MIAMI -- Burger King has unveiled the broadest menu expansion in its 58-year history, featuring a wider range of freshly prepared food. The brand is introducing more than a dozen new menu items, including salads, snack wraps, chicken strips, smoothies and frappes.
"We spent the last year analyzing every aspect of our business to better understand what our guests expect from the Burger King dining experience," said Steve Wiborg, president of North America for Burger King Corp. "We found that consumers wanted a broader range of menu options to complement our signature fire-grilled burgers. This expanded menu gives consumers more choices and more reasons to visit Burger King restaurants."
The new menu items include:
Garden Fresh Salads: BLT, Apple and Cranberry or classic Caesar Salad varieties are made fresh-to-order, premium ingredients and topped with a choice Of Tendercrisp or Tendergrill chicken (suggested retail price starts at $4.99).
Chicken Snack Wraps: Honey Mustard Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap and the Ranch Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap are flavorful snack options with less than 400 calories each (suggested retail price of $1.59).
Real Fruit Smoothies: Tropical Mango and Strawberry Banana smoothies are made with low-fat yogurt, real fruit and juices, providing a full serving of fruit (suggested retail price of $2.29).
Frappes: Mocha and Caramel flavors are made to order with a hint of coffee and ice, topped with whipped topping and a swirl of fudge or caramel (suggested retail price of $2.29).
Crispy Chicken Strips: Premium Crispy Chicken Strips are made with white meat tenderloin chicken, marinated and lightly battered in seasoned home-style breading, served in three- or five-piece servings with sauces such as new Kung Pao and Roasted Jalapeño Barbecue sauces (suggested retail price starts at $2.99).
"Over the past year, we developed and tested more than two dozen menu items," said Wiborg.
"After extensive consumer testing in both our test kitchens and at restaurants around the county, our consumers chose these as their favorites. From there we worked hard to make sure these new items are truly the best of what our brand has to offer."
The company has enlisted a diverse cast of celebrities "representing the many faces of the American melting pot." Stars kicking off the national advertising campaign include David Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Salma Hayek, Jay Leno, Steven Tyler and Sofia Vergara (click here to view the spots).
The series of ads are part of a national, multi-platform marketing campaign that will also extend across social media and digital applications. Additionally, the brand will deploy sampling trucks across the country and invite everyone to try out the new menu items at local events in communities nationwide. Consumers can track the trucks beginning April 18th on www.bk.com.
Consumers visiting Burger King restaurants will also find enhancements at every location, such as new easy-to-navigate digital menu boards in the dining room, streamlined merchandising at the drive-thru, new employee uniforms and new packaging.
"We are energized by the positive momentum of our brand and believe these enhancements to the Burger King dining experience will give guests more reasons to come back," said Wiborg. "We invite guests to come on in and check out our new menu additions, enhanced restaurant look and stick with us as we continue to reinvigorate our brand."
Founded in 1954, Burger King is the second largest fast-food hamburger chain in the world. The Burger King system operates in more than 12,500 locations serving more than 11 million guests daily in 81 countries and territories worldwide. Approximately 90% of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. Burger King Corp. is privately-held by 3G Capital, a multi-billion dollar, global investment firm focused on long-term value creation.
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