new products fortesting will be limited to those who live
in or are visiting the United Kingdom, as the vegan treats are currently only
available at locations within select UK markets. According to eat This not that as.
One Reddit user who writes about veganfood explained, the new McDonald's items
(01:26):
are a cross between soft serve andregular ice cream. The reddit user said
they were so impressed by the productand compared the chocolate flavor in particular to
Swedish Glaze's chocolate ice cream, thoughthey noted the texture isn't the same.
Another Reddit user said it was atotal surprise to them to see the vegan
(01:46):
ice cream available to order. Theywent on to describe the very tasty chocolate
flavor as a cold chocolate mouse thatscratched the itch as their friends ordered mcflurry
treats. Others who commented on thereddit thread were excite to learn that McDonald's
was trying something new to appeal tocustomers who can't or prefer not to eat
dairy. Be nice to not feelleft out when everyone else is having a
(02:07):
flurry lol, one person road asAnother celebrated the exciting news. It's good
to see a large company trialing anew vegan product, not been many of
them recently. Another person commented fornow. It's unclear if or when McDonald's
will bring the new frozen treat stateside, though American fans would likely be eager
(02:28):
to test them out and share theirtwo cents on the flavors in other McDonald's
news. If your local restaurant hasbeen getting your order confidently wrong with an
AI chatbot at the drive through,I have good news for you. The
company is ending the program for now. The company told franchisees that it's winding
down an AI drive through ordering partnershipwith IBM no later than July twenty sixth,
(02:49):
twenty twenty four. According to tradepublication Restaurant Business, the company will
reportedly remove the tech from the overone hundred restaurants it's been testing the system
in after partnering with IBM in twentytwenty one. It's not clear why the
company is ending the IBM deal,though it told Restaurant Business it was testing
whether the voice ordering chatbot could speedup service and that the test left it
(03:13):
confident that a voice ordering solution fordrive through will be part of our restaurant's
future. A potential option could involvethe company's vague announcement of a Google deal
in December, Bloomberg reported that thedeal was partly for a chatbot named ask
Pickles that employees could use for guidanceon things like cleaning ice cream machines.
(03:34):
Even so, Google partnered with Wendy's, which started testing drive through AI based
on its tech last year and hassince expanded that trial. Fast food companies
in general are hungry for AI.Whitecastle has been testing AI provided by speech
recognition company SoundHound, and Carl's Juniorparties and others use an AI drive through
chatbot that an SEC filing revealed wasunderpinned by remote human workers in the Philippines
(04:00):
most of the time. Whatever McDonald'sdoes with drive through AI, that's only
part of the story when it comesto its efforts to automate previously human performed
tasks. The company also offers thingslike mobile ordering and in store kiosks,
and has tested drone deliveries, kitchenrobots, and weird AI hiring tools.
Meanwhile, McDonald's no longer has theexclusive right to use the label Big Mac
(04:25):
in reference to Chickenbergers sold in theEuropean Union, after a ruling by the
EU's highest court. The American fastfood chain popularized the nickname for large burger
sandwiches, registering it as a trademarkin the EU in nineteen ninety six,
but following a legal challenge from Supermacs, a rival chain in Ireland, other
companies will now be free to usethe name Mac to sell poultry products or
(04:49):
in their chain's names. The EuropeanCourt of Justice found that McDonald's could not
show it had made genuine use ofthe trademark for a continuous period of five
years. McDonald's loses the EU trademarkBig Mac in respect of poultry products.
