Dave Thomas is rolling over in his grave.

The Wendy's Classic. A burger you could always count on for qualities beyond the Whopper or Big Mac. I get this snazzy direct mail piece to try the NEW Hot and Juicy burger for free (with purchase of small fries and drink). 


I haven't had a burger out in weeks, but wanted to give it a try. Drive thru, nah, eat in. I placed my order and got what looked to be fresh squeezed lemonade. My tray was set with the drink and fries, which upon sampling were not up to par. After apologies for the delay on the burger, I asked for fresh fries, which I got from the same batch as the first fries. The lemonade turned out to be a mix, with slices thrown in to fool you.


Now wondering why I got eat in, I sat by myself in the restaurant to overhear the Haitian chatter in the kitchen.


Having already dished the drink and fries, I move on to the main course. The Big n' Juicy.  Well It is was a letdown. The texture of the meat was different to increase the size of the patty. The toppings were ok, but the characteristic flavor was gone. I don't know if it was missing mustard or what.


Dave, the corporate minions have done you wrong, and I think it will be the end of Wendy's before long.


ADG 

Battle of the Titans - Facebook vs. Google +

This has been a rough month for the users of social media services. Facebook has introduced a series of updates that completely redefine the experience. Prioritized news feeds, a ticker of superfluous information, and a redesigned profile - "Timeline" that uses algorithms to decide what was important for you on any given day.
There is more, but you have to read up on it yourself.
Google, on the other hand, has let Google + expand in a "viral" fashion. People are joining circles for the sake of finding someone familiar. There is more a sentiment of superiority and conversational facilitation.
In my own social world, I actually know about 20% of my Facebook friends, and about 5% of my Google circle peeps. I am still using both services side by side to see what incremental changes are made to tweak the releases rushed out for the last trade shows.
In my opinion, Facebook and Google should stabilize, document, and let the user communities catch up.