This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2020) |
Nutritional value per 248 g | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 2,552.24 kJ (610.00 kcal) | ||||||||||
18g | |||||||||||
Sugars | 1 g | ||||||||||
Dietary fiber | 1 g | ||||||||||
37 g | |||||||||||
Saturated | 11 g | ||||||||||
Trans | 1 g | ||||||||||
52 g | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||
Cholesterol | 150 mg | ||||||||||
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2] |
The Double Down is a sandwich offered by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurants. It has two pieces of fried chicken fillet, as opposed to bread, containing bacon, cheese, and a sauce. [3] Variants have included fillets that are grilled or with a spicy coating.
KFC South Africa premiered the Double Down in March 2013. To obtain its halal certification, the bacon is replaced with a slice of processed smoked chicken. [4]
In November 2010, the Double Down was launched in select branches in the Philippines, the first in Asia. Nearly one year later, in October 2011, KFC Philippines replaced it with the Zinger Double Down, with a spicy flavor and crunchy skin. The product was discontinued in the Philippines in mid-2012, but reintroduced in January 2014 together with a smaller version, the Junior Double Down. It was discontinued yet again in May 2014, but relaunched in January 2015 for a limited time only, together with a new variation, the Double Down Dog. In January 2016, another new variation was introduced, the Double Down G which contained "crispy fried spinach" with a "secret green sauce". In March 2019, the Original Double Down and the Junior Double Down returned to the menu with the Zinger Double Down also being reintroduced the following month. These were available until April 30, 2019. On August 27, 2021, both the Original and Zinger Double Downs were brought back again to the menu, but were discontinued at the end of October. On April 25, 2023, the Original and Zinger Double Downs were again brought back to the menu, together with the Triple Down (three pieces of Original Recipe chicken fillets) and the Junior Double Down Rice Bowl on their "Secret Menu". These were available until June 26, 2023.
On February 2, 2012, the Double Down went on sale in Japan for a limited time as the Chicken Fillet Double. [5]
KFC Singapore launched the Zinger Double Down on April 16, 2012. [6] Instead of regular bacon, the Singapore version uses turkey bacon to conform to halal standards. [7] The most recent release there of the Double Down was the Hawaiian version, with a pineapple slice and BBQ sauce included.
KFC Malaysia introduced the Double Down on September 25, 2012. [8] [ better source needed ]
In Korea, the Zinger Double Down was sold from December 1, 2012, through March 1, 2013, and re-released in October 2013 along with a variant named Zinger Double Down MAXX with an added hash brown patty and salsa. [9] [ better source needed ] Both the Zinger Double Down and the Double Down MAXX were later added as a year-round menu in March 2014, and in April the original Double Down was also made available. In October 2014, the Zinger Double Down KING was announced, with a beef patty and barbecue sauce in the middle of two Zinger patties. [10] [ better source needed ]
In India in October 2017, it was a secret item for the first week, available for purchase to a certain number of invitees and their friends as part of a promotion. In another week, its name was unveiled and made available for purchase by everyone for a limited time. [11]
In July 2018, the Double Down was launched in select branches in Bangkok, Thailand. It was later reintroduced in May 2019. [12]
KFC Indonesia introduced the Double Down starting on 1 February 2020. Also to meet halal standards as in Singapore and Malaysia, the bacon was replaced with hash browns. [13]
The Double Down was introduced when KFC was first introduced to Sweden.
It was introduced in Denmark in January 2017.[ citation needed ]
It was introduced in Germany and was available until March 2017. The German version contains two chicken strips, bacon, Monterey Jack and the special Double Down Sauce by KFC. It returned to the Menu of German Locations as a limited time offer from January to March 2021, and again from November to December 2024.
KFC released the Double Down in French markets in October 2014 as a limited edition product. It was then re-released in two flavours - Original Bacon and Spicy Zinger - in August 2015 and again in the 3rd flavor "Black Pepper" in September 2017.
In March 2016, the Double Down was introduced in Spain. The Spanish version has bacon, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce in the two pieces of chicken fillet. Its advertising slogan is "No apto para cobardes" ("Not for cowards").
