Nutritional value per 1 burger (218.35 g) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 660 kcal (2,800 kJ) | ||||||||||
48 g | |||||||||||
Sugars | 5 g | ||||||||||
Dietary fiber | 2 g | ||||||||||
40 g | |||||||||||
Saturated | 7g | ||||||||||
Trans | 0 g | ||||||||||
28 g | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||
Cholesterol | 75 mg | ||||||||||
May vary outside US market. | |||||||||||
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2] Source: BK Nutrition (PDF) |
The Burger King Specialty Burgers are a line of burgers developed by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King in 1978 and introduced in 1979 as part of a new product line designed to expand Burger King's menu with more sophisticated, adult oriented fare beyond hamburgers. Additionally, the new line was intended to differentiate the company from other fast food hamburger restaurants at the time. Since the line's introduction, the other burgers have been discontinued, leaving the chicken offering, the Original Chicken Burger (abbreviated as OCS), as the primary product left. Additionally, other burgers that utilize the same roll as the chicken burger have been introduced to the company's menu both domestically and internationally since the original product line was introduced.
Burger King markets the Original Chicken Burger under several different names globally, including the Long Chicken, BK Chicken and Chicken Royale in the international markets it does business. The company also produces other variants that are specifically tailored to meet local taste preferences or customs of the various regions and countries in which it does business. To promote continuing interest in the product, Burger King occasionally releases limited-time (LTO) variants in the line that have different toppings or ingredients such as ham, Italian sausage or pulled pork.
During the mid-1970s, Burger King was having issues with its operations, franchises and image. [3] In 1978, Donald N. Smith was hired from McDonald's to help restructure the corporate operations of Burger King to better compete against his former company as well as the then up-and-coming chain, Wendy's. As part of an operational overhaul he dubbed "Operation Phoenix", Smith reorganized the corporate operations of Burger King. [4] He also initiated a development plan for a new product line that would become the Specialty Burger line. Development began that year, and while the company found that the new product lines would add an approximate eight second delay to the production time of orders and would cost about $39 million in lost productivity, [5] the product was introduced in 1979. [3] Despite these possible sales losses and time issues, the new products were successful and the company's sales increased by 15 percent. [3]
This line — with many non-hamburger burgers, including chicken and fish — significantly expanded the breadth of the Burger King menu. The amount of new additions, several new burgers made with disparate ingredients was made possible due to the design of Burger King's kitchen. The chain's kitchen is modeled around a more flexible concept that allows for a multiple work-flow operations where preparation stations can be re-tasked more easily. [6] In comparison, McDonald's kitchen at the time was a more rigidly designed assembly line concept intended to quickly produce a more uniform product and was not easily adapted to new products. [7] This more rigid system prevented McDonald's from broadening its menu to effectively competing with Burger King and other similar chains that were more flexible and were better positioned to expand their menu. [8]
The introduction of the Specialty Burger line was one of the first attempts by a major fast food chain to target a specific demographic, in this case adults aged between 18 and 34 years, members of which were presumably willing to spend more on a higher quality product. [4] : 119 Included in the new line was the Original Chicken Burger, a ham and cheese burger, a roast beef burger, a new fish burger called the Long Fish Burger, and a new burger called the Sirloin Steak Burger. [3] [6] The ham and cheese burger replaced an earlier version ham and cheese burger called the Yumbo that was served hot and was the size of a hamburger. [9] In 1981 the chain tested a veal parmigiana burger in limited areas of the United States and took it national in 1982. [10] It was also sold in New England as part of limited time offering (LTO) in 1988. [11]
While most of the line has since been discontinued, the company's Original Chicken Burger is still offered in North America, Europe and other markets. The ham and cheese burger was a regional offering, [12] however it was reintroduced nationally in the United States as the Yumbo Burger in November 2014. The Yumbo name refers to a smaller snack based burger from the 1970s and early 1980s which was a heated ham and cheese burger served on a smaller, hamburger roll. [13] The Long Fish was discontinued and the Whaler fish burger was reintroduced in 1983, [14] while the Steak Burger burger was discontinued altogether.
