“Quick-service restaurants” account for 64 per cent of food service in Canada (Image: Simon Law)

When they’re not bellyaching about adulthood and posing for Instagrams, it seems 20-somethings enjoy dining out—a lot. According to a new report from market research group NPD, Canada is witnessing a spike in restaurant traffic, due largely to people in their late teens and early 20s. People aged 18 to 24 played a large part in a three per cent traffic increase over the last two quarters. What’s more, the group writes that “visits to Canadian restaurants are forecasted to grow nearly two per cent per year between 2011 and 2016.” Okay, that might not sound like much, but that growth will apparently “surpass the projected 1.2 per cent annual growth of the country’s population.” The millennials are driving this growth partly because of their love of what the NPD calls “quick-service restaurants,” a delightful euphemism for fast-food joints. The group says fast-food restaurant QSRs account for “64 per cent of the overall food service landscape.” Which makes it one fatty landscape indeed.

The beast itself, all $100 of it (Image: Courtesy DougieDog)

Vancouver restaurant DougieDog Hot Dogs put out a press release this morning (which got picked up by the Canadian Press) announcing the latest in fast food extravagance: the world’s first $100 hot dog. The so-called Dragon Dog—a foot-long bratwurst steeped in 100-year-old cognac and topped with Kobe beef, lobster (!) and truffle oil—is a publicity stunt double-whammy: it arrives right on the heels of the Year of the Dragon, and it acts as a bit of promotion for the titular Dougie’s upcoming appearance on tomorrow’s Dragon’s Den (in this clip, Robert Herjavec lauds his “hot girls and hot dogs”). Owner DougieLuv tells us the attention has been nonstop since his announcement and warns that 12 hours advanced notice is required for an order, presumably to allow the Louis XIII to fully soak in. Of course, given what happened the last time someone attempted a novelty, $100 fast food item (we’re looking at you, M:brgr), we’re a bit worried that this operation might prove too big not to fail. Our fingers are crossed for Dougie.

Is this too much salt? Probably (Image: dynamosquito)

The story of salt regulation in this country is long and only occasionally delicious. First, the feds created a task force to set targets for reducing sodium content in food. Then they decided they’d rather not bother with what those eggheads think, and handed things back over to industry (like we asked last time, when has self-regulation ever steered us wrong?). Now, the Globe and Mail reports, a crack team of health organizations is calling on Stephen Harper to quit talking and actually develop a strategy to curb Canadians’ excessive salt intake.

Here’s the Globe:

The groups, which include the Canadian Medical Association, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Hypertension Canada and the Canadian Stroke Network, say failure to take action on this urgent issue sends the message that the interests of the food industry are more important than the health of Canadians.

“This, to me, is very, very troubling,” said Norm Campbell, Canadian Institutes of Health Research chair in hypertension prevention and control, and professor of medicine at the University of Calgary.

The concerns are outlined in a letter signed by nearly two dozen health groups that was sent to the Prime Minister’s Office last week, as well as to provincial and territorial premiers. A copy of the letter was provided to the Globe and Mail.

The average Canadian consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, more than double the recommended amount of 1,500 milligrams, which puts tens of thousands at risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and a host of other health problems. About 80 per cent of the sodium Canadians consume is added to products by manufacturers.

(emphasis added)

The Globe goes on to recap some of steps the feds have taken to fight high sodium intake. There was the task force they established in 2007 and, um, disbanded in 2010. There has also been discussion of setting a goal for reducing average sodium intake by 2016, but the government isn’t interested in creating an actual plan to meet that goal. And it’s not hard to see what might be holding them up: small-government types would likely balk at the prospect of getting involved in what people eat. A spokesperson for the federal health minister told the Globe that setting and monitoring reduction targets would be “a bureaucratic nightmare,” which, although Harper’s office didn’t respond to the paper’s request for comment, tells you pretty much everything you need to know.

• Harper must demand action on sodium levels, health groups urge [Globe and Mail]

Four culinary delights at this year’s CNE (Images: Gizelle Lau)

In the days of yore, people flocked to the Canadian National Exhibition to see the year’s prize cows, pigs and horses. It’s only fitting that in these fallen fast-food times, people now gather round the warm, greasy glow of the deep fryers in the CNE Food Building. Indeed, gawking at the year’s fried fare has become something of an annual tradition, so we headed back to the Ex this year to bring you eight gut-busting indulgences, including this year’s headline grabber: deep-fried Coke cola.

