Ok class, time to open up your fast food history books and turn to the chapter on Burger King.
You all know about the Whopper, but BK has released other great menu items that didn’t
quite stand the test of time. Let’s see if you remember any of these 10 discontinued
Burger King products we miss (part 2).
The Whopperito
Burger King is most known for its signature burger the Whopper. But like most fast food
chains BK likes to play around with the menu in an effort to increase sales. Everyone knows
that Mexican food is popular in America so it made sense that Burger King would try to
come up with some Mexican food themed menu items. The Whopperito consists of most of
the ingredients of a traditional Whopper burger but uses a soft tortilla instead of a bun.
Also, the ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise have been replaced with queso sauce. The Whopperito
was first introduced in some Pennsylvania locations in 2016 and was then sold nationwide
a few months later. According to Burger King there was a very positive reaction to the
item when it was tested and this convinced the company to launch it nationwide. Some
observers of the fast food industry commented that the Whopperito was an attempt by Burger
King to compete with the popular Mexican restaurant, Chipotle. Apparently, despite its success,
this Whopper in the form of a Mexican wrap was always intended to be only a limited time
offer. However, because it was popular with customers we might see it again sometime.
Donut King
Did you know that Burger King offered donut holes? Not many other people did either because
why would you go to Burger King for donuts? Apparently some people did try the small glazed
treats that came as an order of 5 of the sticky little lumps. With places like Dunkin', Krispy
Creme and an untold number of independent donut shops, the fast food chain's decision
to offer donut holes seems to be a little questionable. According to reports they weren't
bad, they were warm and the glaze was sugary sweet. Perhaps best of all is they were available
not just at breakfast, but were featured on the all day menu. However, with only the single
flavor, customer demand soon went as stale as a day old donut hole. The big question
is why should a burger joint like Burger King commit to donuts since they don't really specialize
in the art of the pastry. People go to Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' presumably for the donuts,
but they didn't go to Burger King for them - they go for the burgers. But a few tasty
donut holes for dessert does sound good.
Crown Shaped Nuggets
Shakespeare was right when he observed "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." But he
might not have known about the kind of stress fast food executives are under to increase
sales in the highly competitive restaurant industry. Burger King is always on the look
out for a product that stimulates customers' taste buds. BK thought it found it with crown
shaped chicken nuggets. From 2006 to 2011 Burger King offered these unique three-pronged
finger foods. A lot of Burger King customers were sad to see the crown shapes go, but some
of them were also convinced that the taste had also changed. Burger King's chicken nuggets
have generally been second fiddle to McDonald's more well known version of this now common
menu item. No one really knows for sure why Burger King got rid of these nuggets, but
one theory is that it thought the crown shape appealed to kids more than adults, so they
concluded that a generic shaped chicken nugget would help increase sales. Executives won't
even say if the crown shaped nuggets were originally supposed to be a limited time offer
or a permanent part of the menu. Either way it doesn't look like these particular nuggets
will show up on the menu anytime soon. Crown shaped nuggets seem like they should have
been a good branding opportunity for the fast food chain so why didn't it work? We wonder
what Shakespeare would have thought about all this?
Can't get no Satisfries
The Rolling Stones are still doing their best to get some Satisfaction and that's probably
what Burger King's Satisfries are all about. This alternate french fry recipe was an attempt
to offer its fast food customers a healthier french fry option by making a recipe that
absorbed less oil than regular fries. These healthier options don't often work at places
like Burger King because people who eat there know the food is not healthy food and they
are all right with it. You could go to Subway and get a turkey breast sub and Sun Chips,
but you didn't - you decided to go to Burger King for burgers and fries. When you order
a Whopper and fries you're getting a lot of calories and fat and a great tasting meal
and that's the deal we know we've made. Satisfries upset the balance when they were introduced
and only served to remind people that the regular fries are too high in fat. The Satisfries
generally received ok reviews, but not enough of them. They were also a little more expensive
than the regular fries so Burger King was asking people to pay more money for less tasty
fries. Purely from a marketing standpoint this seems like a bad idea from the get go.
As you probably expected most customers decided to stick with the regular fries so after disappointing
sales Burger King discontinued this healthier option in favor of its regular fries. However,
there is a segment of Satisfries fans still out there thinking maybe BK could give these
another shot.
Mac n' Cheetos You Say?
Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos looks like a snack you might buy in a convenience store
with a giant cup of Mountain Dew. The burger franchise has long sold french fries and onion
rings, and has experimented with a couple flavors of chicken fries. When Burger King
debuted this new snack in 2016, they described it as fried mac n' cheese bites dipped in
a coating that resembles the crusty cheesiness of Cheetos. Five pieces of the little snacks
were sold with a side of ranch dressing in a special box that highlighted the Cheetos
brand. This isn't the first time a fast food company and a snack food company have joined
forces, but the results have never been this cheesy. Mac n' Cheetos were popular, but they
were scheduled to run for only eight weeks so many customers were disappointed when the
treats disappeared from Burger King after such a short run. There was also a short run
of Cheetos Chicken Fries. However, this product seems like it was over the top even in a world
of fast food escalation where one product is always trying to knock another one off
the throne. Although they have yet to reappear at fast food locations Mac n' Cheetos are
sold in the frozen sections of supermarkets in the United States. If these Mac n' Cheetos
are popular enough to be sold in supermarkets then why aren't they popular enough to be
sold at Burger King restaurants? At some point we might see Burger King realize this and
bring them back to the restaurants.
