Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Landlubber77 t1_jad30hm wrote

🎶 Flaming Hot Cheetos, they're like regular Cheetos but they're flaming hot

Regular Cheetos are for pussies, Flaming Cheetos are not...

For Pussies, that is 🎶

−5

karuso2012 t1_jad320e wrote

This story always reminded me of Good Will Hunting

5

Buck_Thorn t1_jad5doa wrote

No paywall here: https://archive.ph/Jk92M

Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Monta%C3%B1ez

> According to his account, when a Cheetos machine broke down, Montañez took home a batch of unflavored snacks and seasoned them with spices reminiscent of Mexican street corn.[4][3] He pitched this idea to then-CEO Roger Enrico over the phone and was invited to deliver an in-person presentation, which he prepared for by researching marketing at the public library.[4][3] He presented the product as appealing to the growing Latino market, and provided samples in plastic bags that he had hand-decorated and sealed. It was soft-launched six months later to a test market in Los Angeles, and approved for national release in 1992.[5] Newsweek reported that the flavor, since expanded to a full product line, "rejuvenated the brand" and garnered billions in revenue.[4]

> In 2021, a Los Angeles Times article disputed Montañez's claim, reporting that based on an internal investigation at Frito-Lay, he was not involved in creating this product line. A spokesperson for Frito-Lay stated, "we value Richard's many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or any Flamin' Hot products to him." According to the article, however, Montañez did in fact rise from a floor-level position to a marketing executive at Frito-Lay, and he was involved in pitching new products.[1]

Another source: Frito-Lay disputes former janitor's claim he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos

542

TheFiniteThrowAway t1_jadc1oa wrote

The company could possibly be pulling a legal maneuver, by denying his credit. Usually, companies "own" anything developed by employees. I wouldn't put it past them to deny this, to save for potential lawsuit that could develop right?

19

edward414 t1_jadcbx8 wrote

They are pushing ahead with the movie about this apocryphal story anyways, huh?

4

wclure t1_jadfgzd wrote

Is it true? Yes. Legally, no though. But also yes, and at the same same time not really. It’s a true fiction.

−14

xiaxian1 t1_jadmh16 wrote

Such a weird story. Lots of corporate proof of the hot Cheetos being produced and marketed before the janitor guy says he created them. But he still swears he made them.

He made lots of money (and a movie!) off of this rags to riches story but it’s fake. And Frito didn’t care to correct him?

I feel bad for the original team who did the hard work and he’s enjoying the benefits.

242

pgold05 t1_jadrmfd wrote

> A junior employee with a freshly minted MBA named Lynne Greenfeld got the assignment to develop the brand — she came up with the Flamin’ Hot name and shepherded the line into existence.

After reading this headline my very first thought is, I bet it was really a woman who invited it.

Not suprised.

16

poultry_pounder t1_jadw3sb wrote

Hmmmm now I have to go give my business law professor grief for misinforming me Edit: I forgot to add “grief”

10

HPmoni t1_jadwdt8 wrote

This is a Romy and Michelle High School Reunion event

No one knows who invented it, so we go along with someone who says they invented it.

7

MpVpRb t1_jadzgjs wrote

Creative liar gets famous

I like creative, but despise liars

12

Reefer-eyed_Beans t1_jae458s wrote

Replying to PacifistWarlord (#2,116,950)

How is that "smart"..? What incentive do they have to not give him credit? He was indisputably their employee and it's been their product for over 30yrs now.

Some people obviously had to have made it... "Evil Faceless Chip Co." doesn't just churn out shit by magic and burn all traces of human involvement.

47

misogichan t1_jae4ovl wrote

Replying to PacifistWarlord (#2,116,950)

I don't really see the incentive for them to lie. They did the internal investigation because Lynne Greenfield, who was part of the team who created flaming hot cheetos, complained about the lies used to sell a motivational speaking career.

Also, Montañez has never tried to claim damages in court over them taking idea. Instead he was turning it into a motivational speaking career and two books.

143

misogichan t1_jae594y wrote

Replying to xiaxian1 (#2,115,384)

Guess we know why Montañez, the former janitor, made it all the way to being a marketing executive. And why others like Lynne Greenfield, who was part or the team that did create it, didn't rise as high up the corporate ladder.

63

Khelthuzaad t1_jae6kd3 wrote

The guy that invented Monopoly stole the game from an anti-capitalist sect that used the game as a means to teach the children the power of greed.

14

NickSwardsonIsFat t1_jae6pa6 wrote

Replying to VegetaIsSuperior (#2,109,819)

NPR suffers from the same biases that any news organization does. In this case, the journos there love the sound of a rags to riches brown immigrant story.

