Drive-thru Gourmet
Wendy's unveils a key reason to grab a Frosty for a good cause
This week, I reached out for a legit bargain — with a charity twist — a $2 key tag at Wendy's that will pay off with a free Junior Frosty every time you make any other purchase at Wendy's in 2020. The bargain is a free yummy Junior Frosty, of course.
The charity bonus is 85 percent of all the money raised from the $2 key tags will go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. You know me, I'm a big fan of adoption … people and pets. The key tags will be available at participating Wendy's through January 31.
Let's get to the real deal here, the Junior Frosty breakdown: milk, cream, sugar, cocoa, and other ingredients. Total calories: 200. Fat grams: 5. Sodium: 90 mg. Carbs: 33 g. Dietary fiber: 0 g. Protein: 6 g. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: normally $1, but if you buy a Frosty key tag and purchase anything on the menu, free. We have two mottoes in the drive-thru: less is not more ... more is more, and if it's free ... it's me.
Most of us a familiar with a good old-fashioned Frosty, It's one of the most successful desserts in Drive-thru Land, where it's practically impossible to break a dessert. Just ask Burger King … do they even have a dessert on the menu? Even at McDonald's, their shakes aren't such great shakes, even when the machine is working, which is like practically never (joking, sort of).
Frostys have been in the news lately because the Philadelphia '76ers have a promotion where, if an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter, all fans in attendance can redeem their tickets for a free Frosty the next day.
Isaiah Thomas of the Washington Wizards teased fans by missing a first free throw but made the second, so fans wouldn't get the free Frosty. That was more than one ticket holder could stand. He flipped off Thomas with both hands, and Thomas went into the stands to confront the ambidextrous idiot. Push didn't come to shove, but the ban was banned from the arena for a year and Thomas was suspended for two games. All for a Frosty.
The Houston Rockets have a similar promotion, except Toyota Center fans get a free Chick-fil-A sandwich if an opposing player bricks two free throws. Full disclosure, I might lose my mind, too, over a Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich.
Fun facts about the Frosty: it was one of the original five items on Wendy's menu when the "fresh, never frozen" chain went national in 1969. The others: burgers, chili, fries, and soft drinks. The Frosty flavor is listed as chocolate, but it's really chocolate-vanilla. Wendy's late owner Dave Thomas didn't want to crush guests with too rich a chocolate dessert rush after dinner.
The Frosty is somewhere between a shake and soft serve ice cream, and must be kept at between 19 and 21 degrees to maintain that consistency. It's served with both a straw and a spoon, but my advice is use the spoon. You could blow out a lung trying to suck down a 19-degree Frosty through a straw.