The Original Chicken Sandwich consists of a breaded, deep-fried white-meat chicken patty with mayonnaise and lettuce on a sesame seed sub-style bun. [15] Burger King will also add any condiment it sells upon request based on its long standing slogan "Have It Your Way". [16] Additionally, Burger King has sold several different promotional varieties throughout the years as limited time offerings (LTO), such as the Philly chicken sandwich with American cheese, peppers and onions or the Angry Chicken Sandwich served with pepper jack cheese, bacon, "Angry" sauce, jalapeño slices, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. [17] [18] In some markets the Original Chicken is called the "Chicken Royale", "King de Pollo" (King of Chicken), or the "BK Chicken".
The International Chicken Sandwiches line was introduced in 1988 and is a group of three sandwiches with different toppings that are associated with cuisine from various international regions. The Italian Chicken Sandwich is a chicken parmigiana sandwich with marinara sauce and mozzarella, the French Chicken Sandwich is a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with mayonnaise, ham and Swiss cheese, and the American Chicken Sandwich has mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and American cheese. [9] Similar regional inspired sandwiches included the Philly Chicken Sandwich, which was a chicken version of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich made with red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese, [17] [19] and the Hawaiian BK Chicken with mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon, American cheese and pineapple sold in New Zealand. [20] [21] As of 2019, the entire International Chicken Sandwiches line is still sold at Burger King restaurants in Puerto Rico.
Besides the Original Chicken sandwich, Burger King has sold or sells several other sandwiches that are similar to the Specialty Sandwiches. Several burgers have been sold on this family of sandwiches, including a pair of triple cheeseburgers called the Limo Burger and the X-Tra Long Cheeseburger, [22] [23] the Bull's-Eye Barbecue Burger which was a type of double cheeseburger that included two hamburger patties, American cheese, bacon and Kraft Bull's-eye brand barbecue sauce, [24] and the BBQ Hero which was also another type of double cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, bacon, lettuce, tomato and onions. [9] The company introduced another burger in this family called the Extra Long BBQ Cheeseburger in June 2014. The sandwich consisted of two burger patties, BBQ sauce and onion rings. [25] It is similar in composition to the chain's Rodeo Cheeseburger. [26]
A grilled Italian sausage sandwich was sold in 1992 and was served with onions and peppers or parmigiana style with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. [27] As part of the company's BK Dinner Baskets promotion in 1993, the chain introduced a grilled meatloaf sandwich with ketchup and onions in the United States. [28] [29] In 2013, Burger King sold a bratwurst sandwich in a regional limited time offering in the US states of Wisconsin and Illinois. The sandwich featured a bratwurst manufactured by Johnsonville Foods, raw onion and yellow mustard. [30] Despite being discontinued, versions of the steak sandwich have been re-released several times since the 1970s. The BK Dinner baskets featured a steak sandwich, [31] and in 2003 Burger King New Zealand introduced the Big Bloke Steak Sandwich which was almost identical to the 1979 sandwich. [32]
In a 2015 summer promotion, Burger King brought back its pulled pork sandwich, previously sold in 2012 and 2013, [33] [34] in a new format linked to its new "XL" (extra long) sandwiches. [35] The original sandwich was served on what the company called an "artisan" roll with pickles, onions, Sweet Baby Ray's brand barbecue sauce, and a coleslaw sauce, [33] [34] while the 2015 XL Pulled Pork sandwich eliminated the coleslaw sauce and changed over to the 7-inch steak roll of the Specialty Sandwich. [35]
Burger King introduced the Specialty Sandwich line under its Burger King and I promotional campaign developed by the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) agency. [36] [37] The advertisements featured customers and employees praising the new sandwiches accompanied with a brief description of the products being sold. [38] Actor Stuart Pankin played a doorman in one commercial in the series. [39] Another one of the promotions used was a scratch card game called What's my Specialty? where the customer would receive a card with their purchase in which they would have to match famous people to said person's profession. The commercial explained that if you expected to lose, you would be disappointed, as all cards were winners. Prizes included fries, sodas and sandwiches. [38]
The veal Parmesan sandwich was introduced in a series of commercials from JWT centered around the new corporate ad slogan, "Aren't you hungry - for Burger King now?" targeting the 19- to 49-year-old male demographic. The campaign was part of a back-to-basics program designed to put the company on a more competitive footing with main rival McDonald's, who was outspending Burger King's advertising budget by a factor of three. With the new program, the company hoped to establish itself as the higher quality alternative to McDonald's. [40]
The meatloaf sandwich was part of the company's new BK Dinner Baskets product line and serving concept. [41] To promote the product line and concept, Burger King commissioned New York based agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles to create a series of "BK Teevee" ads featuring MTV VJ Dan Cortese. The tag line developed for the promotion was "BK, I love this place". [31] [42] [43] The advertising program was designed as part of a back to basics plan by Burger King after a series of disappointing advertising schemes including the failure of its 1980s Where's Herb? campaign. The Dinner Baskets were one of two main parts of the plan, as was a newly introduced value menu in response to similar offerings at McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's. [44]