See photos of all eight, along with a readout of our regret-o-meter »

We’ve mentioned from time to time the Canadian government’s curious efforts to keep us all eating plenty of salt. A weekend story from the Toronto Star details how it’s the kind of game that the provinces can get in on too. Specifically Ontario, which is trying to figure out how to deal with the oldest and most obese population it has ever seen. The province has pretty clearly ruled out even the blandest of regulations to help Ontarians control their weight.

From the Star:

U.S. president Barack Obama’s government created a new law forcing all large restaurants to add calories on their menu boards, one part of its strategy against obesity. The changes are expected in 2012.

In Ontario? There are no plans for calorie labeling.

NDP Health critic France Gelinas twice introduced a private member’s bill to get calorie labeling. The OMA has pushed for labeling in fast food chains and high school cafeterias, to no avail.

“It is so important to educate children and parents of children regarding caloric literacy — I think it will have an impact,” said the OMA’s Kennedy.

This is, of course, a far cry from what some other governments have been up to—some U.S. states have taken far more direct action to fight obesity, especially among children. (Yes, this might be called “socialism at its best” here.) Presumably, the Ontario government isn’t considering a sugar tax or mandatory maximums on salt: Dalton McGuinty will already spend the election fighting the perception that he’s “Premier Dad.” Still, Ontario pays for health care, and obesity is going to make that more expensive in the future—calorie labelling is pretty much the least the government could do toward preventing obesity, short of nothing. But in an election year, it looks like nothing is what’s on the menu, policy-wise.

• We are fat. So, what’s Ontario doing about it? [Toronto Star]

(Images: scale, puuikibeach; McGuinty, Alfred Ng from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Three-item combo at Taste of Orient (Image: Renée Suen)

A food court gem located in the newly renovated Richmond Adelaide Centre, Taste of Orient serves heaping plates of simple but flavourful Cantonese food at the right price and the right pace for local lunch-goers with a schedule to keep. Less than $8 delivers three items from the heated countertop display with rice or noodles. On our visit, the curry-stained Singapore-style noodles, stir-fried with cabbage, carrot and onion are surprisingly light, while the green beans and chicken is, unlike most fast food counters, neither greasy nor sitting in a pool of congealed sauce. The coconut shrimp is encased in a thin, crisp batter and coated with a sweet mayonnaise dressing. Finally, four large sole fillets come slicked with a faint oyster-based sauce and delicately steamed with ginger and green onion. Altogether, a great value for surprisingly well-executed food.

The cost: $11.05, including tax and a bottle of Perrier.

The time: About two minutes (we arrived at noon and the line moved quickly). But minutes later the cue queue snaked past the counter.

Taste of Orient, Richmond Adelaide Centre food court, 120 Adelaide St. W.

It’s baaaaaacack: the Double Down returns to Canada on June 1 (Image: KFC Canada)

In what seems more like fodder for competitive eaters and Twitterers than legitimate news, KFC has just announced that the Double Down will be making a triumphant and greasy return to Canada on June 1. The sandwich, which features bacon and cheese squeezed between two pieces of the Colonel’s famous boneless fried chicken, seems more like something Man vs. Food’s Adam Richman would dream up in his sleep than a legitimate fast-food product—but, hey, there’s clearly a market for it.

KFC’s recent press release sheds some light on the Double Down 2.0:

In a new twist, KFC Canada chefs have trimmed the sodium slightly (by about 10 per cent) while still maintaining its trademark taste.

“KFC fans told us they loved [the] Double Down and they wanted it back in all its delicious glory—and they also asked us to keep all the indulgent flavour and reduce the sodium a little. We listened and we can’t wait to see how everyone enjoys the new recipe that’s available only in Canada,” says [senior marketing director David] Vivenes.

Wait a sec—the biggest feedback KFC got was a request to “reduce the sodium a little?” We sort of figured the Double Down crowd wasn’t particularly concerned about their nutritional facts. Coming off the heels of KFC’s 2008 healthy branding campaign, which saw grilled chicken being introduced to the menu, the return of the Double Down has us breathing a sigh of relief. This confirms it—the Rapture hasn’t begun (yet) and the world is finally back to normal.

Do you know what’s in your food? (Image: Jason Lam)

While Canadians decide who they want leading the country, the bureaucracy in Ottawa is largely spinning its wheels until the next guy comes to boss them around. With all that spare time on their hands, some bureaucrats are turning to the time-honoured tradition of leaking to the press, and in this case we’re glad they are: it looks like the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has gotten out of the business of checking out the nutritional claims made by food producers on their labels.

According to the Montreal Gazette:

The federal government has suspended inspection activities indefinitely that were meant to make sure food companies and restaurants don’t mislead consumers with underweight products or exaggerated nutrition claims, Postmedia News has learned.

