Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Changing the Country's Tastes in Fast Food Sandwiches

Through a round-about way, I am on the list of product testers for a local market research firm. I think they do all kinds of research, but I've only been involved in the "Fast Food Sandwiches" department. This evening, I went for the second time this year to test and give my opinions on a new sandwich idea for a major fast food chain.

You sit at a little private desk, a sandwich appears through a sliding door. You eat it and then enter comments and answer questions on a computer.

Tonight's concept was a mushroom bacon double cheeseburger. It was rather large, I thought. I'm not much of a fan of mushrooms, so they didn't really add to the experience as far as I'm concerned. But the biggest problem, as I saw it, was that the drippy cheese sauce. It was kind of messy -- I can't imagine enjoying eating that sandwich while driving after picking it up at the drive-thru. Plus, the suggested price of more than $4 seemed (more than) a little high for a fast food hamburger, as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I think it's kind of neat to get to try a new food product and give my comments on it. I might willingly do it for free. The fact that they give you $20 for your time makes it a nice way to spend 30 minutes.

Next time, maybe I'll try to sneak a photo of the concept! (And run the risk of ruining such a gig? Think again!)

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