Everything that’s old is new again. Dolly Parton, instant ramen, McDonald’s marketing gimmicks—each has been given a distinctly 2024 twist and revived for today’s drive-thru lane or supermarket aisle. Here are some recent stories about new innovations in very old places, and how every fresh release is taking inspiration from what came before it.
Composed big bowl salads are my bag. I’ll try every one just to tell everyone how to build a better salad at Chopt, how to max out Fogo de Chao’s salad bar, what’s good at Sweetgreen, and so on. I love salad so much that sometimes when I travel and I’m feeling leaf-deprived, I’ll buy a container of washed leafy greens just to eat straight up—and when I do, I prefer crisp, sweet, hydroponically grown baby greens. — Su-Jit Lin
New limited-time Space Dunk Oreos are rolling out on store shelves starting today, January 31. They follow the trend of big brands creating flavors “inspired by space,” such as Coca-Cola’s unusual Starlight flavor. Except this package might actually send you to space. — Dennis Lee
Many awesome snacks just happen to be gluten-free, even if they aren’t marketed that way. For example, Jalapeño Cheddar Cheetos, Lay’s Original potato chips, and On The Border tortilla chips are all devoid of wheat. Another thing these gluten-free products have in common is that they offer what gluten-filled snacks lack: a loud, thunderous crunch. — Danny Palumbo
If you follow any food or restaurant accounts on Instagram or Facebook, celebrity chef David Chang has probably popped up in your ad space. He’s been selling wavy knife-cut noodles via the Momofuku brand, a grocery extension of his popular restaurant group of the same name. — Micheline Maynard
There’s no denying that Dolly Parton is a musical legend. Her decades-long career in country music is already one for the books, but she has also applied her seemingly endless powers to a different industry altogether: food, particularly consumer package goods. — Dennis Lee
There’s reason to believe that Ronald McDonald and friends will make a full and official comeback soon. This week, McDonald’s announced the return of the Hamburglar to promote its new and improved hamburgers, the latest marketing push centered around a classic character from the McDonaldland spokesuniverse. — Angela L. Pagán
The Super Bowl is just around the corner, which means our minds are focused on handheld party foods like pizza, dips, and of course, Buffalo wings. That’s why Cheetos has pulled the savvy move of debuting the newest flavor to its permanent lineup, Cheetos Crunchy Buffalo, just a few weeks before game day. — Dennis Lee