MIAMI --Burger King, which is one of the nation’s leading purveyors of, well, burgers, is unleashing hot dogs, dubbed "Grilled Dogs," as a permanent menu item, available at participating U.S. restaurants starting Feb. 23.
The quick-service restaurant (QSR) said Grilled Dogs are made with 100% beef and flame grilled on the same grill as the Whopper burger.
“The introduction of Grilled Dogs just made sense to our guests and for our brand,” said Alex Macedo, president of Miami-based Burger King North America. “We’re applying over 60 years of flame-grilling expertise with the Whopper sandwich to make Grilled Dogs the next great American icon."
“This is probably the most obvious product launch ever,” he told ABC News.
“Instead of boiling a hot dog in water, we can grill it just like you would at a backyard barbecue,” Macedo told The New York Times. “It made all the sense in the world for us.”
With the launch, Burger King says it will offer hot dogs at all 7,100 of its U.S. restaurants — more U.S. locations than any other chain. Smaller chains that sell hot dogs include Dairy Queen and Sonic Drive-In.
The hot dogs are being supplied Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, said the report.
Grilled Dogs are available in both the Classic Grilled Dog and the Chili Cheese Grilled Dog. The Classic Grilled Dog is a flame-grilled hot dog made with 100% beef, topped with ketchup, mustard, chopped onions and relish, served on a baked bun. The Chili Cheese Grilled Dog is the same beef hot dog topped with warm chili, shredded cheddar cheese and served on a baked bun. Both are sold separately or as a combo meal.
The Classic Grilled Dog comes at the recommended price of $1.99 or as a combo meal for the recommended price of $4.49, served with a small fountain drink and fries. The Chili Cheese Dog is sold at the recommended price of $2.29 and for the recommended price of $4.79 as part of a combo meal with a small fountain drink and fries.
Macedo told the Times that customers had long been asking Burger King to add a flame-broiled frankfurter to its menu, and the company tested its hot dogs in five cities around the country.
Along with Tim Hortons, Burger King is owned by Restaurant Brands International, one of the world's largest QSR companies with approximately $23 billion in system sales and more than 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries.
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