The judges ruled. McDonald's noted ina statement that the court's decision did not
(05:10):
affect its right to use the BigMac trademark, but it does open the
door for other chains to use thename, including SuperMac, the firm that
brought the challenge. SuperMac, foundedin nineteen seventy eight in Galway, sells
beef and chicken burgers and chicken nuggetsat one hundred and twenty red and white
branded outlets across Ireland. It hasbeen embroiled in a seven year legal battle
(05:33):
with the US chain over the rightto use brand terms including Mac. Supermac's
managing director Pat McDonough said the rulingdisplayed a common sense approach to the use
of trademarks by large multinationals. Supermaxaccuses McDonald's of bullying smaller firms through the
defense of its trademarks, aiming tostifle competition. The dispute goes back to
(05:58):
twenty seventeen, when McDonald's blocked misterMcDonough from registering Supermax as a trademark to
pave the way for expansion outside Ireland. Mister McDonagh countered that McDonald's was not
using its trademark for restaurants, soother firms should not be blocked from using
the term Mac in their names.We knew when we took on this battle
(06:18):
that it was a David versus Goliathscenario, McDonough said. We wholeheartedly welcome
this judgment as a vindication of smallbusinesses everywhere that stand up to powerful global
entities. McDonald said, our iconicBig Mac is loved by customers all across
Europe and we're excited to continue toproudly serve local communities as we have done
(06:39):
for decades. The chain did notsay whether it planned to appeal against the
decision. The ECJ's ruling revokes McDonald'strademark for restaurants and for poultry products,
retaining it only in reference to thered meat burghers it originally referred to.
Supermax remains in dispute with McDonald's overthe trademark in the UK, since post
(07:00):
Brexit EU trademark law no longer appliesin the UK. More in a moment
in fantasy football news, managers ofleagues have some new inspiration as to what
their last place prize should be nextseason. Joe Dillon, a college football
(07:23):
and draft analyst for Believe, wentviral on x after he said he was
forced to eat his way through theMcDonald's menu as punishment for losing his fantasy
football league. Dileon documented the experienceover the eight hours it took him to
eat enough food to leave the restaurantas according to the rules of the league.
The saga gained more and more interactionas DeLeon documented the pitfalls of the
(07:44):
experience, such as the result ofordering a dozen Hash Browns at once while
struggling through his multiple breakfasts. DeLeon also did multiple media hits from the
McDonald's. It was just cool tosee how everyone was supporting this because it's
just a fun, stupid thing todo in the off season. Delione said
after completing the challenge. Definitely wasstupid, though, I'm gonna go lay
(08:05):
down. Managers have eighty two daysto devise creative fantasy punishments of their own
before the twenty twenty four NFL seasonkicks off on September fifth with an AFC
Championship Game rematch between the Baltimore Ravensand Kansas City Chiefs. Sadly, one
of the most recognizable neon signs inHollywood has gone dark forever. The Rby's
(08:28):
Roast Beef restaurant at fifty nine totwenty Sunset Boulevard closed on Saturday after fifty
five years in business. Customers arrivedto find workers covering the windows and doors
with plywood and a message reading farewell, Hollywood, thank you for fifty five
great years. Since it opened onJanuary fifth, nineteen sixty nine, the
Arby's had just one owner, MarilynLevidon, who is now ninety one years
(08:52):
old. Leviton told KTLA five News, located less than a block from the
restaurant, that she had been strugglingto stay open for years. Truth is,
I think it was the pandemic thatdid us in. I really feel
we would have closed during the pandemicif it weren't for the federal loans,
she said. Other factors Leveton saidincluded California's recent law boosting the minimum wage
(09:15):
for fast food workers from sixteen dollarsto twenty dollars an hour, and equipment
upgrades required by Arby's corporate headquarters.I'm awfully sorry that it came to this.
I think we did a good jobfor fifty five years, said Leveton.
KTLA reached out to Arby's for comment, but did not receive a response.
(09:35):
Critics of California's new minimum wage law, including many in the quick service
restaurant industry, have derided it asbad for business and customers. Restaurants have
responded by increasing menu prices and insome cases, laying off employees. In
December twenty twenty three, four monthsbefore the law took effect, two large
pizza hut operators eliminated all of theirdelivery drivers. Rubio's Coast Grill, the
(10:01):
San Diego based Mexican food chain thatintroduced the fish taco to millions of Americans,
recently shuttered forty eight California locations,citing the rising cost of doing business.