The Double Down was released in the UK and Ireland on 9[ citation needed ] October 2017, [14] following a launch a few days before, remaining available for six weeks until November 19.[ citation needed ] It was their fastest selling sandwich in recorded history, with one being sold every second. [14]
The Double Down was re-released in the UK and Ireland on 2 July 2018, which remained available until 22 July 2018. [14] It was later announced that the Zinger version would follow from 23 July until 12 August. [15]
On October 18, 2010, KFC restaurants in Canada began selling the fried version of the Double Down for a limited time. [16] It was reported that on its launch date, a KFC in Victoria, British Columbia was sold out of the Double Down by as early as 2 p.m. [17] In French Canada, it is known as "Coup Double", [18] [19] roughly translated as "Double Punch". The Double Down was discontinued in Canada on November 14, 2010, but on May 25, 2011, KFC announced it was returning at least temporarily. [20] In 2012 the Double Down returned to Canada, again for a limited time. [21] In August 2015, KFC Canada finally brought the Double Down back again after a three-year absence. The sandwich returned to Canada in March 2018, again after a three-year absence, as the Waffle Double Down. This version of the Double Down featured a Belgian waffle between two seasoned chicken fillets and used maple-flavored aioli. [22]
The KFC Double Down was initially test marketed in Omaha, Nebraska, and Providence, Rhode Island. [23] KFC announced it in an April Fools' Day press release, [24] and launched the item in the United States on April 12, 2010. [25] It has been promoted via billboards [26] and a TV commercial that says it has "so much 100 percent premium chicken, we didn't have room for a bun."
Originally, during a limited time offer that was supposed to end on May 23, 2010, KFC announced on May 19, 2010, that the item would remain available indefinitely. The chain cited its popularity in overall sales, as well as videos of people eating the Double Down becoming a YouTube sensation. Stephen Colbert ate one on The Colbert Report , spurring the item's popularity even more. [27] By the end of 2014, the Double Down was no longer on the KFC menu and has remained off to this date. [28]
On March 1, 2023, it was announced through Twitter (presently X) that the Double Down would return for a limited time from March 6. [29]
KFC Australia started selling the Double Down (renamed The Double) with the tagline "make time for mantime" on March 30, 2011, for a limited time only. [30] The Double was successful in Australia, although it was criticized for being unhealthy. [31] [32] KFC Australia announced via their Facebook page that if they reached 500,000 likes, they would bring the Double back to Australian stores for a limited time period of two days. The page reached 500,000 likes on June 15, 2012, and KFC announced that the Double would go on sale on June 27 and 28. The Double reappeared on menus in December 2012, again for a limited time only.
From May 10, 2011, the Double Down was available in New Zealand for an initially limited period of five weeks. [33] The Double Down was also brought back for one day only on March 31, 2012, exclusively in Dunedin to raise funds for the Otago Rugby Union which faced financial difficulties in early 2012. [34] On July 24, 2012, KFC resumed sales of the Double Down in New Zealand.
