# Is this the summer of fast food bacon or something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2015, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561 "2015-07-08T09:53:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/1 "2015-07-08T09:53:39Z")
Taco Bell, Arby’s, and Wendy’s are all advertising bacon related special items. What the hell is going on? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/2 "2015-07-08T09:56:24Z")
[Bacon.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/3 "2015-07-08T10:37:15Z")
Don’t forget Little Caesars. They have a pepperoni and bacon pan pizza completely wrapped around the edge with 3 1/2 feet of bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/4 "2015-07-08T13:15:30Z")
Someone at Fast Food Marketing, Inc found the internet from 2010? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/5 "2015-07-08T13:30:24Z")
Beef has gotten really expensive? ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/6 "2015-07-08T13:43:40Z")
It’s trendy, and they all copy each other. Remember last year, when pretzel buns were all the rage and most fast food joints had them? ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/7 "2015-07-08T13:47:48Z")
And they’re always looking for new things to do with pizza. Tom Siedell said it’s a crisis that we may be running out of things to put into a pizza crust. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/8 "2015-07-08T16:12:51Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Beef has gotten really expensive? Maybe bacon has gotten cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/9 "2015-07-08T16:33:04Z")
7-11 has bacon-wrapped hot dogs as well. Last year, the trendy item was pretzel rolls (hamburgers, bagels, etc. with the look & taste of a soft-baked pretzel). This year, it’s bacon. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/10 "2015-07-08T17:05:36Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Someone at Fast Food Marketing, Inc found the internet from 2010? That’s what I was wondering. Hasn’t this been going on for at least five years? I’ve been waiting for this bacon trend to die, but it’s been going strong year after year. Look, I like bacon, but I don’t need it on everything. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/11 "2015-07-08T17:39:26Z")
Fast food sales have been stagnating and bacon is an easy way to create LTOs without a lot of expense or revamping of the line as they usually already have something on the menu that uses bacon. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/12 "2015-07-08T18:28:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s what I was wondering. Hasn’t this been going on for at least five years? I’ve been waiting for this bacon trend to die, but it’s been going strong year after year. Look, I like bacon, but I don’t need it on everything. Maybe the USDA could classify bacon as a new food group. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/13 "2015-07-08T18:38:19Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > It’s trendy, and they all copy each other. Remember last year, when pretzel buns were all the rage and most fast food joints had them? Little Caesars has gotten into the act there, too, with their pretzel crust pizza. Really good, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/14 "2015-07-08T18:40:35Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Last year, the trendy item was pretzel rolls (hamburgers, bagels, etc. with the look & taste of a soft-baked pretzel). This year, it’s bacon. The year before that, it was brioche buns. A few years before that it was chipotle. Before that it was ciabatta. Before that, everything had to be “Angus”. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/15 "2015-07-08T18:57:24Z")
Yeah, bacon is the latest foodie fad. Next in the “I like it because everybody else likes it” category: **Kale**. You heard it here first. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/16 "2015-07-08T19:01:02Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Yeah, bacon is the latest foodie fad. Next in the “I like it because everybody else likes it” category: **Kale**. You heard it here first. Not everyone. [Kale.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcI7jgkwdCM) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/17 "2015-07-08T19:02:53Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Yeah, bacon is the latest foodie fad. Next in the “I like it because everybody else likes it” category: **Kale**. You heard it here first. But the thing is, it isn’t. It was a fad before sriracha, brioche, pretzel buns, etc. Chipotle might predate it. I’m not even sure I could call it a “fad” anymore, as it’s persisted for so long, much to my chagrin. And kale was faddish for the past year or two (or maybe longer). Maybe not fast-food faddish, but faddish enough that you can buy kale chips (like potato chips) at grocery stores. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/18 "2015-07-08T19:06:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The year before that, it was brioche buns. A few years before that it was chipotle. Before that it was ciabatta. Before that, everything had to be “Angus”. Ya know, a Black Angus and bacon chipotle burger on a ciabatta bun really sounds awfully good right now, regardless of what year it is. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/19 "2015-07-08T19:07:18Z")
Speaking of, [here’s an article from this year](http://www.eater.com/2015/1/20/7857693/bacon-kale-dead-zagat-survey) declaring the bacon **and** kale fad to be over. [Here’s an article from 2014](http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/will-always-love-bacon-bacon-fad/) declaring the bacon fad to be over. [Here’s one from 2012](http://ideas.time.com/2012/12/12/why-wont-bacon-go-away/). [Here’s one from 2009](http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2009/10/bacon-fad.html) (from what appears to be the start of it.) But no matter, it still continues. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-summer-of-fast-food-bacon-or-something/724561/20 "2015-07-08T19:07:48Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Ya know, a Black Angus and bacon chipotle burger on a ciabatta bun really sounds awfully good right now, regardless of what year it is. I wouldn’t eat a five year old burger no matter what’s on it.