Finally, What a Burger is celebratingthe Summer Solstice, or the first
day of summer today with free icedcoffee. On Thursday, June twentieth,
(10:22):
Whataburger will give out free sixteen ounceiced coffee to visitors from six am to
six pm in local time zones tocommemorate the longest day of the year,
the fast food company said in apress release, adding that the customers can
either enjoy it black or customize itjust like you like it with one of
their three new flavors, Vanilla,caramel or mocha. Whataburger fans can caffeinate
(10:46):
their way through the day with themost sunlight. What a Burger said.
What a Burger said its new icedcoffee is made with a premium blend of
one hundred percent Arabicabeans from Columbia,Honduras, and Nicaragua, giving it the
bold aroma of dark roast coffee.It has a vibrant finish with nutty,
smoky toasted flavor, notes. Thecompany added. Whataburger customers can claim their
(11:09):
complimentary iced coffee in store at theirlocations across fifteen states at the drive through
online at whataburger dot com or viathe Whataburger app for pickup or delivery.
The offer is not valid on thirdparty delivery apps. The company said.
New Whataburger app users can also availa free Whataburger and other exclusive offers when
(11:30):
they sign up the Whataburger and createa new account. Happy travels and Happy
Eating. The Weekly Mac is acalorogus Shark Media Production Executive producers Mark Francis
and John McDermott. Portions of thispodcast may have been created with the assistance of AI
This episode, along with hundreds ofothers from Caloroga Shark Media, is available
without commercials. Just look for thebanner on your Apple podcast app to subscribe
and try it free for a month. Caloroga Shark Media. Welcome back to
(00:21):
the Weekly Mac, your ultimate sourcefor the juiciest fast food news. I'm
your host, Mac Davies, andWe've got a jam packed show for you
today, filled with exciting updates fromyour favorite fast food chains. First up,
two new ice cream treats on offerat select McDonald's testing locations have peaked
the interest of the fast food chainsfans. The treats in question are notable
(00:43):
because they both contain the Vegan Approvedstamp from the Vegetarian Society. According to
product listings on the McDonald's website,the new vegan ice cream comes in two
flavors, chocolate and strawberry. Thefast food restaurant says each flavor is deliciously
smooth and creamy, a description thatmany fans who tested out the new ice
(01:03):
cream seem to agree with while sharingtheir opinions online. For now, those
who can access the new products fortesting will be limited to those who live
in or are visiting the United Kingdom, as the vegan treats are currently only
available at locations within select UK markets. According to eat This not that as.
One Reddit user who writes about veganfood explained, the new McDonald's items
(01:26):
are a cross between soft serve andregular ice cream. The reddit user said
they were so impressed by the productand compared the chocolate flavor in particular to
Swedish Glaze's chocolate ice cream, thoughthey noted the texture isn't the same.
Another Reddit user said it was atotal surprise to them to see the vegan
(01:46):
ice cream available to order. Theywent on to describe the very tasty chocolate
flavor as a cold chocolate mouse thatscratched the itch as their friends ordered mcflurry
treats. Others who commented on thereddit thread were excite to learn that McDonald's
was trying something new to appeal tocustomers who can't or prefer not to eat
dairy. Be nice to not feelleft out when everyone else is having a
(02:07):
flurry lol, one person road asAnother celebrated the exciting news. It's good
to see a large company trialing anew vegan product, not been many of
them recently. Another person commented fornow. It's unclear if or when McDonald's
will bring the new frozen treat stateside, though American fans would likely be eager
(02:28):
to test them out and share theirtwo cents on the flavors in other McDonald's
news. If your local restaurant hasbeen getting your order confidently wrong with an
AI chatbot at the drive through,I have good news for you. The
company is ending the program for now. The company told franchisees that it's winding
down an AI drive through ordering partnershipwith IBM no later than July twenty sixth,
(02:49):
twenty twenty four. According to tradepublication Restaurant Business, the company will
reportedly remove the tech from the overone hundred restaurants it's been testing the system
in after partnering with IBM in twentytwenty one. It's not clear why the
company is ending the IBM deal,though it told Restaurant Business it was testing
whether the voice ordering chatbot could speedup service and that the test left it
(03:13):
confident that a voice ordering solution fordrive through will be part of our restaurant's
future. A potential option could involvethe company's vague announcement of a Google deal
in December, Bloomberg reported that thedeal was partly for a chatbot named ask
Pickles that employees could use for guidanceon things like cleaning ice cream machines.
