WEBVTT 00:00:01.381 --> 00:00:03.591 Right now, on "Adam Eats the 80s." 00:00:03.717 --> 00:00:06.886 Did fries really taste better in the 80s? 00:00:07.012 --> 00:00:08.221 Like these french fries, 00:00:08.388 --> 00:00:09.347 you can't get this, 00:00:09.556 --> 00:00:10.724 there's no drive-through anywhere 00:00:10.724 --> 00:00:11.891 that's gonna give these to you. 00:00:11.975 --> 00:00:13.810 Today, we're putting them to the test 00:00:13.852 --> 00:00:15.687 to settle the score once 00:00:15.895 --> 00:00:17.063 and for all. 00:00:17.230 --> 00:00:18.815 This is the best time machine ever. 00:00:18.857 --> 00:00:21.234 And we're traveling to look back 00:00:21.317 --> 00:00:24.404 at some seismic changes to fast food. 00:00:24.571 --> 00:00:26.656 This is a food experience 00:00:26.698 --> 00:00:28.241 that has not been seen 00:00:28.324 --> 00:00:29.826 since the eighties. 00:00:29.909 --> 00:00:32.996 And I test a long lost icon 00:00:33.038 --> 00:00:34.748 from a fast food heavyweight. 00:00:34.873 --> 00:00:37.500 Enter the McDLT. 00:00:38.251 --> 00:00:39.669 I'm a believer. 00:00:40.879 --> 00:00:42.881 I'm on the hunt to relive an 00:00:42.964 --> 00:00:44.883 extraordinary decade for food, 00:00:45.008 --> 00:00:46.843 the 1980s! 00:00:46.885 --> 00:00:49.262 I wish I could tell my seven-year-old self 00:00:49.387 --> 00:00:51.848 that I would be standing here 40 years later. 00:00:52.432 --> 00:00:55.602 It's an era of iconic hits and misses. 00:00:55.727 --> 00:00:57.937 Some have disappeared. 00:00:58.063 --> 00:01:01.066 But they can still be found if you know where to look. 00:01:01.191 --> 00:01:02.442 This is awesome, 00:01:02.525 --> 00:01:04.527 why wouldn't you continue making it? 00:01:04.569 --> 00:01:06.571 Join me, Adam Richman, 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:10.116 as we get a long lost taste of the icons 00:01:10.241 --> 00:01:11.534 and the forgotten. 00:01:11.576 --> 00:01:13.578 I've been waiting my whole life. 00:01:13.787 --> 00:01:15.163 I'm literally drooling 00:01:15.246 --> 00:01:16.706 for one more bite. 00:01:24.422 --> 00:01:25.924 In the eighties, 00:01:26.049 --> 00:01:29.803 the fast food industry was reaching new heights. 00:01:29.803 --> 00:01:35.600 By 1989, McDonald's sales had tripled to $17.3 billion 00:01:35.725 --> 00:01:38.812 from just $5.4 billion 10 years earlier. 00:01:38.895 --> 00:01:41.731 Fueled by new items like McNuggets 00:01:41.815 --> 00:01:43.566 and the iconic Happy Meal, 00:01:43.608 --> 00:01:46.319 which joined the menu in 1979 00:01:46.486 --> 00:01:48.655 and included free toys. 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:51.783 When you're enjoying your favorite fast food meal today, 00:01:51.908 --> 00:01:53.326 do you ever stop 00:01:53.493 --> 00:01:54.828 and think, "Man, this sure tasted so much better 00:01:54.994 --> 00:01:56.496 when I was younger." 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:57.914 Now, I know that there is some people 00:01:57.997 --> 00:01:58.915 that may just say 00:01:58.957 --> 00:02:00.458 that that's nostalgia talking, 00:02:00.583 --> 00:02:03.753 but if you were eating fast food during the 1980s, 00:02:03.795 --> 00:02:06.339 you may just be right. 00:02:06.506 --> 00:02:07.924 You see, back then, 00:02:07.966 --> 00:02:10.677 you bore witness to an industry wide change 00:02:10.802 --> 00:02:11.761 in how they fry 00:02:11.845 --> 00:02:14.639 and flavor our french fries. 00:02:14.848 --> 00:02:17.851 The booming fast food came with backlash 00:02:17.934 --> 00:02:19.936 that picked up steam in the eighties. 00:02:19.978 --> 00:02:21.479 While their food was popular, 00:02:21.604 --> 00:02:23.690 some worried it wasn't healthy enough, 00:02:23.857 --> 00:02:27.443 and the fast food industry made some changes as a result. 