
With its affordable menu, fresh produce, and appetite-stimulating burritos, Mexican chain
Chipotle can’t get any better. Or can it? Yesterday, the casual eatery
announced that it has appointed Bill Niman, founder of sustainable farm
Niman Ranch, as its sustainable agriculture advisor.

Last week,
McDonald's made headlines when roughly 15,000 Osaka residents lined up for the opening of the Midosuji Suomachi
Quarter Pounder only store in Chuo-ku, Osaka. But now, the number one
fast food chain is admitting that around 1,000 people were hired and compensated to line up outside of the store.
"We didn't ask the company to make the people line up,"
explained a spokesperson for McDonald's Japan.

Earlier this year,
Pizza Hut played a trick on the country by claiming it had
changed its name to Pasta Hut. Although the name change turned out to be an advertising prank, the pizza delivery chain did roll out a new line of
Tuscani Pastas ($12.99). After trying out Domino's
new line of subs, I decided that to be fair, I'd give Pizza Hut's pastas a try, too.

Well you voted and now the results are in: As part of our
Best of 2008 coverage we asked you what your
favorite fast-food restaurant is. Although there was no landslide win, the majority (24 percent) chose
Subway. The popular sandwich chain has had a busy year — it's
introduced flatbread sandwiches, signed on
Michael Phelps as spokesman, and
partnered with Starbucks.

Hoping to put an end to hemorrhaging sales, Starbucks is moving full speed ahead with a new strategy. In addition to cutting workers' hours and streamlining recipes, the nation's largest
coffee chain will be
entering a partnership with the country's biggest sandwich franchise, Subway. Next month, select Subways will start selling Starbucks-owned
Seattle's Best Coffee.
Pizza Hut has caused an uproar with the launch of a new viral
advertising campaign. "Kicked Out of a Pizza Place," a video produced by
Mediocre Films, has gotten 198,135 views on
YouTube since it was posted less than five days ago. The
fast food corporation is piggybacking on the success of other chains' attempt at viral videos, such as competitor
Wendy's MySpace video,
"Crazy Lettuce".

There are a few reasons why you might find yourself in a fast food restaurant, two of them being cost and convenience. Whether you're in a rush, looking to save money, or simply have a hankering for fast food, know that some of the big menu options are better than others.
The Cancer Project surveyed the largest fast food chains in the US to come up with a list of what the initiative
has deemed the five unhealthiest items.

As far as controversy goes, one would have thought
Pepsi's Suicidal Calorie ads would be hard to top, but a new campaign from
Burger King is generating just as much buzz. On a new website,
Whoppervirgins.com, Burger King is showing footage of Thai villagers and Transylvanian farmers taking their first bite ever of a hamburger. The film, which was made by Stacy Peralta, the director of acclaimed documentaries like Riding Giants, is being dubbed the world's "purest taste test."

Now that we're beginning our
Best of 2008 coverage, we want to know: What gets your vote for favorite fast-food restaurant this year?
Source

Move over, Jared.
Subway's got a new guy in town, and his name is
Michael Phelps. The mega-medal Olympian continues to score endorsements faster than his swimming records.