Federal Donuts & Chicken selling solar eclipse-inspired donut at Philadelphia locations
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) -- What does a solar eclipse taste like? While that might be an impossible question to answer, more and more businesses are using April 8's total solar eclipse as a chance to roll out celestial-inspired products and services.
That includes Philadelphia-based Federal Donuts & Chicken, which collaborated with The Franklin Institute to create the sweet solar treat.
The restaurant posted on Instagram that its Chocolate Orange donut got a makeover, and now features a sweet orange glaze, a black milk chocolate ring and "sprinkle of celestial sanding sugar."
The donuts are available at all Philadelphia area locations through Monday, April 8.
Federal Donuts & Chicken will be at the Franklin Institute's free solar eclipse watch party on Monday from 1:30-5 p.m. While Philadelphia isn't in the path of totality, the city will be under 90% totality during the eclipse, which is expected to happen locally around 3:23 p.m.
National donut chain Krispy Kreme is also teaming up with Oreo to sell a limited donut-cookie creation. Sonic Drive-In is selling a "Blackout Slush Float.," and Frito-Lay's SunChips has unveiled a new flavor that will only be available during the eclipse's nearly four and a half minutes of totality.
MoonPie also kicked off a "Sun vs. Moon" smackdown-themed campaign as the chocolate snack maker promotes its "eclipse survival kit," made up of four mini MoonPies and two pairs of eclipse glasses.
Airlines like Southwest and Delta have advertised eclipse-viewing flight paths, and beyond promotions from big-name brands, small businesses along the 115-mile (185 kilometer)-wide prime path are leading the charge to meet the incoming tourist demand.
In some towns, local vendors have been anticipating the celestial event and its huge crowds for years. There are oodles of special eclipse safety glasses for sale, along with T-shirts emblazoned with clever slogans and more astronomical souvenirs. Other offerings include eclipse-themed beer, specialty dining packages and watch parties at amusement parks, wineries and zoos.
Erie, Pennsylvania, which sits right in the path of totality, is anticipating nearly 250,000 people will travel to the town to watch the eclipse.
Marketing tied to rare spectacles, like the sun's disappearing act behind the moon, isn't new.
In 2017, the last time the U.S. saw a big slice of a total solar eclipse, scores of companies tapped into the action, including Krispy Kreme.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company previously rolled out limited-edition chocolate glazed doughnuts for the 2017 eclipse, and those treats have made a few returns since. But that might not be the case for this year's "Total Solar Eclipse Doughnut." The Krispy Kreme-Oreo combo is set to be available from Friday through Monday, according to an announcement from the chain this week.