00:02:27.485 --> 00:02:29.445 This included changing 00:02:29.529 --> 00:02:34.159 their gold standard fast food side dish, french fries. 00:02:34.367 --> 00:02:36.369 But what if you could actually taste those 00:02:36.452 --> 00:02:39.038 old eighties versions again today? 00:02:39.998 --> 00:02:41.624 Impossible, right? 00:02:41.666 --> 00:02:43.626 What if I told you it wasn't? 00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:45.795 And I know just the place, 00:02:45.837 --> 00:02:49.382 Mattson food lab in Foster City, California. 00:02:49.382 --> 00:02:51.718 In this 20,000 square foot facility, 00:02:51.801 --> 00:02:53.887 they've spent four decades working 00:02:54.053 --> 00:02:55.889 with some of the biggest names in the food industry 00:02:55.972 --> 00:02:58.892 to discover new recipes and products. 00:02:58.892 --> 00:03:02.729 Everything, from helping Starbucks create the Frappuccino 00:03:02.854 --> 00:03:06.149 to assisting White Castle with a specialty cheeseburger. 00:03:06.232 --> 00:03:10.570 And I'm here to meet with two real life Willy Wonkas, 00:03:10.695 --> 00:03:11.738 Dr. Justin Shimek, 00:03:11.863 --> 00:03:13.406 CEO of Mattson, 00:03:13.573 --> 00:03:15.200 and Dr. Kathy Westphal, 00:03:15.325 --> 00:03:17.911 inventor of the Dole Whip, 00:03:18.036 --> 00:03:19.412 to recreate a food 00:03:19.537 --> 00:03:21.831 you didn't even necessarily know you lost, 00:03:21.873 --> 00:03:24.918 the 1980s french fry. 00:03:25.043 --> 00:03:26.211 In your opinion, 00:03:26.336 --> 00:03:28.504 what is it that constitutes a great fry? 00:03:28.546 --> 00:03:30.173 - A great fry has got 00:03:30.256 --> 00:03:32.258 that pillowy, soft interior, 00:03:32.383 --> 00:03:33.092 and that light 00:03:33.259 --> 00:03:34.177 and crispy exterior, 00:03:34.260 --> 00:03:35.929 so when you bite through it, 00:03:36.095 --> 00:03:38.389 you've got that contrast of those two perfect textures. 00:03:40.934 --> 00:03:42.518 French fries have been around 00:03:42.602 --> 00:03:45.104 since long before the 1980s, 00:03:45.230 --> 00:03:46.606 and most seem to agree 00:03:46.606 --> 00:03:48.691 they were invented by not the French, 00:03:48.733 --> 00:03:51.903 but the Belgians in the 1600s. 00:03:52.111 --> 00:03:53.780 Fast forward to the 20th century. 00:03:55.448 --> 00:03:57.617 White Castle became one of the first fast food chains 00:03:57.700 --> 00:04:01.120 to offer fries with their burgers. 00:04:02.038 --> 00:04:03.957 So can you guys talk to me about that transition 00:04:03.957 --> 00:04:06.042 that occurred in the fast food kingdom 00:04:06.125 --> 00:04:07.710 in the mid to late eighties? 00:04:07.752 --> 00:04:10.296 - Well, in the 1980s and before, 00:04:10.296 --> 00:04:12.382 often, fries were fried in animal fat, 00:04:12.465 --> 00:04:13.800 like beef tallow. 00:04:13.883 --> 00:04:16.094 However, the saturated fats started 00:04:16.302 --> 00:04:18.721 to become linked with heart disease 00:04:18.763 --> 00:04:20.640 and higher blood cholesterol, 00:04:20.640 --> 00:04:22.141 so there was a movement Mmhmm. 00:04:22.308 --> 00:04:24.811 To move away from saturated fats to plant oils. 00:04:24.894 --> 00:04:26.229 And that's in no small part 00:04:26.271 --> 00:04:28.815 due to the work of Phil Sokolof, 00:04:28.815 --> 00:04:30.275 a Nebraskan millionaire who suffered 00:04:30.400 --> 00:04:33.987 a heart attack which nearly killed him in 1966. 00:04:34.070 --> 00:04:36.489 After that, he poured his own money 00:04:36.656 --> 00:04:39.826 into a campaign to get fast food chains like McDonald's 00:04:39.993 --> 00:04:43.955 to lower the saturated fat content on their menu. 00:04:44.080 --> 00:04:45.498 And it worked. 