In a memo from the management of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to inspectors outlining consumer-protection inspection activities for 2011–12, the agency confirmed that “until further notice,” all “net quantity verification activities are deferred.”

This program was aimed at food products sold at grocery stores to make sure producers or retailers don’t overstate the declared weight of food items.

Before anyone thinks twice about eating what’s on the shelves, the cancelled programs aren’t exactly about food safety. Instead, these programs are all about keeping food producers and fast-food joints honest with things like calorie counts and sodium content. And keeping them honest is no mean feat, apparently: the Gazette reports that out of 33 menu items sampled at restaurants like McDonald’s, KFC and Taco Bell, 14 actually contained more fat than had been stated. Given Ottawa’s recent moves to liberalize salt intakes across the country, we just need one more data point before “Ottawa makes food unhealthier” becomes a trend.

• Inspections of food weights, nutrition claims suspended [Montreal Gazette]

According to the Globe and Mail:

Whatever some physicians may have thought of the burger chain’s menu, the hospital has benefited from the association. According to a statement from Cameron Loopstra, senior marketing manager at Burger King Canada, the chain has raised more than $2.5 million for the Sick Kids Foundation since 1999, mostly through initiatives such as the Toonie Bear campaign.

Mr. Loopstra says Burger King will continue to raise money for the hospital throughout this year.

Stuart Howe, director of business services and development at Sick Kids, says that when he was hired last January, he reviewed the hospital’s retail operations and surveyed staff to see what they wanted. Then, in June, an open bidding process began for a handful of leases; Burger King submitted a proposal, but didn’t win.

The dissonance between the excellent care people get at Sick Kids and the lack of care they do to their bodies by eating at Burger King has been irking some people for a while now. That dissonance is going to stick around for at least a little while, as Pizza Pizza and Subway get to remain in the food court. (How healthy is a veggie slice? Does the cheese need to be scraped off?) We eagerly look forward to the feedback from Sick Kids’ latest health food consultant, Jared Fogle.

• Burger King loses foothold at Sick Kids [Globe and Mail]

At 510 calories for the sausage, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich—more than a cheeseburger (300 calories) and slightly less than both the Big Mac and KFC’s double down (540 calories)—free may be the only way McDonald’s will be able to get people to try these new breakfast items, which a press release touts as an “historic milestone.” The strategy is well known to any good crack dealer: give people a free taste and soon they’ll be back.

McDonald’s began selling buttermilk biscuit sandwiches in Canada last Tuesday. Sure, they might make you stupider, but on the upside, they’ve led the chain to extend breakfast hours until 11 a.m., which would be great, if we could only remember how to get there.

My boat
Thinking of summer, and my Yamaha jet boat, helps me get through the winter. We wait nine months of the year for those precious three months in cottage country, when my kids and I spend all day boating around Georgian Bay, waterskiing and wakeboarding.

My game ball
I have the basketball from opening tip-off of the Raptors’ very first game, in 1995. I founded the franchise because basketball is my true passion. I played all through high school. I still go to a lot of games; my favourite player is Andrea Bargnani.

My treasured photograph
This is an old photo of my daughter Blair’s soccer team, from when she was about six, posing with our dog, a Samoyed named Pasha. I was the head coach. Blair is 17 now—this photo reminds me of how fast life moves.

My man cave
My TV room has five TVs, including one with a 60-inch screen, and I have a specially designed master remote to control it all. I had it programmed so that the screens say “Bitove Sports Lounge.” On weekends, I invite my friends over, and it’s non-stop sports from around the world.

My father-son sports memento
I kept the ticket stub from one of my son Brett’s first basketball games as a guard for the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons. It was an exciting time: they were 13-0 and ranked number one in the NCAA.

My Burton snowboard
I love to snowboard with my eldest son, JJ. We have a chalet in Collingwood, and we go to Whistler at least once a year. We challenge each other all day, racing and doing jumps and rails.

My biggest get
My satellite radio licence from the CRTC is a reminder of what you can achieve by being persistent. It was a long, three-year process to get licensed in Canada, and people said it would never happen. I have it framed on the wall of my office in Brookfield Place.

My hip-hop fix
I used to laugh at my kids for listening to rap, but I guess they just conditioned me—now I love it and listen to it in the car all the time. I like T.I., Drake and Lil’ Wayne. People think Lil’ Wayne is a short little thug, but he is actually a brilliant musician, and a brilliant businessman.

My present from Putin
President Putin gave me and my wife, Randi, a porcelain vase when we were in Moscow, the day before the vote on Toronto’s bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. I was chair of the bid, and even though we lost, we set the table for Vancouver to win two years later. I keep it in my home office on a shelf with a bunch of Olympic memorabilia.

