If you haven't been to Burger King in a long time, it's worth switching up your morning
routine to give it a shot.
You might be surprised, and you might also be surprised by these things that you probably
never knew about Burger King's breakfast.
Today, we take it for granted that a Croissan'wich is a legitimate breakfast option, and we can
get one at a Burger King near wherever we happen to be.
But the chain faced some unique challenges when it came time to invent their breakfast
menu, and that time was the 1970s.
In 1971, McDonald's gave one of their franchisees the go-ahead to sell morning offerings like
donuts and sweet rolls.
The following year, another McDonald's franchisee showed mogul Ray Kroc his idea for a breakfast
sandwich, and the fast food landscape was changed forever.
That sandwich was the Egg McMuffin, and it led to billions in revenue for McDonald's.
It's not surprising that other chains wanted to capture their own piece of the morning
market, but Burger King faced a major problem.
Even though they started trying to develop a breakfast menu in 1979, it would be another
four years before breakfast debuted at Burger King.
That's because McDonald's had a surprising advantage, the grills they used for their
burgers could be easily adapted to breakfast items.
In order to set themselves apart from other fast food chains, Burger King had built their
image on their flame-grilling methods.
The flame broilers weren't nearly as adaptable, and it took a long time to come up with an
efficient and delicious set of menu items Burger King restaurants could cook with existing
their equipment.
Burger King was years behind their biggest competitor when it came to establishing themselves
as a go-to breakfast chain.
That's continued to be a huge problem for them, and it's pretty shocking when you start
looking at the numbers.
According to Restaurant Business, a single McDonald's location averages around $2.8 million
in revenue.
Burger King's locations typically only earn about half that, averaging less than $1.4
million.
And breakfast?
That's even more lopsided.
McDonald's earns an average of around $800,000 of their revenue at breakfast, while a Burger
King location can expect to make only about $205,000.
That means most locations only make about 15 percent of their annual revenue at breakfast,
and that's a massive missed opportunity.
In 2014, Burger King made a breakfast announcement that, at first glance, seemed strange.
Corporate had given the green light to franchisees who wanted to make Whoppers, Double Whoppers,
the Whopper Jr., and fries, along with other select lunch and dinner items, available for
breakfast at some locations.
"Ya know, I'm not really into breakfast foods."
"Really?
Your purse is shaped like a waffle."
"Is it?"
"Please join us."
Business Insider says the move came in response to McDonald's shift into making breakfast
items available all day, which at a glance, makes sense.
Craving an Egg McMuffin for lunch isn't weird, but a Whopper for breakfast?
That's strange...although it's also worth noting that the "Burgers for Breakfast" move
may have been most well-received by anyone working an overnight shift, who finally had
the opportunity to get something a little heartier than breakfast as they finish their
work day.
Forbes was doubtful from the beginning, though, saying it was risky to encourage people to
associate Burger King breakfast with their burgers rather than, well, their breakfast.
There was another possible pitfall, too, and that's the alienation of anyone who's trying
to eat healthier.
There's nothing that says gluttony like a Whopper and fries half an hour after you stagger
out of bed, so it was a very, very risky move.
It's up to the franchisees whether or not they want to offer Whoppers in the morning,
and not many locations are still trying it today.
If you're craving something a little more substantial than yogurt for breakfast, you
can definitely head to Burger King and pick something up without feeling super guilty...if,
that is, you choose wisely.
Nutritionist Bonnie Taub-Dix says that the Egg and Cheese Croissan'wich is a good choice.
It comes with only 300 calories and 15 grams of fat, but you're also getting 11 grams of
protein, and that's important.
Get the Ham, Egg, & Cheese Croissan'wich, and you're still making a decent choice.
You'll add 40 calories and a single gram of fat, but you'll also be getting 5 more grams
of protein.
That will help set you up right for the day, but there is one word of caution: this one
comes with 1,000 mg of sodium, which is a lot, especially for anyone who is watching
their sodium intake.
But, you could do much, much worse.
Even if you're not the type to count calories and keep track of exactly what you're eating,
there are some things on Burger King's breakfast menu that are so bad for you that you might
want to think twice about watching the numbers, especially when it comes to sodium.
"Quick, toss some salt over your right shoulder!"
The American Heart Association recommends you should be getting no more than 2,300 mg
of sodium a day, but Burger King has a few options, including the Egg-normous Burrito,
that clock in well above that recommendation.
Plenty of others, like the large hash browns, Ham, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit, and Double Croissan'wich
with Sausage, are hovering right around the 1,500 mg mark, and that's just one small sandwich
for one meal of the day.
The BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter is by far one of the worst choices you can make first
thing in the morning.
Not only does it have 1,230 calories, but it's loaded with 70 grams of fat and 33 grams
of sugar, more than what the American Heart Association recommends people get in a day.
If you start your morning with coffee, you need to know about Burger King's pretty awesome
subscription program.
In early 2019, they announced they were starting a coffee subscription program, and for just
$5 a month, participants are entitled to a free small, regular coffee each and every
day.