In the autumn and winter of 2007 BK advertised the Italian Chicken sandwich with a commercial produced by Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) that played the "Have it your Way" theme on an accordion with a simple text insert that asked the consumer if they had a problem with the sandwich being sold only at BK. This insert played up the Italian "tough guy" stereotypes. [45] [46] Another advertisement in 2014 featured the sandwich as a featured part of the company's 2 for $5 promotion, a discount promotion where customers could purchase two sandwiches for $5.00. [47]
The 1980 introduction of a veal-based sandwich raised the ire of animal rights groups. By 1982, several groups were alleging that the veal being sourced to Burger King was most likely kept in battery cages, unable to move, and fed a low iron diet designed to produce the lightly toned meat associated with veal. As a result of this protest, these groups lead a three-country boycott of Burger King in April 1982. Critics of the boycott claimed that the type of veal that was being used was more-likely to be free range veal due to cost issues, claiming that there is simply no way a $2.00 sandwich would use the higher quality $15.00/lb veal. The rights groups refused to back down despite the cost claims because Burger King would only release the name of the meat processor, not its veal suppliers. [10] The chain eventually announced that it intended to pull the sandwich from the market, stating that it was not because of the boycotts but because there was a lack of consumer demand. In fact, the chain said the sandwich sold best in the markets where the majority of the protests were occurring. [48]
A 2009 advertising campaign in Singapore for the company's new BK Super Seven Incher cheeseburger, caused a notable controversy over the content of the ad. Originally and erroneously attributed to Burger King's advertising firm at the time, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which had generated controversy with some misogynistic and culturally insensitive American and European advertisements, [49] [50] [51] it was later revealed that a local, unnamed Singaporean firm was responsible for the campaign. [52] The print version of the advertisement (pictured) made an overt association with the sandwich and oral sex using imagery and less-than subtle innuendo in the printed description in the advertisement. [53] Critics across the globe complained that the ad was "disgusting", [52] [54] and went "too far". [54]
Almost every aspect of the advertisement was criticized. Blogger Rein Bhagwandat noted that its copy featured terms such as "blow" which she felt alluded to the slang term "blow job". She also believed that the image of the woman in the advertisement had been overtly sexualized which she thought was objectifying of women in general. [55] An article in Psychology Today echoed Bhagwandat's concerns, adding that the advertisement was openly displayed in public spaces, and could have troubling implications for parents having to explain the content to younger children. [56]
A hamburger, or simply a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing, and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger. Under some definitions, a burger is considered a sandwich.
A cheeseburger is a hamburger with a slice of melted cheese on top of the meat patty, added near the end of the cooking time. Cheeseburgers can include variations in structure, ingredients and composition. As with other hamburgers, a cheeseburger may include various condiments and other toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, avocado, mushrooms, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
A cheesesteak is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Whopper is the signature hamburger and an associated product line sold by the international fast food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's. Introduced in 1957, the hamburger has undergone several reformulations, including changes to portion size and bread used. The hamburger is well known in the fast food industry, with Burger King advertising itself as "the Home of the Whopper" and naming its kiosk stores the BK Whopper Bar. In response to the Whopper, Burger King's competitors have developed similar products designed to compete against it.
The McChicken is a chicken burger sold by the international fast food restaurant McDonald's. It consists of a toasted wheat bun, a breaded patty, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise.
Schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel originated as wiener schnitzel and is very similar to other breaded meat dishes.
The Big King sandwich is one of the major hamburger products sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King, and was part of its menu for more than twenty years. As of March 2019, it is sold in the United States under its 1997 Big King XL formulation. During its testing phase in 1996–1997, it was originally called the Double Supreme and was configured similarly to the McDonald's Big Mac—including a three-piece roll. It was later reformulated as a more standard double burger during the latter part of product testing in 1997. It was given its current name when the product was formally introduced in September 1997, but maintained the more conventional double cheeseburger format.
Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce is a barbecue sauce created and distributed by Kraft Heinz in the United States and Canada. It is also the official BBQ sauce of the Calgary Stampede.