My guilty pleasure
I’ve always loved fast food—I’m addicted. It got me through university and law school, and it’s why I got into the KFC franchise business in 1999. Now I have 80 KFCs in Toronto and 430 across Canada. When KFC was selling the Double Down last November, I ate two a week.

(Images: Bitove by Vanessa Heins; Ball, ticket, photo and vase by John Cullen)

Dangerous Dan’s

The campaign features six posters and a series of stoner-friendly radio ads aired on Ryerson’s CKLN (also available on YouTube). As one would expect from a restaurant that features pot leaf icons on its menu (for “medical cannabis users”), the ads are decidedly un-PC. One poster reads “22 per cent of Ontarians are obese. We can do better.” Other ads are designed to irk vegetarians: “Meat is murder. Tasty, tasty murder.”

The lesson here is that while being politically correct isn’t always lucrative, going gross is. Just ask the creator of the Double Down.

• Dangerous Dan’s dangerous ads calculated to cause offence [Globe and Mail]

(Image: Filip Maljković)

This is one of those stories that wouldn’t have made the news at Dundas and Spadina, but because it happened to a visitor from Ottawa at a restaurant in Etobicoke, the Sun is there. Apparently, a guest of our city got a surprise when she ordered a box of wings from a local shop:

Among the mound of wings there was allegedly a deep-fried chicken’s head—its eyes staring up at Karen Cook.

“It was absolutely disgusting,” Cook, 44, said Monday…. adding she hasn’t been able to eat wings since.

Cook tossed the wings but she saved the chicken head and brought it, beak and all, back to the restaurant the next day.

Cook returned the head to the restaurant and requested a full refund, which, reportedly, was given. Cook, undeterred, went up the food chain to the distributor and began heckling them, promising to call public health officials.

The problem is that this isn’t a public health issue. Under Ontario law, you can sell any part of a chicken, provided it’s cooked properly (any guest at a Chinese wedding banquet can attest to the safety of eating food around a chicken’s former head). Sure, the restaurant probably shouldn’t have sold her a box of wings with a head in it, but calling fowl to the media and public health officials is a bit of an overreaction.

Then again, maybe we don’t understand the pecking order for a story like this. How many calls did Cook have to make before the Sun finally bit into the story?

• Chicken head found in order of wings [Toronto Sun]

We were shocked to learn that A&W has been doing quite well lately. Same-store sales have been steadily rising for the past 29 quarters. Its Q2 summary report says it’s focusing on appealing “to its core baby boomer customer, both by building the strong emotional connection to this customer, and by focusing on the increasing demand for premium hamburgers.”

This makes these concept stores seem all the more weird. The menu additions and sleek new designs don’t really cater to the nostalgia demographic. Neither do the steps A&W is taking toward environmental friendliness: stainless steel cutlery and reusable fry baskets, mugs and china plates. Does this mean that we can expect “urban” versions of commercials like this?

• A&W Launches New Restaurant Concept for Urban Diners [Digital Journal’]

Even the Batmobile gets ticketed in Toronto (Image: Gary J. Wood)

After what sounds like years of conspiracies and cover-ups, drivers finally have a shot against the sneaky tactics of parking officials. Thanks to two plucky city councillors, a formerly confidential document that offers guidelines on when to cancel parking tickets was made public last night. In the Star, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong explains the adventure: “Myself and Councillor [Howard] Moscoe have been trying to get it released for a long time, and staff have constantly been saying ‘It’s confidential, it’s confidential, it’s confidential…’ Here a group of bureaucrats have set up these secret rules that nobody knows about.” Until now.

Turns out, the city is a lot more reasonable than one would assume—or at least it is supposed to be. According to the document, parking officials are encouraged to use “sound judgment” and “problem-solving skills,” and even to give motorists the benefit of the doubt.

These shocking details seem to imply that whenever parkers think they deserve to have their ticket cancelled, they probably do, so long as they can prove it and they don’t have a history of parking violations. Attendants are encouraged to extend grace to fast food delivery people, church worshippers, out-of-towners, sick people and those who are confused by “No Parking” signs (specifically if permissible parking switches from one side of the street to another). Also, thankfully, if one’s car is stolen and then parked illegally, the newly car-less victim usually does not have to pay.

It’s nice to know that under its gruff exterior, Toronto is really just a big softie. Except when it comes to cyclists. Cyclists are pissed. But what else is new?

• Ticket Cancelling manuel released [Toronto Star]
•  Parking Exemptions vs Bike Lanes [ibikeTO]
• How to beat parking tickets in Toronto [Globe and Mail]