(03:34):
Even so, Google partnered with Wendy's, which started testing drive through AI based
on its tech last year and hassince expanded that trial. Fast food companies
in general are hungry for AI.Whitecastle has been testing AI provided by speech
recognition company SoundHound, and Carl's Juniorparties and others use an AI drive through
chatbot that an SEC filing revealed wasunderpinned by remote human workers in the Philippines
(04:00):
most of the time. Whatever McDonald'sdoes with drive through AI, that's only
part of the story when it comesto its efforts to automate previously human performed
tasks. The company also offers thingslike mobile ordering and in store kiosks,
and has tested drone deliveries, kitchenrobots, and weird AI hiring tools.
Meanwhile, McDonald's no longer has theexclusive right to use the label Big Mac
(04:25):
in reference to Chickenbergers sold in theEuropean Union, after a ruling by the
EU's highest court. The American fastfood chain popularized the nickname for large burger
sandwiches, registering it as a trademarkin the EU in nineteen ninety six,
but following a legal challenge from Supermacs, a rival chain in Ireland, other
companies will now be free to usethe name Mac to sell poultry products or
(04:49):
in their chain's names. The EuropeanCourt of Justice found that McDonald's could not
show it had made genuine use ofthe trademark for a continuous period of five
years. McDonald's loses the EU trademarkBig Mac in respect of poultry products.
The judges ruled. McDonald's noted ina statement that the court's decision did not
(05:10):
affect its right to use the BigMac trademark, but it does open the
door for other chains to use thename, including SuperMac, the firm that
brought the challenge. SuperMac, foundedin nineteen seventy eight in Galway, sells
beef and chicken burgers and chicken nuggetsat one hundred and twenty red and white
branded outlets across Ireland. It hasbeen embroiled in a seven year legal battle
(05:33):
with the US chain over the rightto use brand terms including Mac. Supermac's
managing director Pat McDonough said the rulingdisplayed a common sense approach to the use
of trademarks by large multinationals. Supermaxaccuses McDonald's of bullying smaller firms through the
defense of its trademarks, aiming tostifle competition. The dispute goes back to
(05:58):
twenty seventeen, when McDonald's blocked misterMcDonough from registering Supermax as a trademark to
pave the way for expansion outside Ireland. Mister McDonagh countered that McDonald's was not
using its trademark for restaurants, soother firms should not be blocked from using
the term Mac in their names.We knew when we took on this battle
(06:18):
that it was a David versus Goliathscenario, McDonough said. We wholeheartedly welcome
this judgment as a vindication of smallbusinesses everywhere that stand up to powerful global
entities. McDonald said, our iconicBig Mac is loved by customers all across
Europe and we're excited to continue toproudly serve local communities as we have done
(06:39):
for decades. The chain did notsay whether it planned to appeal against the
decision. The ECJ's ruling revokes McDonald'strademark for restaurants and for poultry products,
retaining it only in reference to thered meat burghers it originally referred to.
Supermax remains in dispute with McDonald's overthe trademark in the UK, since post
(07:00):
Brexit EU trademark law no longer appliesin the UK. More in a moment
in fantasy football news, managers ofleagues have some new inspiration as to what
their last place prize should be nextseason. Joe Dillon, a college football
(07:23):
and draft analyst for Believe, wentviral on x after he said he was
forced to eat his way through theMcDonald's menu as punishment for losing his fantasy
football league. Dileon documented the experienceover the eight hours it took him to
eat enough food to leave the restaurantas according to the rules of the league.