00:04:45.665 --> 00:04:48.334 By 1990, McDonald stopped using beef tallow 00:04:48.501 --> 00:04:49.794 to make their fries, 00:04:50.003 --> 00:04:53.089 and the rest of the industry followed suit, 00:04:53.131 --> 00:04:54.924 forever changing the landscape 00:04:55.008 --> 00:04:57.135 of the American French fry. 00:04:57.343 --> 00:05:00.847 - Today, fries are fried in a vegetable oil. 00:05:00.972 --> 00:05:03.933 - Was there are a loss of flavor, quality, 00:05:03.975 --> 00:05:05.518 french fry enjoyment? 00:05:05.643 --> 00:05:08.646 - The oil is a big part of the fry itself. 00:05:08.855 --> 00:05:10.857 Those saturated fats tend to lend themselves 00:05:10.982 --> 00:05:12.650 to a crisper fry 00:05:12.775 --> 00:05:14.610 that you can't a hundred percent replicate 00:05:14.652 --> 00:05:15.945 in a plant-based oil. 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:18.281 This is a beef tallow blend. 00:05:18.323 --> 00:05:20.283 Beef tallow is a fat 00:05:20.325 --> 00:05:22.201 cooked out from any kind of cow. 00:05:22.285 --> 00:05:23.995 And because it has a high smoke point, 00:05:24.203 --> 00:05:26.497 it's great for cooking at high temperatures, 00:05:26.622 --> 00:05:28.791 or of course, deep frying. 00:05:30.168 --> 00:05:33.046 We are going to fry the potatoes in both. 00:05:33.046 --> 00:05:34.380 - That's right. - All right? 00:05:34.547 --> 00:05:36.215 - And we're gonna actually have you tell us 00:05:36.299 --> 00:05:37.717 if you can tell there's a difference. 00:05:37.884 --> 00:05:38.551 - Blind taste this? 00:05:38.676 --> 00:05:39.719 - A blind tasting. 00:05:39.844 --> 00:05:40.678 - Ho, ho, ho, ho. 00:05:45.183 --> 00:05:47.727 I'm on a quest to find out whether certain foods 00:05:47.727 --> 00:05:50.396 tasted better in the 1980s, 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.024 like, for example, french fries. 00:05:53.149 --> 00:05:55.401 But what other examples are there? 00:05:55.568 --> 00:05:58.404 Have you ever heard someone claim Goldfish 00:05:58.529 --> 00:06:02.700 or Oreos tasted better in the eighties than they do today? 00:06:02.909 --> 00:06:05.578 Well, that might be because their recipes 00:06:05.578 --> 00:06:08.414 along with nearly every other U.S packaged food 00:06:08.498 --> 00:06:10.500 were changed to remove trans fat. 00:06:10.541 --> 00:06:14.087 Some claimed tomatoes tasted better back then too 00:06:14.253 --> 00:06:16.923 because farmers hadn't yet sacrificed quality 00:06:17.006 --> 00:06:18.925 for quantity in their yields. 00:06:18.925 --> 00:06:22.053 In fact, many cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch 00:06:22.261 --> 00:06:24.305 have more sugar than they do today. 00:06:25.098 --> 00:06:26.724 All right, moment of truth. 00:06:26.849 --> 00:06:28.893 So we have fried one batch 00:06:29.102 --> 00:06:31.854 of these in the beef tallow mixture 00:06:31.938 --> 00:06:34.440 that was the original flavoring 00:06:34.607 --> 00:06:36.442 that we found with the fast food french fries 00:06:36.567 --> 00:06:37.944 that we love. 00:06:38.027 --> 00:06:39.529 And the other was fried 00:06:39.570 --> 00:06:41.072 in a vegetable oil 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:44.075 which has replaced the beef tallow mixture. 00:06:45.868 --> 00:06:47.412 Ah, smells like childhood, all right. 00:06:48.955 --> 00:06:50.289 Fry number one. 00:06:52.875 --> 00:06:54.919 The crunch is so good. 00:06:55.128 --> 00:06:56.379 Okay. 00:06:56.462 --> 00:06:58.131 And fry number two. 00:07:01.884 --> 00:07:03.094 They both smell great, 00:07:03.302 --> 00:07:05.972 they're both crispy. 