COSTCO BRINGS BACK CULT-FAVOURITE SWEET TREAT DISCONTINUED IN 2024

New York Post

 

Costco brings back cult-favorite sweet treat discontinued in 2024, exciting shoppers

By Daniel Cody

Published Aug. 15, 2026, 9:57 p.m. ET

 

Costco is bringing back a cult-favorite sweet treat previously discontinued by its store-exclusive Kirkland brand — exciting bargain-loving frequent shoppers.

 

Kirkland’s Signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips are back on Costco shelves for the first time since 2024, when skyrocketing cocoa prices made it difficult for the company to make a significant profit on the product.

 

Discount-seeking Reddit users were in disbelief, with one commenter posting: “Don’t even mess with me… my store hasn’t had these in over a year” on r/Costco on August 4.

 

“I like those so much better than Nestle,” wrote another commenter, adding “If they are coming back that would be great!!!”

 

The return is particularly cost-saving because alternatives are significantly more expensive — baking enthusiasts complain about Ghirardelli and Guittard chocolate chips for this reason.

 

“I prefer Ghirardelli but the price kills me,” wrote one commenter on a r/Baking thread about the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

 

“I first bought some for $1 on an after-Christmas markdown at Kroger right before the pandemic. I will never forget that deal for a 10 oz bag.”

 

Shoppers on Reddit report that the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips have returned to stores in Texas, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington and Virginia.

 

There is no publicly available timeframe as to when the chips will return to all stores nationwide.

 

The cocoa crisis is to blame for the fan-favorite ingredient’s two year absence.

 

In 2024, the cocoa market faced a severe crisis driven by a historic supply deficit, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

Global inventories had dwindled to their lowest levels in over 30 years following poor harvests, pushing prices to the record-breaking highs.

 

While there were initial signs of recovery — with a 33% increase in bean arrivals at Ivory Coast ports, where a huge chunk of the world’s cocoa trading happens — the situation remained precarious.

 

US cocoa futures jumped from a multi-year baseline of roughly $2,500–$3,000 per metric ton to a peak between $11,500 and $12,000 per metric ton by mid-to-late 2024, according to historical market data from Intercontinental Exchange Futures US.

 

Costco did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

WOMAN'S DISCOVERY OF 35 YEAR OLD MARS BAR HAS PEOPLE STUNNED BY HOW MUCH CHOCOLATE BARS HAVE SHRUNK

PEOPLE

 

Woman’s Discovery of 35-Year-Old Mars Bar Has People Stunned by How Much Candy Bars Have Shrunk

By Jordan Greene  Published on August 12, 2026 05:17PM EDT

 

One woman is going viral after revealing the shocking discovery she made while cleaning out an elderly woman’s apartment.

 

In an interview with CTV News, Victoria Gordon, the owner of the British specialist cleaning company Pocket Rockets, shared how she was digging through hundreds of old boxes in the woman’s spare bedroom.

 

“Nobody had been in the bedroom for years, absolutely floor to ceiling with boxes and bags, and it took us two days to clear the whole room,” Gordon told the outlet in a video interview.

 

As Gordon worked her way through the boxes, however, she came across something that immediately caught her eye: a Mars Bar from 1991.

 

“As I lifted it out of the box, it was literally the size of my hand,” she said. “It was enormous.”

 

Intrigued by the unexpected find, Gordon later posted a clip of the vintage candy bar on TikTok, captioning the video, “Wow look at the size of this 35 year old Mars Bar!” She initially threw the candy bar away after sharing the video, but eventually decided to retrieve it from the trash.

 

The post quickly took off, amassing more than one million views and 1,600 comments, with many viewers struck by the apparent size difference between the vintage candy bar and a current one. According to the outlet, the old Mars Bar weighed 62.5 grams, while a current bar weighs 40 grams.

 

“They’ve taken so much away from us!” one user commented.

 

“THAT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!” another wrote.