The BK Stacker sandwiches are a family of cheeseburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King.
As far back as the 1970s, international fast food restaurant chain Burger King has attempted to introduce a premium line of burgers. These sandwiches are part of a system which eventually became known as the barbell strategy; a plan designed to expand Burger King's menu with both more sophisticated, adult-oriented fare along with products that are more value-oriented. This program is intended to bring in a larger, more affluent adult audience who will be willing to spend more on the better quality products on one side while maintaining a lower cost value menu dedicated to a more cost-conscious audience on the other. The hope is that the customers would be drawn in initially for the lower prices of the value-menu and upgrade to the more expensive products, upping overall sales.
When the predecessor of international fast food restaurant chain Burger King (BK) first opened in 1953, its menu predominantly consisted of hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. After being acquired by its Miami, Florida franchisees and renamed in 1954, BK began expanding its menu by adding the Whopper sandwich in 1957, and has since added non-beef items such as chicken, fish, and vegetarian offerings, including salads and meatless sandwiches. Other additions include a breakfast menu and beverages such as Icees, juices, and bottled waters. As the company expanded both inside and outside the United States, it introduced localized versions of its products that conform to regional tastes and cultural or religious beliefs. To generate additional sales, BK occasionally introduces limited-time offers of special versions of its products, or brings out completely new products intended for either long- or short-term sales. Not all of these products and services have been successful; in 1992, Burger King introduced limited table service featuring special dinner platters, but this concept failed to generate interest and was discontinued.
An Angus burger is a hamburger made using beef from Angus cattle. The name Angus burger is used by several fast-food hamburger chains for one or more "premium" burgers; however, it does not belong to any single company. Pre-made frozen Angus burgers are increasingly available from retailers.
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's traces its origins to a 1940 restaurant in San Bernardino, California, United States. After expanding within the United States, McDonald's became an international corporation in 1967, when it opened a location in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. By the end of the 1970s, McDonald's restaurants existed in five of the Earth's seven continents; an African location came in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco.
A hamburger is a specific type of burger. It is a sandwich that consists of a cooked ground beef meat patty, placed between halves of a sliced bun. Hamburgers are often served with various condiments, such as dill relish (condiment), mayonnaise, and other options including lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and cheese.
Burger King sliders, comprising several varieties of mini-sandwiches, are a series of sandwiches that have been sold by international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King since the 1980s. Burger Bundles was the first iteration, a set of three small hamburgers or cheeseburgers. These sandwiches were eventually replaced with a reformulated product called Burger Buddies that was sold in pairs. After a change in management in 2004, Burger Buddies were re-released as BK Burger Shots. The company has also sold several chicken and breakfast sandwich versions of these products.
The fast-food restaurant chain Burger King was the first major fast food chain to introduce a grilled chicken burger to the marketplace, in 1990, six months before Wendy's and four years before McDonald's. Since then, Burger King, and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have offered a variety of grilled chicken burgers, as have Wendy's and McDonald's.
International fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have had a variety of fish sandwiches in their product portfolio since 1975. The Whaler sandwich was the first iteration, designed to compete with rival burger-chain McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich. With the addition of the company's Specialty Sandwich line in 1978, the sandwich was reformulated as the Long Fish sandwich. With the discontinuation of the Specialty Sandwich line, the sandwich was returned to its original recipe and name. With the introduction of the company's BK Broiler chicken sandwich in 1990, the fish sandwich became tied to the development cycle of the broiled chicken sandwich and was again reformulated and renamed as the Ocean Catch Fish fillet. When the broiled chicken sandwich underwent another reformulation in 2002, the fish sandwich was also redone and renamed as the BK Big Fish sandwich. By 2015, the sandwich had undergone several more modifications and went through a series of names including the BK Fish and Premium Alaskan fish sandwich. It is currently sold as the BK Big Fish sandwich in the United States and Canada. Internationally the fish sandwich is also known as the BK Fish, BK Fish'n Crisp burger, Fish King and Fish Royale in those markets.
Burger King is testing a new line of sandwiches called Chicken Internationals, each consisting of a chicken fillet topped with cheese.
Stores in New England resurrected the veal Parmigiana burger ...
Having survived such advertising blunders as Herb the Nerd and "sometimes you gotta break the rules" and such strategies as selling Domino's Pizza, Weight Watchers meals and offering table service, Burger King is proceeding along the value and back-to-basics route.