Chicken and Waffles Ice Cream and Capitalism

As the title suggests, Baskin Robbins has debuted a brand new experimental flavor and it’s not exactly one people would guess. The new Chicken and Waffles flavor from the famous ice cream brand stands out among the typical lineup of chocolate, vanillas, and fruity sherberts. 

As a self described Chicken and waffles/ice cream conussier, the flavor itself tastes remarkably like its breakfast namesake and even includes hints of maple syrup and “crispy Chick’n and Waffle bites.” While many of these experimental flavors that try to approximate the taste of a certain food can end up tasting artificial or overly infused with unnatural flavoring. Chicken and waffles feels very authentic, creamy, and undeniably flavorful. And I would happily recommend this to anyone who enjoys breakfast food or is looking to try out a new flavor.

In our community Baskin Robbins has seen a few store closures in recent years, most notably with their Olney location. Many of their existing locations, such as Burtonsville and Aspen Hill, have also been incorporated into a hybrid model with Dunkin Donuts, offering both ice cream and Dunkin’s trademark coffee and donuts. While many know these two are owned by the same company, you may be surprised to find that Baskin Robbins’ parent company, Inspire Brands, also owns Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s, and Sonic. 

I am also an avid enjoyer of what some may consider to be a competitor of Baskin Robbins that being Ben and Jerry’s. My favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor is chocolate fudge brownie as evidenced by my wide selection of chocolate stained shirts. While Ben and Jerry’s as an individual company is famously committed to sustainability and progressive causes such as climate change and fair animal treatment. Ben and Jerry’s itself is also owned by a large parent company, Unilever, which also owns brands like Breyers ice cream, Talenti, Axe body spray, Dove lotions, Hellman’s mayonnaise, Klondike, and Vaseline. 

Both of these corporations owning vast swaths of food companies in our already over-saturated food market represents the growing lack of competition in the market. Ben and Jerry’s “Competing” with other brands like Breyers only to realize that the same company is making money off of both of them is a problem all too common in the industry. 

Each of these large corporations represents something of chicken and waffles themselves. Brands like Vaseline and Ben and Jerry’s being owned by the same company resembles the unlikely combination of fried chicken and waffles. However when put together these corporations only see the sweet sweet profits that come with monopolizing the industries in which they control. Chicken and Waffles as a flavor is yet another example of companies testing out new and unique flavors to bring attention to their brand. And they’re lucky it turned out to be delicious!

While you may be wondering how I managed to turn a Chicken and Waffles ice cream review into a commentary on the monopolization of the food industry then that is ok. A lot of these issues take a lot of time and understanding but it’s important to realize how something as simple as ice cream can become a symbol of capitalism’s takeover of the food industry.

Bringing it back to Chicken and Waffles however, I can’t recommend it enough! If you are at all a fan of the unlikely breakfast combo then you will be satisfied with this new and unique flavor. Although I’ve been a longtime fan of Baskin Robbins Chocolate ice cream, next time I walk through those doors I am going to get myself a single scoop of Chicken and Waffles ice cream in a cake cone, and enjoy every last bite.