If the story was about a gun-toting Trumptard saying he invented flamin hots, I bet they would have debunked it in about 30 seconds. Or they wouldn't even run the story and it would have gone on Fox news instead.

−7

Evorgleb t1_jae6syw wrote

So if he was not involved with the product then why did Frito Lay, the company he was still working for, allow him to publicly take credit?

6

BlOoDy_PsYcHo666 t1_jaea5n8 wrote

Replying to Evorgleb (#2,122,005)

If I had to guess, its a bygones be bygones scenario. The story makes the brand look good, and to my knowledge isn’t costing them anything. So as long as he doesn’t target them for money they’ll probably just let it slide as it was free good publicity.

13

Icy-Priority1297 t1_jaeattp wrote

While not always cut and dried, intellectual property created within the workplace context is typically deemed to belong to the employer, not the employee, even though the employee is the creator or inventor of the work in question.

1

Sdog1981 t1_jaedoua wrote

He became an executive at the company, you would think they would have drummed up the story more if their janitor turned executive also invited a popular product. It sounds like a story he would tell at work that other people repeated.

2

flibbidygibbit t1_jaedq9i wrote

I watched a video about how flamin hot cheetos are engineered to be as addictive as possible.

1

bergercreek t1_jaeehr2 wrote

Replying to NickSwardsonIsFat (#2,121,971)

NPR is definitely biased, which is annoying. I'm a conservative who literally used to listen to them every single day for years until the 2016 election cycle when their minds exploded. I took them off my preset for a while and decided to try them again in, idk 2018 or 2019 and that lasted about a week - so much bias it was like listening to anti-Fox news (which I also can't stand).

I just want unbiased reporting of news without opinion, and I can't even get it from public broadcasting. It sucks.

−13

SockTaters t1_jaegeih wrote

No, I've seen Good Will Hunting and I'm pretty sure it's real

1

j33205 t1_jaehjg5 wrote

No because they were engineered to be as addictive as possible.

−1

BladesHaxorus t1_jaehk2d wrote

Apparently millennials weren't the first generation to eat hot chip and lie.

1

katievspredator t1_jaenka3 wrote

Replying to DaveOJ12 (#2,119,657)

Apparently. It's similar to how the Egg McMuffin was invented. A Tex Mex restaurant in Frontierland added them to the menu after someone suggested they fry and season the leftover tortillas instead of throwing them out. Fritos didn't find out about them until a few years later, and then they started mass producing them when they realized how popular they were

At least that's the story, I'm not a Frito Lay historian

30

gang_aft_agley t1_jaeo2qj wrote

Replying to xiaxian1 (#2,115,384)

If you were Frito-Lay, and one of your employees wrote a book that became popular about how he invented a product while he was a janitor, and because of the book, your sales of that product increased, maybe you wouldn’t care to correct the story?

14

Nmilne23 t1_jaeugyj wrote

This is like the story of the guy in prison who claimed he gave his lawyer the submission for patents he himself thought up while in prison for the Doritos locos taco, with the seasoned shell, and gave them to his lawyer to submit to the patent clerk on his behalf, and he is alleging the lawyer took the recipe and stole them. It’s wild

3

Jdillagent t1_jaeunjn wrote

Replying to bergercreek (#2,124,844)

Yup, unbiased reporting is boring. NPR still has its moments, and nowadays if you report on anything topical in a logical way, it will come across as a left talking point.

Libraries forced to remove books, the opinion that it shouldn't be done is sadly now seen as a left talking point. Of course it isnt. It's the majority opinion.

The problem is many pundits on the right refuse to make that statement because it can lock them from further appearances.

This continues down the topic list. From LGBTQ matters and police reform, to environmental issues. This makes it hard to book guests, and also makes it difficult to engage in honest discussion because no one wants to say something that loses them money, and I can tell you from experience, if it's journalism on TV or Radio, it's about money.

9

ChargedMedal t1_jaew0aa wrote

Replying to DaveOJ12 (#2,129,308)

It's similar to how Doritos were invented. A breakfast restaurant in Frontierland added them to the menu after someone suggested they slice and use as buns the leftover english muffins instead of throwing them out. McDonald's didn't find out about them until a few years later, and then they started mass producing them when they realized how popular they were

At least that's the story, I'm not a McDonald's historian.

25

esgrove2 t1_jaf00sf wrote

Replying to PacifistWarlord (#2,116,950)

Yeah. Like the guy that invented Doritos Locos Tacos for Taco Bell. They gave him full credit. No money, but full credit. He died of brain cancer and Taco Bell donated only $1,000 to his cancer fund.

6

nopantsirl t1_jaf26wm wrote

Lies that people enjoy hearing and want to believe are everywhere. Wait until you hear about why the 1/3lbs burger failed.

−1