On October 28, 2016, KFC Australia announced via Facebook that they would again sell the Double Down for a limited time of four weeks,[ citation needed ] as well as a new spinoff product called the Hawaiian Double (replacing bacon with pineapple), commencing November 1. This was in response to an online campaign launched by Australian Facebook page 'Yeah the Boys'. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [ better source needed ]
In August 2020, KFC Australia quietly launched and sold another variant of the Double Down, named the Zinger Mozzarella Double, which included Zinger-coated mozzarella-filled patties, bacon, mayonnaise and mozzarella cheese. The product was released through a "secret menu" on KFC's mobile delivery app and instructions on how to purchase it were later publicly unveiled through a grassroots advertising campaign on TikTok. [40] Over a year later, in September 2021, KFC Australia launched yet another variant of the Double Down via their mobile app, known as the Pizza Double, which includes pepperoni slices and pizza sauce. The Pizza Double was sold in both original and Zinger variants alongside the regular original and Zinger Doubles. It was sold through September 7 until October 4, 2021. [41] [42]
NPR compared its calorie count to that of McDonald's Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich. Both the grilled and fried Double Down products have nearly a full day's worth of sodium according to the American Heart Association's guidelines. [43] A Los Angeles Times reviewer pointed out that the grilled chicken Double Down has fewer calories and less fat than the fried chicken Double Down (460 versus 540 calories, and 23 g versus 32 g fat) but that the grilled chicken option has more sodium (1,430 mg versus 1,380). The L.A. Times article also noted that both Double Downs have fewer calories than Burger King's TenderCrisp chicken sandwich, which has 800 calories. [44] [45]
From its April 12, 2010, US launch through early July, a KFC spokesperson reported that the chain had sold 10 million units for a total of about $50 million in revenue. An analyst said that figure accounts for 5% of KFC's sales in that time period, a figure insubstantial to KFC's financial bottom line. [46]
In Canada, the Double Down became KFC's best-selling new menu item ever, selling over 350,000 units in less than 10 days. [47] Despite sales in excess of one million units, KFC Canada discontinued the Double Down in 2010, reviving it again for a short period in 2011. [48] In August 2015, KFC Canada brought back the Double Down for a small period of time. Sales in New Zealand were 600,000 units over its five-week promotional period. [49] Grant Ellis, CFO of New Zealand KFC operator Restaurant Brands, said that despite these sales the Double Down "did cannibalise some of our better-margin products". [50]
Following the launch of Zinger Double Down in Korea, the overall sales for KFC Korea increased by 20%. [51]
KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC, is an American fast food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's second-largest restaurant chain after McDonald's, with over 30,000 locations globally in 150 countries as of April 2024. The chain is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains.
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, and in some cultures, a burger is considered a sandwich.
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 1967 and across the United States in 1968. It is one of the company's flagship products and signature dishes. The Big Mac contains two beef patties, cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, minced onions, and a Thousand Island-type dressing advertised as "special sauce", on a three-slice sesame-seed bun.
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.
A bacon sandwich is a sandwich of cooked bacon. It may be spread with butter, and may be seasoned with brown sauce or tomato ketchup. It is generally served hot. In some establishments the sandwich will be made from bread toasted on only one side, while other establishments serve it on a similar roll as is used for hamburgers.
The Filet-O-Fish is a fish burger sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood of Monfort Heights in Cincinnati, Ohio, in response to declining hamburger sales on Fridays due to the practice of abstaining from meat on that day. While the fish composition of the sandwich has changed throughout the years to cater to taste preferences and address supply limitations, the framework of its ingredients have remained constant; a fried breaded fish fillet, a steamed bun, tartar sauce and pasteurized American cheese.
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.
A&W is a fast-food restaurant chain in Canada, franchised by A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc.
The BK Stacker sandwiches are a family of cheeseburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King.
BK Chicken Fries are a fried chicken product sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King. At the time of their introduction in 2005, the company had intended Chicken Fries to be one of their larger, adult-oriented products made with higher-quality ingredients than their standard menu items. Additionally, the product further targeted the snacking and convenience food markets with a specific packaging design that was intended to be easier to handle and fit into automotive cup holders. The product was part of a series of product introductions designed to expand Burger King's menu with both more sophisticated fare and present a larger, meatier product that appealed to 24- to 36-year-old males. Along with this series of larger, more complex menu products, the company intended to attract a larger, more affluent adult audience who would be willing to spend more on the better-quality products. They were discontinued in the United States in 2012, but continued to be sold in some markets, such as Italy. In August 2014, they were reintroduced for a limited-time offering (LTO) in North America, leading to their permanent re-addition to the menu in March 2015 in over 30 countries globally.
A chicken sandwich is a sandwich that typically consists of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, served between slices of bread. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include chicken on a bun, chicken on a Kaiser, hot chicken, or chicken salad sandwich.
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, 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.
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.
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.
Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the world's third-largest hamburger fast-food chain with 6,711 locations, following McDonald’s and Burger King. On September 29, 2008, the company merged with Triarc Companies Inc., the publicly traded parent company of Arby's.
KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of restaurant franchising, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Salt Lake County, Utah, in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. Branding himself "Colonel Sanders", the founder became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. The company's rapid expansion made it too large for Sanders to manage, so in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey.