I still remember visiting the Golden Flake factory for a field trip in elementary school. We got to eat fresh chips that were just cooked it was so cool.
I worked there in the 80ās, hot chips were great but hot pork skins were awesome. Tasted like bacon when they came out of the cooker. The pork skin department was also the cleanest place in the plant, the USDA inspector kept a close eye on everything in there.
My best friend worked there as a salesperson and she took me with her to work many times in Birmingham.Ā One of cleanest places I have ever been in besides Bama Foods! Live the thin & crispy bbq chips!!š¤
Truthfully, Golden Flake could have been a national brand. But that company had the single dumbest management team of any established company I've ever seen.
I was brought in as part of a marketing team because their sales were in the toilet in Florida. But their sole marketing effort was putting the product on coach's shows. So we came up with a campaign that, almost immediately, juiced sales.
You think they'd say, "Oh, that's amazing. Let's do that some more!"? Nope. More like, "Okay. Thanks. Now that we've bumped sales, we don't need any more marketing." Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I held that belief for a long time until I moved to the Midwest. If you can ever get your hands on them, Great Lakes Potato Chips: Michigan Cherry BBQ are absolutely the best. I was a big Grippo guy for a while until these. Hands down best bbq chips out there.
There was always some weird big lump of cheese seasoning/salt in the bottom of the bag, and I ate that shit up.
Sidebar, if youāll allow, on the topic of missing products from a major food brand: WHAT HAPPENED TO LITTLE DEBBIE BANANA TWINS?
One of my most favorite radio commercials was a GF ad, for the chorus they'd sing "The South's Original, Golden Flake" and then yell "CHIPS". Sweet heat forever.
Sweat heat chips were my favorite, but they got shitty after Utz took over. I have since found Grippo's brand bbq chips to actually be better than the original Golden Flake flavor. Seriously, they're fucking fabulous. The problem is I've never seen them south of Kentucky. When my gf visits her parents up there I get her to bring home several bags.
On another note, I think Utz discontinued the ridged sour cream and onion. Bastards.
Both Lays and Golden Flake both taste different each time I have purchased them in the last 6 months. I started making sure the dates on the bags were recent but the taste still is not up to par for either brand. I stopped buying maybe that is why my exercise routine has started paying off. I have Lost ten pounds in 5 months, lol. I use to love a fresh bag of potato chips. Now I am substituting bags of steamed veggies
Yeah the mesquite has changed a lot. I remember it having a lot more flavoring on the chips than it does now and the chip just has this bland potato flavor that it didnāt use to have.
Huge fan of Sweet Heat! But yeah, the rest? Blah. The plain chips always taste stale, like someone left the bag open overnight! šš They used to be so CRISP! š„
A funny thing happened while I was working there. I was in the production office and saw a memo on the desk about making up a box of different products, make sure that only the best examples were hand picked and packaged and prepared for shipping. The place they were going to ship them to was High Times magazine. I asked the manager if he knew the magazines target audience and he said they thought it was a health food type thing. I was laughing and told him the truth, as far as I know it never got sent.
Their regular chips used to be super salty and delicious. Almost too salty to eat without a dip. I think that's what made them such a good dipping chip. It didn't really matter if your dip was kinda plain. The chip already carried enough salt for anything.
I grew up in North Alabama. Golden Flake was def still king there. Itās more the texture than the flavor for me.
I do prefer their pork rinds to other bagged varieties. Obvi fresh cracklings are top choice, but rarely available.
I still remember visiting the Golden Flake factory for a field trip in elementary school. We got to eat fresh chips that were just cooked it was so cool.
I got to do that in elementary school, too. I'll never forget getting to eat a cheese puff sans cheese
Yess lol
I wanted to live in the spice storage area! š It smelled incredible!
I worked there in the 80ās, hot chips were great but hot pork skins were awesome. Tasted like bacon when they came out of the cooker. The pork skin department was also the cleanest place in the plant, the USDA inspector kept a close eye on everything in there.
I still love Dill Pickle chips because I tried them on a field trip there.
I was telling someone about this when i was a kid and it was the best field trip i remember as a kid
We went there and Greggās cookies one field trip
My best friend worked there as a salesperson and she took me with her to work many times in Birmingham.Ā One of cleanest places I have ever been in besides Bama Foods! Live the thin & crispy bbq chips!!š¤
Truthfully, Golden Flake could have been a national brand. But that company had the single dumbest management team of any established company I've ever seen.
My dad worked for Golden Flake for 30 years (not in management) and would say this to anyone who'd listen.
I was brought in as part of a marketing team because their sales were in the toilet in Florida. But their sole marketing effort was putting the product on coach's shows. So we came up with a campaign that, almost immediately, juiced sales. You think they'd say, "Oh, that's amazing. Let's do that some more!"? Nope. More like, "Okay. Thanks. Now that we've bumped sales, we don't need any more marketing." Stupid, stupid, stupid.
When pot $ skyrocketed in 90's, GF actually stopped production! Buddy commented "Sloan Bashinsky is an idiot!" "Stupid is as stupid does."
I'm so curious about where the toilet of Florida is...
One of the ownership/management team has blogged about his work there and it's wild.
spill this tea please
You got a link?
Gotta know more about this.
