Crispy Taco, Everything Bagel With Cream Cheese And Fried Green Tomato Chips Will Have You Saying: "It Tastes Just Like The Real Thing!"

Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" 2017 Finalists Revealed

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Jul 18, 2017, 10:30 ET

PLANO, Texas, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Get your taste buds ready because three of America's favorite dishes are about to be transformed into Lay's newest potato chips for your snacking pleasure. After crunching through millions of fan submissions, Lay's, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay announced today the three finalist flavors of the "Do Us a Flavor" contest. The three flavors: Lay's Crispy Taco, Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese and Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato will be available in stores nationwide later this month and America's vote will ultimately decide the $1 million grand prize winner.

It will take only one bite to realize how similar these flavors are to the dishes themselves, staying true to the ingredients and inspiration provided by the finalists. The stories behind these three savory flavors begin in towns across the United States, including Palm City, Fla., with Lindsay Hoffman's Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese; Charlotte, N.C. with Gregory Pope's Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato; and San Antonio, Texas with Ellen Sarem's Lay's Crispy Taco.

"We're excited to honor these 'Do Us a Flavor' finalists by bringing their great flavors to life on Lay's potato chips," said Sarah Guzman, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay. "After four contests, our fans continue to amaze us with their creativity and passion, which both clearly come through in this year's flavors. Each of this year's finalist flavors is a delicious expression of the dish and story that inspired it, and we're looking forward to having America decide which one will come out on top."

Tell Us Your Favorite

From July 24 through October 8, Lay's is asking fans to try all three flavors and vote for their favorite for a chance to win prizes every day. Fans can vote once per day per voting platform for their favorite finalist flavor on www.lays.com; via Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #SweepstakesEntry along with #VoteEverythingBagel, #VoteFriedGreenTomato or #VoteCrispyTaco, or via Snapchat by swiping up on their favorite finalist flavor and following the prompted instructions to confirm the vote. They can then have a chance to win fun, flavor-themed prizes.

About the Finalists

To submit a flavor for this year's contest, fans nationwide were asked to simply "pitch" their best Lay's potato chip flavor ideas and the inspiration behind it through a photo, video and/or written description to bring the idea to life. The three finalists and their mouth-watering flavors are:

Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese: Lindsay Hoffman realized her calling while sitting in her kitchen in Gainesville, Fla. on a Wednesday morning. With this chip idea, she could finally combine her morning ritual, favorite breakfast meal and her favorite leisure activity of eating Lay's potato chips into a single bite – can't get much better than that.
Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato: Gregory Pope gets nostalgic when he thinks back to his family get-togethers in Georgia where fried green tomatoes - salted and peppered - were always the centerpiece of their meals. He fondly remembers watching his dad skillfully prepare this delicious feel-good dish which also inspired his potential $1 million dollar idea.
Lay's Crispy Taco: Ellen Sarem began to perfect her taco recipe when she first met her now-fiancé because it happens to be his favorite dish. Although her first attempt was a disaster - with no salsa or cheese - she is now able to share her flavorful technique with the world through a Lay's potato chip.

Program History

PepsiCo has held "Do Us a Flavor" contests in numerous countries with consumers suggesting millions of ideas for chip flavors around the world. In July 2012, the Lay's brand launched its first "Do Us A Flavor" contest in the U.S., which resulted in Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread submitted by Karen Weber-Mendham, a children's librarian from Land O'Lakes, Wis., being selected as the first million-dollar winner. The contest returned to the U.S. for a second time in Jan. 2014, which resulted in Lay's Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger submitted by Meneko Spigner McBeth, a nurse from Deptford, N.J., as the second grand-prize winner. And in January 2015, the third installment began, which later crowned Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy the winner. The winning submission was from Hailey Green, a travel agent from Noblesville, Ind.

For more information and official contest rules, please visit www.Lays.com.

About Lay's

Lay's is one of the brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $15 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. Learn more about Lay's by visiting www.facebook.com/lays or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lays. You can also follow Lay's on Instagram by visiting http://instagram.com/lays.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America