 

Someone else chimed in, “I remember back in the day it was almost impossible to eat an entire Mars bar.”

 

For Gordon, the comparison also underscored a broader issue she has noticed over the years: the rising cost of everyday goods.

 

“(The) price of everything’s increasing all the time. We’re getting squeezed and squeezed more,” Gordon said. “(The) cost of living is going up.”

 

As the conversation around the candy bar continued online, Gordon decided to give her followers an even closer look. She returned to TikTok with a second video comparing the vintage Mars Bar with a current one side-by-side.

 

“But even I was surprised about the size difference,” Gordon said. “I knew that they were getting smaller and smaller, but I don’t think, until I saw them side by side, I realized just quite how much difference it was.”

 

The viral comparison also prompted questions about why the Mars Bar has gotten smaller over the years. CTVNews.ca reached out to Mars Inc., the U.S. manufacturer of Mars, Snickers, Skittles and Twix, to learn more about the changes to the candy bar’s size.

 

“Like many food manufacturers, we continue to navigate unprecedented cost pressures across our operations and global supply chains,” Mars Inc. told the outlet in an email, adding that the chocolate bar’s recipe remains “completely unchanged.”

 

“Over the last 35 years, we have made a number of updates to our bar sizes and pack formats to reflect consumer demand, alongside considering wider external factors, such as manufacturing costs and the price of cocoa,” the company added.

AH: The chocolate ration has been increased.

TACO BELL DEBUTS ALL-NEW LINEUP FEATURING CULT-FAVOURITE CITRUSY, SPICY STAPLE

New York Post

 

Taco Bell debuts all-new lineup featuring a cult-favorite citrusy, spicy staple: ‘Already obsessed’

By Christopher Edwards

Published Aug. 13, 2026, 1:01 p.m. ET

 

Your Taco Bell order is about to get even hotter.

 

The California-based fast food chain is joining forces with seasoning company Tajín for a special new menu that’s been years in the making.

 

Available nationwide beginning August 13, the limited-time menu features tree options: the Tajín Taco, the Tajín Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and the Tajín Pineapple Strawberry Freeze, all under $6.

 

The menu pairs Taco Bell favorites with Tajín’s classic lime flavored seasoning.

 

Priced at $2.99, the new Tajín Taco features seasoned beef loaded in a crunchy, Tajín-seasoned shell, and topped with Spicy Ranch sauce, crisp lettuce, shredded cheese and mango salsa.

 

The Tajín Cheesy Gordita Crunch spices up a fan-favorite menu item by wrapping a warm flatbread covered in mozzarella, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses around a Tajín-seasoned crunchy taco shell filled with seasoned beef, spicy ranch sauce, crisp lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese and mango salsa. The treat comes in at $5.99.

 

The Tajín Taco and Cheesy Gordita Crunch each come with a packet of classic Tajín Clásico Seasoning.

 

The Pineapple Strawberry Freeze is kicked up a notch by mixing its tropical pineapple flavor with strawberry-flavored syrup and Tajín. The drink is available in 16 oz. for $3.99 and 20 oz. for $4.19.

 

Meanwhile, fans of the Bell are already hot on the menu.

 

“I was already obsessed but okay,” said one loyal customer. “You just made my day,” another echoed.

 

To launch the new menu, Taco Bell and Tajín teamed up with Mexican singer-songwriter Peso Pluma, who got a special first taste of the items inside Taco Bell’s Test Kitchen.

 

The collaboration was first tested with the public back in 2024 at Live Más LIVE in Orange County. Taco Bell says strong demand from subsequent test markets prompted them to offer the items nationwide.

 

Taco Bell is also offering exclusive merchandise to celebrate the new collaboration.

 

Available exclusively through the Taco Bell app’s Tuesday Drops, which offers limited-time merchandise and food deals, the brand is selling a 3-piece set of bag charms.