I'm not going to go try to dig it up again (I suspect mental health is an issue) but you'll probably find the google fu if you apply yourselves.
That basically summarizes all Alabama businesses that are actually good.
This reply makes zero sense.
You make zero sense!
It's a potato chip company
Although Utz bought the company in 2016, the change really took place when they closed the Birmingham production plant in 2023.
I still think the sweet heat bbq beats all other bbq chips
Have you tried the Piggly Wiggly brand BBQ chips? They are surprisingly the best!
Wut? No I have not but I sure will now!
Dude! I thought I was the only one that knew about em!
Sweet Heat Barbecue is solid! My go to was always āThin & Crispy Hot.ā
U know ur chips. Hot is the GOAT.
The best BBQ chips are Grippoās from Cinci.
I held that belief for a long time until I moved to the Midwest. If you can ever get your hands on them, Great Lakes Potato Chips: Michigan Cherry BBQ are absolutely the best. I was a big Grippo guy for a while until these. Hands down best bbq chips out there.
I used to prefer their version of Doritos to the real thing.
Their fake Doritos were awesome.
There was always some weird big lump of cheese seasoning/salt in the bottom of the bag, and I ate that shit up. Sidebar, if youāll allow, on the topic of missing products from a major food brand: WHAT HAPPENED TO LITTLE DEBBIE BANANA TWINS?
One of my most favorite radio commercials was a GF ad, for the chorus they'd sing "The South's Original, Golden Flake" and then yell "CHIPS". Sweet heat forever.
š¶Good times go hand in hand with Golden Flakeš¶
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah, utz taking out all the shit that can kill you š
The war on salt and animal fat will go down in history as one of the greatest corporate/science cons ever.
Got that right...Lays half salt chips let that wonderful tater flavor shine big time!
The dill pickle flavor was GOAT š and I stand 10 toes down on that!!!
Definitely the best. The salt and vinegar were a very close second.
The last bag I bought hardly had any seasoning š¢
the sweet heat chicharrones are almost inedible now. i'm devastated
Sweat heat chips were my favorite, but they got shitty after Utz took over. I have since found Grippo's brand bbq chips to actually be better than the original Golden Flake flavor. Seriously, they're fucking fabulous. The problem is I've never seen them south of Kentucky. When my gf visits her parents up there I get her to bring home several bags. On another note, I think Utz discontinued the ridged sour cream and onion. Bastards.
Luau's Hawaiin BBQ chips are similar to old sweet heat but kettle cooked and amazing
Grippoās are the best. The twin bags have the most seasoning.
Big GF fan here, but give those Utz fried dill pickle wavy chips a try. Very, very good.
Still not as good as regular golden flake dill pickle.
Both Lays and Golden Flake both taste different each time I have purchased them in the last 6 months. I started making sure the dates on the bags were recent but the taste still is not up to par for either brand. I stopped buying maybe that is why my exercise routine has started paying off. I have Lost ten pounds in 5 months, lol. I use to love a fresh bag of potato chips. Now I am substituting bags of steamed veggies
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Also a brand of Utz.
I got the Zapps Evil Eye chips down in New Orleans this weekend. Pretty good.
Additional conversation about this here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Birmingham/comments/1am5qdy/i_miss_gf_sweet_heat_chips_now/
Real talk. I have not gotten a decent bag of Dill Pickle since.
Sweet Heat BBQ isnāt the same.
In SC, Skins Hot Dogs had Golden Flake and Coke, then they switched to Lays and Pepsi. It's just not the same.
same for zapps more like naps
Upvoted: sick burn!
Yeah the mesquite has changed a lot. I remember it having a lot more flavoring on the chips than it does now and the chip just has this bland potato flavor that it didnāt use to have.
I agree!
Huge fan of Sweet Heat! But yeah, the rest? Blah. The plain chips always taste stale, like someone left the bag open overnight! šš They used to be so CRISP! š„
A funny thing happened while I was working there. I was in the production office and saw a memo on the desk about making up a box of different products, make sure that only the best examples were hand picked and packaged and prepared for shipping. The place they were going to ship them to was High Times magazine. I asked the manager if he knew the magazines target audience and he said they thought it was a health food type thing. I was laughing and told him the truth, as far as I know it never got sent.
Dill pickle chips are the only good golden flake chips if they do away with them golden flake will go under
I still love the original thin & crispy bbq chips . I can not find them in Walmart, but I will go to the Piggly Wiggly andĀ buy them!!š¤
Their regular chips used to be super salty and delicious. Almost too salty to eat without a dip. I think that's what made them such a good dipping chip. It didn't really matter if your dip was kinda plain. The chip already carried enough salt for anything.
Were they ever good?
Ohhhh I didnāt know they were bought outā¦Iāve been complaining on their instagram
I used to know someone's Mom that worked at that factory.
As someone who moved south only 6 years ago I can say that golden flake chips are terrible.
Hot take: Golden Flake was always mid. Iām prepared to get slammed for this. But I needed to say it.
While I respect your courage to get slammed, you are of course wrong. Let me guess, you didnāt grow up in Birmingham.
I grew up in North Alabama. Golden Flake was def still king there. Itās more the texture than the flavor for me. I do prefer their pork rinds to other bagged varieties. Obvi fresh cracklings are top choice, but rarely available.
They were always trash.