00:07:06.097 --> 00:07:07.932 They both taste amazing, 00:07:08.057 --> 00:07:09.642 but I think in this one, 00:07:09.767 --> 00:07:11.269 there's a savory note, 00:07:11.394 --> 00:07:12.812 this is a nice, clean, 00:07:12.937 --> 00:07:14.605 well-made french fry, 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:17.150 and just the right amount of salt. 00:07:17.275 --> 00:07:18.776 Clean, crisp flavors. 00:07:20.653 --> 00:07:22.071 This is what I want right here. 00:07:23.823 --> 00:07:26.075 - This is beef tallow blend. 00:07:26.159 --> 00:07:27.952 Wow. 00:07:29.328 --> 00:07:31.122 Yeah, the beef is beyond belief, man. 00:07:33.583 --> 00:07:35.001 This is the best time machine ever. 00:07:35.126 --> 00:07:36.169 So there you have it, 00:07:36.294 --> 00:07:37.837 if you ask me, 00:07:37.962 --> 00:07:40.506 fries in the eighties tasted just at tiny bit better 00:07:40.506 --> 00:07:42.133 than the fries we eat today, 00:07:42.258 --> 00:07:44.302 which are still delicious. 00:07:44.510 --> 00:07:46.345 It does make this the perfect french fry 00:07:46.345 --> 00:07:47.680 to accompany a hamburger. 00:07:47.763 --> 00:07:50.600 And if you grew up in the eighties, 00:07:50.641 --> 00:07:51.767 to have a flavor 00:07:51.809 --> 00:07:52.977 that you remember, 00:07:53.102 --> 00:07:54.812 to have it recreated so faithfully 00:07:54.937 --> 00:07:57.690 is such a special, rare opportunity, 00:07:57.773 --> 00:08:00.026 that I can't thank you enough. 00:08:00.318 --> 00:08:03.779 the eighties was also the decade of the burger wars, 00:08:03.863 --> 00:08:07.366 and the burger battlefield was on our television screens. 00:08:08.451 --> 00:08:10.703 By 1984, Americans were spending 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:14.123 on average seven hours a day watching TV. 00:08:14.207 --> 00:08:15.333 So while McDonald's 00:08:15.541 --> 00:08:16.834 and Burger King were leading the pack, 00:08:17.043 --> 00:08:19.045 Wendy's sought to pick up some ground 00:08:19.128 --> 00:08:21.714 with a legendary 1984 commercial 00:08:21.881 --> 00:08:24.634 that coined the catchphrase for the ages, 00:08:24.717 --> 00:08:25.885 taunting McDonald's 00:08:26.052 --> 00:08:28.471 and Burger King on their beef patty sizes. 00:08:28.554 --> 00:08:30.139 - Where's the beef? 00:08:30.890 --> 00:08:32.308 83-year-old, Clara Peller, 00:08:32.350 --> 00:08:36.270 captivated the nation with her no nonsense attitude. 00:08:36.395 --> 00:08:39.232 And Wendy's slogan appeared on merchandise 00:08:39.232 --> 00:08:41.025 which popped up everywhere, 00:08:41.234 --> 00:08:43.653 and it even crossed over into politics, 00:08:43.694 --> 00:08:46.405 when Walter Mondale used it against Gary Hart 00:08:46.489 --> 00:08:48.866 in the 1984 Democratic Debate. 00:08:49.408 --> 00:08:50.743 - When I hear your new ideas, 00:08:51.661 --> 00:08:53.412 I'm reminded of that ad, 00:08:53.412 --> 00:08:54.830 where's the beef? - Yeah. 00:08:57.750 --> 00:08:59.168 In the eighties, 00:08:59.210 --> 00:09:01.420 McDonald's, they were pushing so hard for innovation 00:09:01.420 --> 00:09:03.256 that one of their big ideas 00:09:03.339 --> 00:09:04.924 had nothing to do with the new food 00:09:05.049 --> 00:09:06.259 or a new recipe, 00:09:06.425 --> 00:09:09.011 but was instead all about the packaging. 00:09:09.095 --> 00:09:12.265 Enter the long lost McDLT. 00:09:12.431 --> 00:09:13.766 In 1984, 00:09:13.849 --> 00:09:15.601 McDonald's released the McDLT 00:09:15.768 --> 00:09:18.271 as their answer to Burger King's Whopper. 00:09:18.354 --> 00:09:19.939 It featured a quarter pound beef patty, 00:09:20.064 --> 00:09:21.440 cheese, lettuce, mayo, 00:09:21.607 --> 00:09:24.944 and for the first time in McDonald's history, 00:09:25.069 --> 00:09:27.613 a big slice of tomato. 