Shake'm up Fries
'Shake it up baby' were lyrics to the classic hit Twist and Shout, but the folks at Burger
King weren't interested in music when they came up with Shake'm Up Fries. Back in 2002
the fast food chain decided its french fries and onion rings just weren't cutting it anymore
so BK decided to kick things up a notch. Shake'm Up Fries were Burger King's regular fries
with the addition of cheese flavored powder. You would put your fries in a paper bag then
add the cheese powder and shake'm up! This is one of those ideas that probably sounded
a lot better when it was discussed in the boardroom. Maybe if the fries were offered
pre-shaken? If you didn't seal the paper bag properly before shaking it you would get covered
in orange cheese powder. Maybe they weren't good enough to justify the extra step. But
whatever the reason, Shake'm Up Fries only lasted a short time. Most people who eat at
Burger King already like the fries as is. Maybe they use a little ketchup, but otherwise
most people are ok with them. This discontinued product from Burger King seems like an example
of a fast food solution in search of a problem. French fries taste so good because there is
too much salt and fat in them and people are going to order them anyway so Burger King
should have left well enough alone.
BK Turkey Burger
Turkey burgers made with white meat are much leaner than beef burgers and this is a good
thing for your health. Unfortunately you usually end up with a dry and tasteless burger. The
right seasonings and toppings can help a lot, but even so, they are just not as juicy and
tasty as a good hamburger. Burger King's Turkey Burger was topped with lettuce, tomato, ketchup,
mayonnaise, red onion and onion rings. This seems like too much onion, but they were trying
to make up for the relative lack of flavor in the actual burger. If you were choosing
your Burger King sandwich based on health considerations you would want to choose the
grilled chicken option instead of the ground turkey patty. The turkey patty isn't exactly
low in fat, but it's a little lower in fat than the beef burgers. This healthier option
was offered by Burger King for a limited time in 2013. At the time it was the biggest fast
food chain to offer a turkey burger to customers. Even though BK was leading the way, most people
said the turkey burger just didn't have as much flavor as the beef burgers. It's no surprise
it wasn't much of a hit and the company has no plans to bring it back for even a limited
run. Sometimes being a trend setter pays off - and sometimes it doesn't.
BK Premium in New Zealand
In New Zealand, the crown jewels has a completely different meaning than it does in the United
Kingdom or even American slang. On the island nation, the crown jewels referred to a series
of premium Burger King sandwiches. The core of this premium line was the TenderGrill,
a grilled chicken sandwich. The TenderGrill was one of the first grilled chicken options
offered by a fast food chain. The line also included a fried chicken sandwich called the
TenderCrisp. Some Angus beef burgers were also part of this push to appeal to a slightly
higher end customer base that would be willing to spend a little more dough for higher quality
products. The problem with these kinds of marketing strategies, and most fast food chains
have done something like this at one time or another, is that the company is basically
admitting that its regular menu is only average. Even if not the case, the New Zealand BK were
knocking their own menu. The crown jewels line became a limited time only offer that
would periodically be reintroduced to increase sales. We all want it our way at Burger King,
but people also want Burger King to embrace its entire menu instead of promoting several
tiers of quality. If Burger King will put out the best quality products it can across
its entire menu then it should do just fine.
Enormous Omelet Sandwich
Burger King's breakfast items always seemed a little ad hoc compared to McDonald's well
established and popular breakfast items like the Egg McMuffin. In 2005 Burger King introduced
its Enormous Omelet Sandwich. For some reason the marketing experts thought this was a good
name. However, the name is accurate with a whopping 740 calories and 47 grams of fat.
This is a lot of fat for any fast food sandwich, but at least the customer was warned in advance.
You can't expect a sandwich with "enormous" in the name to be low in calories or fat.
There is something for everyone in this enormous sandwich with generous helpings of egg, cheese,
bacon and sausage on a sesame seed bun. The word overkill comes to mind especially when
you consider the Egg McMuffin is a long time favorite without having to resort to the gimmick
of an enormous sandwich that no one should really be eating. However, if you enjoy a
really big breakfast then perhaps the Enormous Omelet Sandwich was for you. After being discontinued
citing 'health concerns', the sandwich reappeared in 2012 as the Supreme Breakfast Sandwich
and also eventually disappeared from U.S. menus. While this is better than the original
name it's still not great. Burger King has never had the branding success that McDonald's
has enjoyed. However, if you are in the mood for an Enormous Breakfast Sandwich, it is
still on the menu at Burger King locations in Canada. I wonder if it also comes with
a breakfast side of poutine?
Hit the Bulls-Eye
The Bulls-Eye Burger from Burger King was offered in the late 1980's, but it didn't
last for some reason. The Bulls-Eye Burger offered two flame broiled patties, cheese,
bacon and of course, Bulls-Eye brand barbecue sauce. All of these delicious ingredients
were layered on a subway style role. This should have been a hit and a permanent part
of the fast food chain's menu. The combination of cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce is simply
a winner that should be with us today. Burger King has offered other versions of a barbecue
burger, but in 2007 the restaurant chain replaced the Bulls-Eye sauce with Sweet Baby Ray's
brand barbecue sauce. Apparently the fast food company never intended the Bulls-Eye
Burger to be a regular part of the menu, but to be a limited time offer to help boost sales.
But if people liked it, then wouldn't BK want to keep it around to help boost sales? It's
been a while since Bulls-Eye brand barbecue sauce has been offered as part of a barbecue
burger so perhaps it's past the time for Burger King to bring back the Bulls-Eye Burger. Doesn't
it make sense to at least try it again for a limited time offer? The name alone just
rolls off the tongue - BK's Bulls-Eye Burger. Just bring this one back. Your loyal subjects
will rejoice and heap praise upon the great King - the Burger King, that is.
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