The saga gained more and more interactionas DeLeon documented the pitfalls of the
(07:44):
experience, such as the result ofordering a dozen Hash Browns at once while
struggling through his multiple breakfasts. DeLeon also did multiple media hits from the
McDonald's. It was just cool tosee how everyone was supporting this because it's
just a fun, stupid thing todo in the off season. Delione said
after completing the challenge. Definitely wasstupid, though, I'm gonna go lay
(08:05):
down. Managers have eighty two daysto devise creative fantasy punishments of their own
before the twenty twenty four NFL seasonkicks off on September fifth with an AFC
Championship Game rematch between the Baltimore Ravensand Kansas City Chiefs. Sadly, one
of the most recognizable neon signs inHollywood has gone dark forever. The Rby's
(08:28):
Roast Beef restaurant at fifty nine totwenty Sunset Boulevard closed on Saturday after fifty
five years in business. Customers arrivedto find workers covering the windows and doors
with plywood and a message reading farewell, Hollywood, thank you for fifty five
great years. Since it opened onJanuary fifth, nineteen sixty nine, the
Arby's had just one owner, MarilynLevidon, who is now ninety one years
(08:52):
old. Leviton told KTLA five News, located less than a block from the
restaurant, that she had been strugglingto stay open for years. Truth is,
I think it was the pandemic thatdid us in. I really feel
we would have closed during the pandemicif it weren't for the federal loans,
she said. Other factors Leveton saidincluded California's recent law boosting the minimum wage
(09:15):
for fast food workers from sixteen dollarsto twenty dollars an hour, and equipment
upgrades required by Arby's corporate headquarters.I'm awfully sorry that it came to this.
I think we did a good jobfor fifty five years, said Leveton.
KTLA reached out to Arby's for comment, but did not receive a response.
(09:35):
Critics of California's new minimum wage law, including many in the quick service
restaurant industry, have derided it asbad for business and customers. Restaurants have
responded by increasing menu prices and insome cases, laying off employees. In
December twenty twenty three, four monthsbefore the law took effect, two large
pizza hut operators eliminated all of theirdelivery drivers. Rubio's Coast Grill, the
(10:01):
San Diego based Mexican food chain thatintroduced the fish taco to millions of Americans,
recently shuttered forty eight California locations,citing the rising cost of doing business.
Finally, What a Burger is celebratingthe Summer Solstice, or the first
day of summer today with free icedcoffee. On Thursday, June twentieth,
(10:22):
Whataburger will give out free sixteen ounceiced coffee to visitors from six am to
six pm in local time zones tocommemorate the longest day of the year,
the fast food company said in apress release, adding that the customers can
either enjoy it black or customize itjust like you like it with one of
their three new flavors, Vanilla,caramel or mocha. Whataburger fans can caffeinate
(10:46):
their way through the day with themost sunlight. What a Burger said.
What a Burger said its new icedcoffee is made with a premium blend of
one hundred percent Arabicabeans from Columbia,Honduras, and Nicaragua, giving it the
bold aroma of dark roast coffee.It has a vibrant finish with nutty,
smoky toasted flavor, notes. Thecompany added. Whataburger customers can claim their
(11:09):
complimentary iced coffee in store at theirlocations across fifteen states at the drive through
online at whataburger dot com or viathe Whataburger app for pickup or delivery.
The offer is not valid on thirdparty delivery apps. The company said.
New Whataburger app users can also availa free Whataburger and other exclusive offers when
(11:30):
they sign up the Whataburger and createa new account. Happy travels and Happy
Eating. The Weekly Mac is acalorogus Shark Media Production Executive producers Mark Francis
and John McDermott. Portions of thispodcast may have been created with the assistance of AI
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