00:09:27.738 --> 00:09:29.115 That's right, 00:09:29.115 --> 00:09:32.535 for the first time since it's founding in 1955, 00:09:32.618 --> 00:09:34.579 they used a tomato. 00:09:34.787 --> 00:09:37.623 But its big innovation was the packaging. 00:09:37.790 --> 00:09:40.042 Two compartments which kept the burger crown 00:09:40.126 --> 00:09:41.794 with the vegetables cold, 00:09:41.877 --> 00:09:44.130 and the burger patty base hot 00:09:44.297 --> 00:09:46.632 until the customer was ready to combine the two 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:48.968 and have the best of both worlds. 00:09:48.968 --> 00:09:52.221 By 1986, its sales were estimated to have reached 00:09:52.305 --> 00:09:55.391 300 million dollars. 00:09:55.433 --> 00:09:58.603 But the McDLT was discontinued in 1991, 00:09:58.728 --> 00:10:00.646 bowing to pressure from protestors 00:10:00.813 --> 00:10:03.149 who pointed out the styrofoam packaging 00:10:03.149 --> 00:10:04.984 was bad for the environment. 00:10:05.109 --> 00:10:08.321 Okay, we have our quarter pounder patty on the base, 00:10:08.487 --> 00:10:10.406 we have our tomato, our cheese, 00:10:10.489 --> 00:10:12.116 our lettuce with the top, 00:10:12.241 --> 00:10:15.244 but let's see if when it's combined, 00:10:15.286 --> 00:10:17.788 you get that proper burger experience. 00:10:21.167 --> 00:10:23.961 It's actually quite refreshing. 00:10:24.086 --> 00:10:25.296 And it's kind of funny 00:10:25.504 --> 00:10:27.006 that we had to go back to the eighties 00:10:27.089 --> 00:10:28.799 to get back to burger basics. 00:10:28.924 --> 00:10:32.928 Today, the McDLT may make many lists of fast food failures, 00:10:32.970 --> 00:10:35.264 but they were quite successful for a time. 00:10:35.306 --> 00:10:36.849 And even today, 00:10:36.849 --> 00:10:39.435 there's a market for vintage packages like this one. 00:10:39.518 --> 00:10:41.395 I would get a McDLT again. 00:10:44.774 --> 00:10:45.858 Throughout the eighties, 00:10:45.941 --> 00:10:47.652 fast food chains debuted new, 00:10:47.860 --> 00:10:50.029 never before seen items on their menu. 00:10:50.154 --> 00:10:51.322 Like McDonald's McRib, 00:10:51.530 --> 00:10:54.533 and Burger King's French Toast Sticks. 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:59.538 But maybe the biggest change was the rise of chicken. 00:10:59.872 --> 00:11:02.124 McDonald's launched chicken McNuggets 00:11:02.208 --> 00:11:07.797 in select stores in 1981 before going nationwide in 1983. 00:11:08.506 --> 00:11:11.008 And to get a taste of how chicken factored 00:11:11.217 --> 00:11:13.052 into the fast moving ever changing world 00:11:13.135 --> 00:11:15.054 of fast food in the eighties, 00:11:15.179 --> 00:11:16.555 I'm heading to a place 00:11:16.681 --> 00:11:19.725 with one of the more expansive menus out there, 00:11:19.725 --> 00:11:22.978 who in the 1980s helped usher in the rise of chicken 00:11:23.062 --> 00:11:24.563 with their special wings, 00:11:24.647 --> 00:11:27.400 along with some superior sauces. 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:28.734 - Howdy, friends? 00:11:28.859 --> 00:11:30.903 Founded in 1968 00:11:30.903 --> 00:11:33.739 as the Marriott Corporation's answer to McDonald's, 00:11:33.739 --> 00:11:35.032 the prospective restaurants 00:11:35.157 --> 00:11:37.159 had their roast beef sandwiches down, 00:11:37.243 --> 00:11:39.245 but needed a name to sell them. 00:11:39.245 --> 00:11:41.664 Enter Roy Rogers. 00:11:42.665 --> 00:11:45.501 Beloved icon of American Western television and film. 00:11:47.420 --> 00:11:49.588 Known as the King of the Cowboys, 00:11:49.755 --> 00:11:51.590 Rogers was best known for the long running 00:11:51.757 --> 00:11:53.884 "Roy Rogers Show" on NBC in the fifties. 