Hey Screamin’, Try This: A Slippery Situation Outside Better Made

If you’ve lived in Detroit for more than five minutes, you know Better Made isn’t just a potato chip—it’s a lifestyle. We’ve got it at birthday parties, backyard BBQs, and in the glovebox for emergency snack attacks. So when I saw the headline this morning—“Cooking Oil Spills Near Better Made Factory”—you better believe I stopped mid-crunch.

Here’s what happened, straight from the source (and no, not the sour cream & onion kind):

Tuesday morning, a tanker truck was making a delivery to the Better Made plant on Gratiot Avenue—yes, the chip factory at 10148 Gratiot—when it was involved in a crash. Thankfully, no one was hurt, which is the most important thing. But the second most important? Oil everywhere.

According to the Detroit Fire Department, 700 gallons of cooking oil ended up on the ground. That’s right—700 gallons of the same golden liquid used to fry up our beloved Better Made chips. I’m not saying the sidewalk smelled like Original flavor afterward, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few seagulls floated by expecting snacks.

Now, let’s clear up the details:

The Fire Marshal Division was on standby while the trucking company handled the cleanup. They also announced the remaining oil in the tanker would be transferred to another vehicle later in the afternoon. Basically, it was all handled like a well-organized barbecue: hot, messy, but under control.

Now, I wasn’t there. I didn’t dive into a vat of oil like some kind of deep-fried superhero. But as a lifelong Detroiter who’s logged serious couch time with a bag of Better Made and a Tigers game, this hit close to home.

And while it might not have been a magical explosion of chips across the city (a guy can dream), it was another reminder of how closely this city is tied to its snack icons. Better Made has been around since 1930, and seeing its name in the news—even in a story about a slippery truck—is like seeing an old friend. A delicious, crunchy friend.

This also might be the first time in history that a grease spill brought people together. The comments online? Pure gold. My favorite: “Only in Detroit could a chip delivery crash become breaking news.” Somebody else asked if this counts as a “fry-by.” And hey, when you've got a town this passionate about its snacks, even a spill gets a side of humor.

So no, I won’t be adding “chug truck-grade cooking oil” to my next “Hey Screamin’, Try This” segment. But I will salute the fire crews and cleanup team who made sure this didn’t turn into a real mess.

And to the tanker driver? Buddy, we forgive you. Just don’t spill the Sweet BBQ next time.

Stay crispy, Detroit.