Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/623197
ByCandiceChoi TheAssociatedPress NEW YORK Another price fight is breaking out among the country's biggest burger chains, this time with meal combos designed to make people forget about the once ubiquitous dollar menus. The new "bundled offers" show how hungry McDon- ald's, Burger King and Wen- dy's are to win over deal seekers, and how quickly a popular idea gets copied in the fast-food industry. The latest trend on the value front popped up in late 2015 after Wendy's rolled out a "4 for $4 deal," which includes a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, small fries and a small drink. This week, Burger King followed with a similar "5 for $4" deal, and McDon- ald's introduced a "McPick 2 for $2" deal to kick off the new year. "People look at what other folks are doing, and if they think they're getting trac- tion, they say we need to do a version of that," said Tony Pace, former chief market- ing officer at Subway who now runs a marketing con- sulting firm. Though typically not big profit generators, promo- tional deals can steer people in the door who might not have stopped in otherwise. And chains do their best to make sure regulars stick to the pricier meals they usu- ally order. At a New York City McDonald's, an em- ployee said she was told not to suggest the $2-for-2 deal, but wait for people to order it on their own. The additional food tacked onto those bundled orders helps drive up sales as well. That's what hap- pened when Burger King tested its "5 for $4" deal in recent months, said Alex Macedo, who heads the chain's North America busi- ness. "We believe it's going to be very profitable for fran- chisees," Macedo said in a phone interview. The new deals come af- ter fast-food chains strug- gled to raise prices on value menus without scaring off customers, even as com- modity costs rise. McDonald's shifted from its hugely popular Dollar Menu to a "Dollar Menu and More" that featured a range of prices. Steve East- erbrook, who took over as CEO this past March, con- ceded the company's fail- ure to come up with an ad- equate replacement for the Dollar Menu has hurt sales. The company said deal seekers still make up about 15 percent of the industry. For now, McDonald's said the "McPick 2 for $2" will run for five weeks, and that the details of the McPick offer will evolve over time. Burger King and Wendy's haven't said when their lim- ited-time offers will end. PRICE WARS It'sacombomealfoodfight PHOTOSBYCANDICECHOI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A "5for $4" deal at a Burger King restaurant. A "McPick 2for $2" deal at a McDonald's restaurant. A "4for $4deal," at a Wendy's restaurant. Fa st f oo d r es ta ur an ts di tc h d ol la r m en us f or n ew l in eu p o f d ea ls "P eo pl e lo ok a t w ha t ot her f ol ks ar e d o in g, an d i f t he y th in k t he y' re ge tt in g tr ac ti on , th ey s ay w e ne ed t o d o a v er si on of th at ." — T on y P ac e, f or me r chi ef m ar ket in g o ffic er a t Su bw ay By Michelle Locke The Associated Press Think bourbon is hot? It's got nothing on baijiu. Yet chances are good you haven't even heard of bai- jiu, the high proof, pungent, spicy, savory, sweet tradi- tional liquor of China. It packs a fiery punch. It also happens to be the world's best-selling liquor by vol- ume, a drink with a pedi- gree stretching back cen- turies, and was poured to toast the warming of U.S.- Sino relations during Nix- on's historic 1972 visit. Now, producers are mak- ing diplomatic overtures to an entirely new audience — the U.S. craft cocktail scene. "We feel that it has in- credible potential," says Yuan Liu, senior vice pres- ident of business develop- ment for Los Angeles-based CNS Imports, the largest importer/distributor of bai- jiu in United States. Baijiu is sorghum-based, though it also can contain wheat, rice and corn. An it's not a uniform product; it's a class of spirits with many categories. Think whiskey with its range from smoky Scotch to mellow bourbon. But unlike whiskey, which is fermented in a liquid state, baijiu is more or less dry fermented inside in- ground pits. It then is steam distilled several times in goose-neck stills, aged in massive terra cotta vessels, then finally blended (itself a complex and labor-inten- sive process.) It generally is bottled at around100or120proof(well above the typical 80 proof for