00:11:55.219 --> 00:11:57.221 When Marriot called about licensing his name 00:11:57.346 --> 00:11:58.681 for their restaurants, 00:11:58.723 --> 00:12:00.516 Rogers accepted, 00:12:00.599 --> 00:12:03.269 and the Roy Rogers Roast Beef Sandwich restaurant was born. 00:12:04.895 --> 00:12:05.855 Over the years, 00:12:05.938 --> 00:12:06.939 they added burgers, 00:12:07.022 --> 00:12:08.941 and eventually, fried chicken, 00:12:09.108 --> 00:12:11.777 to become a unique fast food triple threat. 00:12:11.944 --> 00:12:15.030 They were also famous for their Fixin's Bar. 00:12:15.072 --> 00:12:17.783 Roy Rogers was loaded with innovations. 00:12:17.908 --> 00:12:21.120 While many big name competitors were using frozen chicken, 00:12:21.203 --> 00:12:23.539 Roy Rogers chicken was fresh, 00:12:23.581 --> 00:12:24.749 never frozen, 00:12:24.874 --> 00:12:26.375 and hand battered. 00:12:26.417 --> 00:12:28.127 By the eighties, 00:12:28.127 --> 00:12:31.088 the brand was exploding all over the 95 corridor, 00:12:31.297 --> 00:12:34.633 and hit their peak with 648 restaurants. 00:12:34.717 --> 00:12:36.594 The fast food chain had been scheduled 00:12:36.719 --> 00:12:39.972 for extinction when it was bought by Hardee's in 1990. 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:43.309 But when faithful fans opposed the closures, 00:12:43.392 --> 00:12:44.560 Hardee stopped the conversion of 00:12:44.643 --> 00:12:47.229 over 200 Roy Rogers restaurants 00:12:47.271 --> 00:12:49.940 before eventually selling the brand. 00:12:53.778 --> 00:12:55.446 Today, I'm meeting with brand owner, Jim Plamondon, 00:12:55.654 --> 00:12:58.324 to taste Roy Rogers' wild contribution 00:12:58.491 --> 00:13:01.118 to the rise of poultry on fast food menus. 00:13:01.327 --> 00:13:03.913 Including their revolutionary wing sauces 00:13:03.954 --> 00:13:07.124 and the classic ads used to sell them. 00:13:09.585 --> 00:13:11.337 As a kid who grew up in the 80s, 00:13:11.420 --> 00:13:14.340 I have so many great memories 00:13:14.465 --> 00:13:16.842 of Roy Rogers because it is an indelible part 00:13:16.926 --> 00:13:19.011 of my own eighties experience. 00:13:19.094 --> 00:13:20.346 Was he ever at this location? 00:13:20.513 --> 00:13:22.515 - He was, we had a grand opening celebration. 00:13:22.640 --> 00:13:25.518 He appeared here in our parking lot on stage. 00:13:25.601 --> 00:13:27.478 And this parking lot was filled, 00:13:27.686 --> 00:13:29.855 there were probably a thousand people 00:13:30.022 --> 00:13:32.274 that were here for that opening celebration. 00:13:32.316 --> 00:13:33.484 - Did you met him? 00:13:33.609 --> 00:13:34.652 - I met him. - What was he like? 00:13:34.777 --> 00:13:35.820 - In fact, I got to drive him around 00:13:35.945 --> 00:13:37.446 in my dad's station wagon. 00:13:37.488 --> 00:13:38.864 - Wow. 00:13:38.989 --> 00:13:40.950 So today, I wanted to focus on the menu items 00:13:41.033 --> 00:13:42.827 that were iconic in the eighties, 00:13:42.952 --> 00:13:45.204 like Roy Rogers Wild Wing, 00:13:45.371 --> 00:13:46.539 without getting the Mohawk, 00:13:46.664 --> 00:13:48.332 like that plumber's dog did in the commercial. 00:13:48.541 --> 00:13:50.543 - And look what they done to old Duke. 00:13:50.626 --> 00:13:53.128 Next year, I'm planting corn. 00:13:53.712 --> 00:13:54.672 The farmer is like 00:13:54.880 --> 00:13:57.049 approaching a chicken shed at night. 00:13:57.216 --> 00:13:58.884 And there's like a rave inside. 