After a surprisingly successful test run selling "Gilroy Garlic Fries" earlier this month, global conglomerate McDonald's has brought back their version of the garlic-chunk covered fries to four locations. The fries were originally intended for a limited run as a test item in the South Bay only, but quickly sold out. According to KRON 4, if the fries keep selling at this rate we may see them at 250 Bay Area locations by August.
But could the national food media please get their geography straight? A lot of press went out about how "San Francisco" had been gobbling up all these new garlic fries, not understanding that San Jose is not that close to here, and this all started at just two McDonald's locations down there.
"The new fries are made-to-order in McDonald’s kitchens," a company press release reads, "where restaurant employees toss French fries in stainless steel bowls with a purée mix that includes ingredients, such as chopped Gilroy garlic and olive oil, parmesan cheese, parsley, and a pinch of salt."
Take special note that the fries are made with "ingredients." That's how you know they're "food."
The four locations currently serving the fries are 3509 Homestead Road Santa Clara (two and a half stars on Yelp), 2191 Monterey Road San Jose (two Yelp stars),1398 W San Carlos Street San Jose (also two stars), and 4838 San Felipe Road San Jose (a super-fancy three stars).
They're back! Sold out during test run, #Gilroy Garlic Fries are again being served at 4 #McDonalds in San Jose pic.twitter.com/kUkjWpLQpm
— Rob Fladeboe (@KRON4RFladeboe) May 17, 2016
The garlic is actually being sourced from Gilroy-based Christopher Ranch, so at least there's an element of verisimilitude to the whole thing.
"It's been great for us," explained an unnamed store manager to KRON 4. "Just seeing the overwhelming customer demand, and people talking about it all over social media, and just the feedback has been great."
We're looking forward to the day when the an open-air drug market and stoner haven that is the Mickey D's at Haight and Stanyan discovers this new garlicky delicacy, and offers their reviews.
Previously: McDonald's Sells 'Gilroy Garlic Fries' In Bid For Bay Area Relevance