 

The set includes a tiny Tajín bottle in a hand-beaded holder, a mini Taco Bell bag where you can store sauce and seasoning packets, and a heart charm featuring Peso Pluma’s logo.

ONLY FOUR CITIES ON CHEESEBURGER INDEX HAD AVERAGE MEAL BELOW 15 DOLLARS

New York Post

 

Only four cities on ‘Cheeseburger Index’ had average meal below $15: report

By Amanda Macias, Fox Business

Published Aug. 9, 2026, 4:32 p.m. ET

Originally Published by: Fox Business

 

For Americans looking for an affordable meal out, geography can make a big difference in what they pay for a cheeseburger, fries and a soda.

 

A $15 bill is still enough to cover a cheeseburger, fries and a soda in some US cities, but not everywhere.

 

A recent DoorDash State of Local Commerce report found that just four of the cities it analyzed had an average price below $15 for the meal: Austin and Laredo, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Detroit, Michigan.

 

Austin was the cheapest at $12.94, according to DoorDash’s so-called Cheeseburger Index, which tracks the average cost of a cheeseburger, fries and a soda across US cities.

 

“The Cheeseburger Index is a really great way to distill the information into a simple, fun and relatable metric,” Jessica Lachs, chief analytics officer at DoorDash, told Fox News Digital.

 

And while prices varied significantly by region, DoorDash said cities in the South and Southeast tend to benefit from structurally lower operating costs, helping the region rank among the most affordable for both restaurant meals and groceries.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, the same cheeseburger combo costs an average of $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska — more than twice the price in Austin.

 

The 10 best-value cities in the study are concentrated in the Midwest and Texas, with four cities in the Lone Star State making the list — Laredo, Texas ($13.39); Lincoln, Nebraska ($13.86); Detroit ($14.99); and Philadelphia ($15.41) rounded out the top five.

 

The rankings come as eating out continues to get more expensive, even as prices for many grocery and household staples have stabilized.

 

DoorDash found the average price of a cheeseburger, fries and soda climbed 3.2% over the past year.

 

While rising beef prices have drawn attention this year, DoorDash said higher restaurant prices appear to reflect broader operating costs — including labor, rent and energy — rather than food costs alone.

 

“There isn’t one economy. There are a lot of local economies,” Lachs said.

 

“The same basket of goods, a cheeseburger, fries and a drink, costs $12.94 on average in Austin, Texas, but $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska,” she said.

 

For diners, that means the same $15 that can cover the entire meal in Austin would barely pay for half of it in Anchorage.

KFC PUTS ICONIC ITEM BACK ON MENU AFTER FANS DEMAND RETURN

New York Post

 

KFC puts iconic cult-classic item back on the menu after fans demand return: ‘Times are healing’

By Ben Cost

Published July 15, 2026, 12:40 p.m. ET

 

They’re reviving some 90s “pop” culture.

 

KFC is catering to nosh-talgic fast food fans by dusting off a cult classic dish from the late 20th century — popcorn chicken.

 

On Monday, July 13, the red and white chicken chain started serving the crispy protein nuggets, marking a triumphant return for the fan-favorite food, per a press release.

 

Originally debuting in the 1990s, Popcorn Chicken graced KFC menus until it was discontinued in 2023.

 

By that point, this donut hole-ified fried chicken had earned a massive cult following, with the dish’s diehards flocking to social media to demand its return.

 

So, by pop-ular demand, the chicken conglomerate decided to bring it back.

 

“For years, KFC has heard directly from fans clamoring for Popcorn Chicken’s return,” said Melissa Cash, Chief Marketing Officer, KFC US. “We read every comment, every DM, and even every online petition signature, and the message was impossible to ignore.”

 

She added, “As we continue our Kentucky Fried Comeback journey, this menu item’s return shows our commitment to listening to our most passionate fans by giving them exactly what they’re craving.”