00:13:58.884 --> 00:14:00.553 - Oh, no. 00:14:00.678 --> 00:14:01.554 - And they were there, 00:14:01.637 --> 00:14:02.221 and he's like, "They're back." 00:14:02.221 --> 00:14:03.556 - They're back. 00:14:03.556 --> 00:14:05.015 Wild Wings are back at Roy's. 00:14:06.892 --> 00:14:09.395 Roy Rogers wasn't the only fast food giant 00:14:09.562 --> 00:14:11.522 including chicken on its menu in the eighties, 00:14:11.647 --> 00:14:13.732 it was an all out trend, 00:14:13.732 --> 00:14:16.569 but the reason is one you might not expect. 00:14:16.652 --> 00:14:18.237 By the midpoint of the decade, 00:14:18.237 --> 00:14:20.823 cattle ranchers found themselves heavily in debt 00:14:20.906 --> 00:14:22.700 thanks to new economic policies 00:14:22.908 --> 00:14:25.911 which led to a rise in beef prices. 00:14:26.078 --> 00:14:29.874 So many started selling off their cattle herds as a result. 00:14:30.082 --> 00:14:33.586 Less cattle meant higher beef prices. 00:14:33.669 --> 00:14:35.337 People were ordering less steak, 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:38.173 and grocers were promoting chicken breast. 00:14:39.508 --> 00:14:40.885 - Our fried chicken's fresh too, 00:14:41.010 --> 00:14:43.095 you've got my word on it, partner. 00:14:43.095 --> 00:14:44.513 Luckily for the fast food industry, 00:14:44.555 --> 00:14:45.890 between the 1950s 00:14:46.015 --> 00:14:47.349 and the 1980s, 00:14:47.433 --> 00:14:48.767 fast food fried chicken 00:14:48.934 --> 00:14:50.686 had already become a staple. 00:14:50.728 --> 00:14:52.521 And chains like Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, 00:14:52.605 --> 00:14:54.273 and of course, KFC, 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:56.358 who figured out how to prepare large amounts 00:14:56.400 --> 00:15:00.112 of fried chicken on a daily basis for their customers. 00:15:00.112 --> 00:15:03.115 Burger chains were scrambling to find their own ways 00:15:03.198 --> 00:15:05.618 to add chicken to their menu. 00:15:05.701 --> 00:15:06.410 Crispy chicken, 00:15:06.535 --> 00:15:08.037 three wild sauces. 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:10.623 But what Roy Rogers came up with in the eighties 00:15:10.623 --> 00:15:12.082 might have topped them all. 00:15:12.958 --> 00:15:14.251 - Come on in, Adam, 00:15:14.376 --> 00:15:16.253 and meet our chef, Shannon Shaffer. 00:15:16.378 --> 00:15:17.296 - How are you, chef? - Doing great. 00:15:17.296 --> 00:15:18.756 - Ready for being our kind 00:15:18.881 --> 00:15:20.466 of time machine back to the eighties? 00:15:20.633 --> 00:15:21.800 So the chicken, you said, 00:15:21.884 --> 00:15:23.802 was like kind of a limited time thing, 00:15:23.928 --> 00:15:24.929 it would be on the menu, 00:15:25.054 --> 00:15:25.763 you would take it off, 00:15:25.888 --> 00:15:26.722 it would reappear. 00:15:26.805 --> 00:15:27.973 - The Wild Wings, yeah. 00:15:27.973 --> 00:15:28.766 - The Wild Wings. 00:15:28.891 --> 00:15:30.059 I remember the sauces 00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:31.769 were always featured in the commercial. 00:15:32.978 --> 00:15:33.896 How many sauces were there? 00:15:33.938 --> 00:15:34.980 - They were three, 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:36.482 there was a Firehouse Red, 00:15:36.565 --> 00:15:37.983 there was a Meltdown Mustard, 00:15:38.150 --> 00:15:39.944 and then, a Honolulu Honey. 00:15:40.069 --> 00:15:41.654 - You guys don't still have it on the menu, right? 00:15:41.654 --> 00:15:42.655 - We don't, no, 00:15:42.821 --> 00:15:44.406 this was an eighties thing. 00:15:47.576 --> 00:15:48.744 I'm behind the scenes at Roy Rogers 00:15:48.786 --> 00:15:50.913 with the brand owner, Jim Plamondon, 00:15:50.996 --> 00:15:53.248 and Chef Shannon Shaffer, 00:15:53.290 --> 00:15:55.918 who's about to make Roy Rogers' iconic eighties dish 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.337 that was part of the chicken's infiltration 00:15:58.504 --> 00:16:01.131 into fast food menus across the country. 