Not bad, right?
That works out to about 17 cents per cup, and you can't beat that.
Anyone wanting to participate needs to download the BK app and enroll through that, and according
to Forbes, it's a genius move.
It's a way to get customers not only in the door, but using the app and, most likely,
picking up more than just a coffee when they stop by.
There's a bonus to having customers subscribe through an app, too.
How many times have you subscribed to a program like this, then just not used it?
That might leave you feeling like it's a waste, but when you're using the app instead of something
like a punch card, Burger King knows if you haven't been in for a while and they can send
you a friendly reminder.
Everyone wins!
There's nothing more frustrating than waiting in line at the drive-thru at Burger King before
pulling up to order and being told that sorry, they're no longer serving breakfast.
There might just be a Croissan'wich or two left over, if you're lucky, but once they're
gone, they're gone, no matter how nicely you ask.
It's not just employees being difficult, either.
There's a very good reason that breakfast stops when it does, and it has to do with
temperature.
Most Burger King locations open at 6 a.m., and immediately start serving breakfast.
There's a chance a 24-hour location might start earlier, but when it comes to the end
of breakfast hours, it's standard across the board and stops at 10:30 a.m.
Come in at 10:35 and you're probably out of luck.
But if it helps, they're not trying to ruin your day.
Breakfast items are cooked at a different temperature than lunch items, so once they
start cooking Whoppers and cheeseburgers, they have to change the settings on the griddle.
The temperature is turned up, and that means those breakfast items just aren't possible.
Better set your alarm!
"What?"
"Did you wake me up?"
When you make a breakfast sandwich at home, you probably crack an egg in the pan, add
a dash of seasoning, and that's it.
That's not always the case with fast food eggs, though, and some might have more ingredients
than you think.
Take Dunkin', for example.
Their "eggs" also contain things like corn starch, soybean oil, and citric acid.
How does Burger King stack up in the fast food egg game?
Not bad!
Their eggs do contain a few more ingredients than you might expect, and they're things
like water, xanthan gum, butter flavor, citric acid, and annatto for color.
Compared to the laundry list of ingredients that are in some fast food chain eggs, that's
not terrible.
Even if you haven't been there in a while for breakfast, you know what Burger King's
menu looks like.
Head overseas, though, and you'll find some different items on the menu.
If you've ever wished you could have a hot dog or two for breakfast, head to Japan and
Burger King will make all your crazy hot dog dreams come true.
Singapore still has the Croissan'wich on the menu, but they're a little odd: you can choose
from turkey sausage, crispy chicken, and turkey bacon.
There's even one with avocado!
Not your thing?
You could also start your day with a mushroom and Swiss Croissan'wich, and that just sounds,
well, delicious!
You can pick up a mushroom and Swiss sandwich in Malaysia, too, along with the Smoky Chicken
Kingwich, which has smoked chicken, egg, and cheese sauce.
Head over to India, and you'll be able to get eggy sandwiches and wraps all day, including
the delicious-looking King Egg sandwich.
Burger King in the UK has gone a long way in combining breakfast and lunch, offering
the Breakfast King, which is essentially a Whopper patty on a bun with some egg.
Finally, New Zealand.
They have standards like the Sausage & Egg Muffin, along with the chance to get a meal
that pairs your breakfast sandwich with a chicken sandwich, a burger, or a sausage.
BOGO coupons for Burger King's Croissan'wich breakfast sandwiches are pretty common, and
you've probably used one if you go there very often.
But did you know they were sued for inflating the price of their sandwiches for anyone who
used a coupon?
In 2017, Maryland resident Koleta Anderson filed a class action lawsuit against the burger
giant after she realized that she was being charged a higher price for using a coupon.
Charges varied by location, but in one store, she paid $1 for a single Sausage Croissan'wich.
When she used a BOGO coupon, though, she was charged $4.19.
Her findings were verified by not only her lawyer and a private investigator, but also
by the Miami Herald.
Burger King denied any wrongdoing, but they still settled.
According to Today, they agreed to refund customers either $5 or supply $2 gift cards
for anyone who used the coupons and got overcharged between Oct. 1, 2015 and May 19, 2017.
Claims ended in 2018, but there's an important lesson to be learned here: check your receipts.
Vegetarians and vegans were super excited when Burger King added the Impossible Whopper
to their menu, but there's no need to wait until lunch to hit up Burger King for some
vegan options.
According to Women's Health, they have a few vegan choices on their breakfast menu, too.
While you might think of French toast as being almost as much egg as it is toast, their French
toast sticks are actually vegan.
And, at just 230 calories and 11 grams of fat, they're not super terrible for you.
Burger King's hash browns are vegan, too, and they're only slightly higher in fat and
calories than the French toast sticks.
If that doesn't sound like it's going to entirely cut it for breakfast, you should also know
that their applesauce, apple pie, and their drinks (except, of course, for the milkshakes)
are all vegan, too.
Ask nicely and you just might be able to score some of these afternoon treats for breakfast,
and apple pie for breakfast?
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