 

The repast will be resurrected in three different finger-lickin’ good forms: A 16 oz Popcorn Chicken Bucket with with four dipping sauces for $10; A Popcorn Chicken Big Box featuring 6 oz. of Popcorn Chicken, two tenders, a medium order of fries, a medium drink, two dipping sauces and a chocolate chunk cookie for $10.99; A Popcorn Chicken Combo with 6 oz of Popcorn Chicken with medium fries, a medium drink and one dipping sauce for $8.49.

 

These offerings will be available while supplies last.

 

To celebrate the renaissance, KFC has joined forces with Giphy to develop several GIFs, including some with Col. Sanders himself, that customers can use to express their excitement.

 

Suffice it to say, fans were over the moon about Popcorn Chicken’s second coming.

 

“I was JUST talking about how I missed popcorn chicken this morning,” chirped one commenter under an X post by KFC announcing the item’s revival.

 

Another wrote, “You have made my kid very happy. Thank you.”

 

“I used to pray for times like this,” said a third, while another exclaimed, “Times are healing.”

 

However, others excoriated the fast food giant for not reviving other culinary cult classics like the Double Down — a high-octane bacon and cheese sandwich with fried chicken slices pinch-hitting for buns.

 

It was discontinued in 2014.

DOT CAKES ARE EVERYWHERE. HERE'S WHAT THEY ARE AND THE BAKERY BEHIND THEM

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

 

Dotcakes are everywhere. Here's what they are and the bakery behind them

By Joseph Lamour | TODAY • Published May 30, 2026 • Updated on May 30, 2026 at 7:27 am

 

If your For You page has been dotted with mini sprinkle-topped cakes — not cupcakes, but kind of? — you’re not alone.

 

They’re called Dotcakes and consist of layers of cake, frosting and a heaping topping of crunchy nonpareils. They’re from Roslyn, New York, bakery The Dotcakes, which was founded in 2019 by Alex Posner, and come in four flavors: classic white, chocolate, vanilla chip and red velvet.

 

Recently, videos about the mini versions of the cake, called Dotcups, have racked up millions of views on social media, with people lauding their nostalgic vibe — specifically how much they evoke the 2017-19 rainbow explosion cake era.

 

“I’ve been seeing these viral Dotcakes everywhere,” content creator Cyrus Veyssi says in a May 14 TikTok reviewing a few of the flavors. After commenting “respectfully” that the cakes look “dry,” the influencer eats their words. “No, that’s pretty good. It’s not dry — it’s very moist.”

 

“Guess what I have? Eleven Dotcakes,” content creator Danielle Pheloung says in a May 22 video with over 8 million views. “It tastes like a Funfetti cake with a lot of crunch.”

 

These little cakes have attracted blocks-long lines at the shops they’re sold, like Manhattan’s Butterfield Market.

 

“Two things can be true at the same time: One, I can think the viral Dotcake thing is so stupid because what do you mean people are obsessing over cake with sprinkles on it?” content creator Matt Benfield says in a May 27 video. “Two: I could be going to Butterfield Market right now to stand in line for probably an hour to get it. I am but a cog in the capitalist machine.”

 

“Please note it’s a Wednesday at 10 a.m.,” Benfield adds, showing the latest long line that forms at the gourmet grocer on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when the Dotcakes are restocked. According to the timestamps in the video, Benfield waited in line for about 45 minutes.

 

Others have apparently waited much longer. A caption for a May 23 video showing the line at Butterfield claims the first people got in line for that Saturday’s restock at 12 p.m. — 10 hours before the treats could be purchased.

 

Posner, owner of The Dotcakes, says her company started a partnership with Butterfield in October, and then, around April 24, it got a “crazy increase in orders.”

 

“The actual demand for a physical Dotcup has increased in sales tremendously,” she says. “To the grocery in the city, we send about 1,250 units to their grocery stores twice a week. In my physical store, over the past week, last week alone, we sold about 2,600 cups.”