00:16:01.256 --> 00:16:03.926 Roy Rogers Wild Wings. 00:16:04.969 --> 00:16:06.595 - Them birds is crazy. 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:07.972 This is the first time 00:16:08.180 --> 00:16:11.141 they are being made in over 30 years, 00:16:11.266 --> 00:16:13.143 and I'm ready to sample this classic 00:16:13.352 --> 00:16:15.479 that was forever lost to the eighties. 00:16:16.355 --> 00:16:17.189 Crispy, fried chicken, 00:16:17.272 --> 00:16:18.691 a choice of four wild sauces. 00:16:18.774 --> 00:16:19.942 First up, 00:16:20.025 --> 00:16:21.026 made with a ketchup 00:16:21.151 --> 00:16:22.111 and butter base, 00:16:22.152 --> 00:16:23.112 some brown sugar, 00:16:23.195 --> 00:16:24.488 and of course, hot sauce, 00:16:24.613 --> 00:16:26.490 is the Firehouse Red. 00:16:26.991 --> 00:16:28.367 I love my job. 00:16:34.999 --> 00:16:36.875 Oh, is that good. 00:16:38.961 --> 00:16:40.504 You get that rich tomato note. 00:16:40.713 --> 00:16:43.048 Then it gets a little sweet, then tangy, 00:16:43.173 --> 00:16:46.552 and the heat comes at the very, very, very end. 00:16:46.677 --> 00:16:47.970 It's terrific. 00:16:49.346 --> 00:16:52.391 Next up is the sweetest of the Wild Wings sauces 00:16:52.391 --> 00:16:53.976 made with pineapple, ginger, 00:16:54.018 --> 00:16:55.644 and white vinegar, 00:16:55.728 --> 00:16:57.479 the Honolulu Honey. 00:16:58.731 --> 00:16:59.732 Okay. 00:17:04.069 --> 00:17:05.696 Holy smokes, is that good. 00:17:05.904 --> 00:17:09.366 Despite, pineapple was such a sweet, sweet fruit. 00:17:11.076 --> 00:17:13.245 It has a bit of zing from the ginger, I think, 00:17:13.370 --> 00:17:15.706 and from the mustard. 00:17:15.914 --> 00:17:18.876 A little bit of that salt hit from the soy. 00:17:20.335 --> 00:17:22.254 It works so, so well, 00:17:22.254 --> 00:17:23.922 and remember, this is a dish 00:17:24.006 --> 00:17:25.549 that no one's had since Roy Rogers 00:17:25.758 --> 00:17:28.052 around the country would occasionally 00:17:28.177 --> 00:17:29.887 bring the Wild Wings back. 00:17:30.095 --> 00:17:31.764 - And look what they done to old Duke. 00:17:31.764 --> 00:17:33.766 The Wild Wings were clearly a big part 00:17:33.932 --> 00:17:36.226 of Roy Rogers' success during the eighties. 00:17:36.435 --> 00:17:37.936 But ultimately, the Marriot Corporation 00:17:38.062 --> 00:17:40.939 like using limited time offers to do business, 00:17:41.023 --> 00:17:42.941 and the wings were just that, 00:17:43.025 --> 00:17:46.987 never appearing again after 1989. 00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:48.781 And as for Roy Rogers themselves, 00:17:48.781 --> 00:17:51.950 today, there are still 43 branches operating, 00:17:51.950 --> 00:17:53.619 way less than the eighties, 00:17:53.744 --> 00:17:56.121 but you better believe they are still kicking * 00:17:56.205 --> 00:17:58.415 with their Fixin's Bar, their burgers, 00:17:59.041 --> 00:18:02.419 The eighties was an era of change for fast food. 00:18:02.503 --> 00:18:05.089 From fries with a long lost flavor 00:18:05.214 --> 00:18:07.758 because of a switch in the oil they were fried in, 00:18:07.758 --> 00:18:09.051 to try new, 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:11.428 innovative ways to package your food. 00:18:11.553 --> 00:18:15.516 The wave of fast food innovation in the 1980s 00:18:15.557 --> 00:18:16.350 brought with it 00:18:16.433 --> 00:18:17.768 original ingredients 00:18:17.893 --> 00:18:19.770 and incredible flavors 00:18:19.853 --> 00:18:21.355 that we sorely miss today. 00:18:22.773 --> 00:18:24.691 And traveling back, 00:18:24.775 --> 00:18:28.070 I can tell you they are just as delicious as I remember.