Many will say McDonald’s has the best fries or Whataburger has the best ketchup. We think that Wendy’s is a contender for best dessert, and they’re introducing a fun new twist to a classic just in time for spring.
The Frosty, the signature cup of ice cream that pairs impeccably with Wendy's fries, will be available in an Orange Dreamsicle flavor starting March 19. The new flavor is inspired by refreshing and nostalgic ice cream treats most of us loved as kids, such as Push-Up Pops and Orange Creamsicles.
“The Orange Dreamsicle Frosty is a unique spin on a familiar flavor, packing a spoonful of sweet orange notes combined with the classic smooth vanilla Frosty for a dreamy orange cream experience,” a spokesperson for Wendy’s said in a statement to Nation’s Restaurant News. “The eye-catching orange color of this delectable treat was inspired by the spring season.”
The Orange Dreamsicle Frosty is the latest seasonal Frosty flavor. Past iterations include pumpkin spice, peppermint, cold brew and strawberry.
We’re eager to dip our fries into the Orange Dreamsicle Frosty, but this trend also has us looking forward to the future. What other Frosty flavors does Wendy’s have up its food-stained sleeve? We have a few suggestions.
First of all, it’s pretty obvious that many of these flavors are jumping on trends that began in coffee shops like Starbucks. There’s plenty more inspiration to be found in this department. Past seasonal Starbucks drinks have focused more on aesthetics than the flavor itself. Remember the Unicorn Frappuccino? That stuff was nasty but absolutely no one cared because it was pretty and Instagrammable.
In the same vein as Starbucks and other fast food joints like In-N-Out Burger, Wendy’s can, shall we say, arrange a rumor that they have a secret Frosty menu. It doesn’t even have to be true. It just has to be compelling enough to get people to show up to their local Wendy’s, harass the employees about how they saw the secret menu on Facebook (so it has to be real) and, finally, begrudgingly settle for a plain chocolate Frosty because they may as well get something since they came all this way.
They could also jump on the McDonald’s bandwagon and celebrate Grimace’s birthday this summer. Sure, Grimace isn’t their intellectual property. But how could McDonald’s possibly oppose any love that is thrown toward their darling little guy on his special day?
Are these suggestions a little sleazy? Absolutely. But this is the crappy fast food restaurant chain that recently announced it would be experimenting with Uber-style dynamic pricing, with prices of menu items changing to match demand. We wouldn’t put it past them to try stunts like this.
(In all fairness, it’s worth mentioning that amid the PR debacle this announcement caused, Wendy’s clarified that it actually intended to lower prices during slower hours. You can decide for yourself whether you buy this explanation.)
As much as we love a good Frosty, we also love sticking to our budget and not splurging on things we don’t need. Fast food is needlessly expensive enough as it is these days. It’s hard to justify getting an overpriced and overprocessed meal at a drive-through instead of simply going to a sit-down burger joint or ice cream parlor.
No matter how the dynamic pricing situation plays out, people generally like to have a rough idea of what they’re looking to spend before they go out to eat. Nobody wants to be surprised when they arrive, especially after waiting in a long line of other people looking to check out a new flavor.
Check out the new Orange Dreamsicle Frosty when it drops on March 19, if you want. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.
