RISE - Menu Monitor

Burger King is extending restaurant hours until midnight or later every day. An ad campaign promoting the new hours in U.S.
and Canadian units will feature hip-hop musician Sean “Diddy” Combs. Burger King hopes longer hours will allow it to better
compete with McDonald’s and Wendy’s, both of which offer late-night hours. (Yahoo! Finance 6/7/07; Restaurants &
Institutions Online 6/7/07; NRN Daily NewsFax 6/6/07)
Burger King Corp. is taking advantage of Halloween with a new super-sized version of its King mask and a full King costume.
The mask is available for $24.99 and the small mask is available for $12.99. The deluxe King costume is priced at $69.99 and
includes a robe, a gold medallion and mask. Burger King’s Subservient Chicken mask is priced at $4.50. The costumes are
available online and through retailers, including Target, Spencer Gifts, Party City, Walgreen’s, Ricky’s NYC and Halloween
Adventure. (NRN Daily NewsFax 10/5/07)
Menu Development |
Burger King Corp. plans to test trans fat-free items within 90 days. The decision was made after KFC announced it was
planning on frying its chicken in oil without trans-fat in 5,500 of its restaurants by April 2007. (Cattlenetwork.com 10/30/06)
Burger King has rolled out the Angus ’Shroom & Swiss Steak Burger. (Company Promo)
Several chain restaurants are planning to reduce or eliminate trans-fats from their menus. Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits will
eliminate trans fats from its biscuits and introduce reduced transfat french fries by year’s end. Burger King will test a trans-fatfree
frying oil sometime in the next 90 days. KFC will use a new soybean oil at its units in New York and Chicago, with plans to
roll it out systemwide by spring 2007. IHOP plans to test trans-fat-free oils at its more than 1,200 units in the U.S. and Canada.
Souper Salad restaurants are also planning to be trans fat free by year’s end. McDonald’s units in Australia have switched to a
frying oil that is nearly free of trans fatty acids. The company did not say whether or not it would use the blend of canola and
high-oleic sunflower oil at its U.S. locations. (Los Angeles Times 11/07/06; Company Release 11/07/06)
Burger King is testing breakfast value-meal combos in select markets. (Nation’s Restaurant News 11/13/06 p4)
Burger King added BK Joe on the Rocks, an iced coffee. (Nation’s Restaurant News Online 12/21/06)
Burger King is testing two new desserts, Crown Cone ice cream cone and BK Storm, an ice cream-based treat. (Nation’s
Restaurant News Online 12/21/06)
Burger King added a Texas Double Whopper to the menu for a limited time. The item features two Whopper patties, two slices
of American cheese, onions, mustard, pickles, crispy bacon, jalapeños, mayo, shredded lettuce and tomatoes, served on a
bun. (Company Website)
Burger King is testing BK Hold ’Ems, a new line of wraps. There are different options for different dayparts, including sausage,
egg and cheese for breakfast and a chicken Caesar option for lunch. BK Hold ’Ems are available in a container that can fit into
cup holders for diners on the go. (NRN Daily NewsFax 12/22/06; Nation’s Restaurant News Online 12/21/06)
Burger King may be sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) because the burger chain has yet to
announce if it will eliminate or reduce trans fats from its menu. Burger King said that it has been working for the past two years
to develop alternatives to trans fats. (Brandweek.com 1/08/07)
Burger King plans to add a breakfast menu with 10 items priced at $1 each. The new menu will feature the Hamlette, a new
ham, egg and cheese sandwich with honey butter served on a sesame-bun; Cheesy Tots, Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
wrapped in a potato crust and deep-fried; French Toast Sticks; a sausage patty on a biscuit; a small hash-brown patty; a small
BK Joe coffee; orange juice; a 16-oz. soft drink; and a 10-oz. serving of milk. (Nation’s Restaurant News Online 1/19/07; NRN
Daily NewsFax 1/22/07)
Burger King plans to roll out trans-fat-free cooking oils nationwide by late 2008 and is currently testing trans-fat-free cooking
oils in select restaurants. The chain intends to meet New York City’s trans-fat-free requirement, which will go into effect July 1.
In other news, Burger King paid back $25 million in debt using cash from operations. The chain has already retired $125
million in debt. (South Florida Business Journal 1/31/07; Reuters 1/31/07; Star Telegram 1/31/07; NRN Daily NewsFax
2/01/07; Forbes.com 1/25/07)
Burger King will purchase eggs from uncaged hens, as well as buy pork from pigs that are not raised in crates. The decision
comes after the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) pressured the
chain to make the switch. Initially, 10% of Burger King’s pork will come from more humanely raised hogs. By year’s end the
chain expects 20% of its pork to be humanely raised. The chain will purchase 2% of its eggs from cage-free facilities and plans
to increase that to 5% by January 2008. (NRN Daily NewsFax 3/29/07; Company Release 3/28/07; New York Times 3/28/07;
AFX 3/28/07)
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