Lay's Reveals 4 New Chip Flavors, and You Decide Which Ones Stay

Published on 1/21/2016 at 12:01 PM

When Lay’s sent us a box of eight mysterious, unmarked bags full of potato chips last week, we harnessed our damn-near impeccable palates in hopes of identifying what promised to be four all-new flavors, hidden among four classic flavors from its existing lineup. Now, Lay’s has finally revealed the four new potato chip flavors -- and our guesses were pretty damn close. However, the revelation comes with an unexpected plot twist.

You can get your hands on the new chips -- Fiery Roasted Habanero, Smoked Gouda & Chive, Korean Barbecue, and Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs -- when they hit store shelves on February 8th, but all that brand new flavor-dust on your greasy fingers comes with a catch, and a serious catch at that. Instead of just adding them to its existing lineup, Lay's is putting the four new flavors head to head with four similar flavors that it already makes that you've probably enjoyed for years. In what the company is calling a "Flavor Swap," Lay's is leaving it up to America to decide which flavor -- the new one or the old one -- will stay, and which one will go. Apparently, there ain't enough room in the snack aisle for all of 'em.

Here's the deal: On the same day the new chips hit store shelves, Lay's will open online voting for the flavors at flavorswap.com, where they'll be broken into four categories:

Heat Flavor Swap: Flamin’ Hot vs. all-new Fiery Roasted Habanero
Cheese Flavor Swap: Cheddar & Sour Cream vs. all-new Smoked Gouda & Chive
Barbecue Flavor Swap: Honey Barbecue vs. all-new Korean Barbecue
Spice Flavor Swap: Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper vs. all-new Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs

Lay's Flavor Swap!
4 classics vs. 4 new flavors! Voting starts on 2/8. Learn more at FlavorSwap.com
Posted by Lay's on Thursday, January 21, 2016

The enormous responsibility of helping shape Lay's lineup also comes the chance to win some cash, with daily $1,000 prizes for voters and a $250,000 grand prize you'll be entered to win by casting your vote until the voting period ends on March 21st. Or, you can refuse to participate in this delicious democracy and just let it all play out while you kick back and eat the new potato chips in your ignorant bliss. But as the saying goes, "If you don't vote, you can't complain."

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and has eaten enough potato chips to last him a long time. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.