Wayback Burgers is introducing an Oreo mud pie cricket protein milkshake made with Peruvian chocolate-flavored cricket powder on July 1 for a limited time, reports CNBC.
President of Wayback Burgers, John Eucalitto, said that the cricket shake originally started out as an April Fool’s Joke and to pull on customers to get them talking about the chain.
The response was so positive and it became popular, so the company decided to bring it back and make the insect treat an official menu item.
Bug us out. Fast food chain @waybackburgers selling cricket milkshakes | https://t.co/wT54hWEqO5 pic.twitter.com/r1kwsdMwHV
— Fox News Leisure (@fxnleisure) June 29, 2015
“We had it for two hours. There were people lined up to try it,” John claimed.
The burger chain tested somewhere between 20 and 30 different variations on the recipe, trying five flavors of cricket powder before coming up with its final product.
The crickets are part of a trend toward including edible insects that are high in protein, fat and essential amino acids in popular menu items.
As for the taste, Eucalitto said the cricket powder isn’t strong, and that he thinks the shake tastes “great.” Patrons are allowed to add the powder to any shakes on the menu and not just restricted to the Oreo shakes.
The shakes are scheduled to stay on menus from July through the end of September. If the demand is still strong after September, the protein-loaded drink may get a permanent slot.
Eucalitto guarantees his customers that the protein powders are well-made.
“People think maybe we’re grinding up crickets in the back room,” which isn’t the case, Eucalitto said, noting that the insects are all raised in domestic farms and not grabbed from random places.
The move comes as competition in the fast food and fast casual chains heats up. McDonald’s recently supersized its Quarter Pounders and brought back Lobster Rolls in its New England restaurants.
Wendy's has been a bit more traditional turning to "Baconator Fries," a variation of their usual French fries topped with cheese, cheese sauce and bacon.
Several other restaurant chains have changed up their menus as well to provide an edge over other competitors.