 

According to the Dotcakes website, 8-ounce Dotcups start at $32 for four cakes, but cost $11 per Dotcup at Butterfield.

 

For those outside of the New York area who are itching to try the treat, multiple online creators have shown how to make your own, with brown butter frosting or Funfetti cake.

 

Some online critics argue the treat is too simple for its virality, while others point out the dessert’s similarity to cortadillo, a soft and pillowy Mexican cake topped with pink frosting and nonpareil sprinkles.

 

“This was born because it’s incredibly simple. This isn’t something that was supposed to revolutionize the industry,” Posner says in response to these critiques.

 

“I’m sure people have done it before, but we’ve created a way to have this beautifully packaged piece that has the aesthetically pleasing, perfectly sprinkled top,” she adds.

 

“We’re incredibly lucky that people are lining up to get it. The joke is that I’m not sure if we would get in our own line, but it’s really great.”

 

This story first appeared on TODAY.com.

FOOD NOTES:ENDORSING PRODUCTS WITHOUT GETTING PAID FOR IT

Steam Whistle beer is as smooth as milk.

Had my first Icecap of the season a week ago Thursday and my second one Friday morning.

Sarah Lee still makes good cakes.

Dined el fresco in my backyard three times this week. 

Loved the Bordeaux cherry ice cream cone I had from Ivanhoe cheese factory Tuesday, my first one of the season.

POPEYES INTRODUCES TWO NEW SANDWICHES AND BRINGS BACK CHICKEN WRAPS PERMANENTLY

PEOPLE

 

Popeyes Is Introducing 2 New Chicken Sandwiches and Bringing Back Chicken Wraps Permanently

By Erin Clements  Published on May 4, 2026 01:36PM EDT

 

Popeyes just announced a pair of additions to its menu, plus the return of a fan favorite.

 

The chicken chain is launching two new Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwiches: a Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($5.49) and a Honey BBQ Bacon + Cheese Sandwich ($6.99).

 

The Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich offers a chicken breast filet marinated in Louisiana herbs and spices, Honey BBQ sauce, pickles and a toasted brioche bun.

 

The Honey BBQ Bacon + Cheese Sandwich is similar to the first, but also features bacon and Havarti cheese.

 

The restaurant’s Chicken Wraps also make their return on Monday, May 4, becoming a permanent menu item.

 

The wraps ($3.99) come in three varieties: classic, spicy, and a new Blackened Ranch. Each wraps includes a breaded and battered chicken tender, lettuce, shredded cheese, two pickles, a buttermilk tortilla inspired by the brand’s biscuits and classic, spicy or blackened Ranch sauce.

 

Popeyes introduced the wraps in July 2025 amid the return of the fan-favorite snack wraps at McDonald’s.

 

"The Wrap Wars are officially on and Popeyes is way ahead of the game," the chain said in an email shared with PEOPLE at the time.

 

Last month, Popeyes revealed its first-ever anime collaboration.

 

The chain partnered with Toei Animation to launch Popeyes x One Piece on April 13, with a limited meal themed for the popular series.

 

“Inspired by series' iconic characters and their larger-than-life journey, this one-of-a-kind One Piece collaboration invites fans to fuel up like a member of the Straw Hat Crew with exclusive menu items and collectible drops designed to spark fandom, sharing, and serious hype,” read a press release shared with PEOPLE.

 

The lineup includes the Luffy Bento Bundle, which comes with two pieces of Signature Chicken, Mac & Cheese, a Gum-Gum Fruit Lemonade and Chopper's Cupcake.

 

In March, Popeyes introduced a $5 Chicken Sandwich.

 

The restaurant refreshed its $5 Faves Menu, which was available March 16 through May 3 at participating U.S. restaurants.

 

“At a time when consumers are prioritizing value, Popeyes is delivering premium, craveable Louisiana flavor at a price point that stands out, giving fans a reason to revisit (and rethink) what $5 can get you,” a release said.