vodka, gin, etc.) and is classed by aroma, such as "light," "rice," "strong" and "sauce"—labelswhicharen't all that helpful to Western- ers. Typical reactions from first-timers are that it smells and tastes like blue cheese, mushroom or soy sauce — not the most alluring de- scriptors. "This is not a spirit you can just pour into a mar- tini glass and enjoy," says New York bartender Orson Salicetti. But introduced more gen- tlyas partofacocktail?That can work, says Salicetti, co- founder of the Lumos bar, which focuses on the Chi- nese spirit and has a menu of more than 60 baijiu cock- tails. Salicetti was intro- duced to baijiu by his archi- tect partner Qifan Li and re- alizedbaijiuwouldbeagreat way to stand out in a city awash with specialty bars. A popular option at Lu- mos is the "sesame colada," which includes caramelized pineapple juice, white ses- ame paste and agave syrup. There's also the goji baijiu punch, consisting of goji-in- fused HKB baijiu, mezcal, pink grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup and or- ange bitters. Lumoscarriesafullrange of baijiu, including the No. 1 brand, Kweichow Moutai, recognizable by its distinc- tive packaging of a white bottle with a red and gold la- bel. Other major players in- clude Wu Liang Ye and Shui Jing Fang. A newer brand is HKB, designed with cock- tails in mind and bottled at a relatively mild 86 proof. There also is a U.S.-pro- duced baijiu, from Vinn, a distillery just south of Port- land, Oregon. Most of the $23 billion baijiu market stays in China, though there's been grow- ing interest in exporting. Most of the baijiu imported to the United States goes to Chinese restaurants and shops. But about two years ago, CNS Imports decided to expand their reach. "We looked at each other and said, 'Why aren't we intro- ducing this category of spir- its to people outside the Chi- nese community?'" said Liu. They've moved slowly, introducing the spirit to bartenders and learning, from experience, to work with rather than mask the unique flavors. "Instead of trying to mask the spirit and make it into something it isn't, like vodka, they're essentially creating and building a cocktail around the spirit," says Liu. Clearly, there's a push to raise the profile of baijiu in the West. Whether it will be successful is another story. Baijiu has an exotic appeal which is both a weakness and a strength, says Jim Boyce, who blogs about Beijing nightlife at beijing- boyce.com. "Baiju is such a novelty and that's going to be its challenge, going from 'Yes, I tried it once and it's interesting,' to something people buy regularly or even stock at home." Chinese traditionalists wouldn't dream of drink- ing baijiu anything but neat and in very small glasses, which is how Kathy Fang serves it at her family's FANG restaurant in San Francisco's bustling SOMA district. Meant to go with food, baijiu pairs well with savory bites, such as Fang's fried pork confit eggrolls, and it's been a surprising hit with tech workers who tend to be open to new tastes, says Fang. "If you tell them it's re- ally strong like moonshine they're even more like, 'Oh, I want to try,'" says Fang. DRINKS Chinese liquor baijiu takes a shot at US cocktail scene http://www.lumosnyc.com/ http://www.cnsimports. com/ http://www.fangrestaurant. com/ ONTHEWEB MATTHEW MEAD — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kweichow Moutai baijiu, Hong Kong Baijiu, and Jian Nan Chun Chiew baijiu are shown. Baijiu is a high proof, pungent, spicy, savory, sweet traditional liquor of China. RICHARD DREW — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS As the No. 1liquor in China, the powerful spirit, has always been big. But now it's also showing up in the United States as bartenders explore its nuances and experiment with it as a cocktail base. C a l l 8 7 7- 4 D A D 4 11 o r v i s i t w w w . f a t h e r h o o d . g o v be a dad today. Take time to Thankyou! PLEASERECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Open7Daysaweek:4amto10pm (530) 727-6057 •DozenDonuts (mixed) $8.99 "The best donut in town!" Baked Fresh Daily SeniorDiscount BreakfastCroissantSandwich Sausage, Ham or Bacon Includes sm. coffee, or any other drink $ 4.99 218 S. Main Street, Red Bluff 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant 365-7194 or 365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 6, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4