BK Scooter Drive-Thru! [Pics]

I saw these photos of a woman going through a Buger King drive-thru on her scooter posted on NeoGraf, a video game discussion board, and just had to share them here.

When I saw them I immediatly thought of the movie, Wall-e... all those 'weight-challenged' folks on the space ship getting around on their hover scooters. (If you haven't seen Wall-e, I've included a clip down below, past the photos.)

Yes, she is flipping off the photographer in that last photo (or giving him the fist, which might even be funnier!).

I imagine we'll be seeing more and more of people on their scooters going through the drive-through as we get fatter and lazier.

I suppose fast food outlets will have to start developing their policy for scooter drive-ups. As you may know, most fast food restaurants do not allow walk-ups to their drive thru windows for safety reasons (even if the drive-thru is open and the restaurant seating area is closed). And many don't allow bicycle traffic either. If you know of a 'scooter policy' at your local fast food restaurant, let us know!

Here's the clip from Wall-e with the chubby space ship folks falling off their hover scooters when the spaceship tilts:

BK's Suggestive 7 Incher Ad

Burger King's has a new menu item in their Singapore area restaurants. It is called the "BK Super Seven Incher."

If the name wasn't bad enough, the poster promoting the sandwich show the sandwich approaching a woman's open mouth with the words "It'll Blow" in a large font underneath. The wording continues in smaller print on the next line, "Your Mind Away." Well, heck, just take a look at it:

To further entice you to try this sandwich, the poster reads: "Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the new BK Super Seven Incher. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce."

A seven-inch long burger patty. hmmm.

We've seen more suggestive advertising, to be sure, but this one just seems to be poorly executed AND in bad taste (and probably tastes bad, too).

BK Studio: Wear Our Logo

Hey, we all know these are tough economic times. Advertising budgets might be shrinking at some of our favorite fast food chains, but Burger King has a solution. They've figured out how to get us to pay them to advertising.

Introducing Burger King Studio!

BK is selling you shirts that will help sell more of their burgers!

You can even design your own BK Studio shirt. The cost, a mere $24.

The ones they've designed for you (on the right) will set you back $16.

The titles of the ones on the right (from top to bottom are "Ultimate Whopper," "The Bubble Has Burst," and "King of Deliciousness."

Here's Burger King's take on their new 'studio':

"Burger King Studio is part art gallery, part think-tank with a dash of Mad Scientist's experiments thrown in for good measure."

"Burger King Studio is a progressive platform that inspires free-flowing creativity and provides a forum for imaginative collaboration between artists and consumers," says Cindy Syracuse, senior director, cultural marketing, Burger King Corp.

BK is even going to have boutiques (yup, shops) where you can buy their schwag. The first one has already opened at Universal CityWalk in Orlando.

And here I am doing my small part to promote their promotion and I bet I won't even get a damn t-shirt!

BK Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots AGAIN!

Have you seen the ads for Burger Kings Breakfast Shots and Burger Shots? Did you know they've tried the mini-burger concept before? Well, they did... back in 1987. Video proof from a 1987 TV ad is below.

BK announced their mini breakfast sandwiches and burgers last month.

Like the 'sliders' of White Castle fame, BK's Burger Shots are tiny flame-broiled burgers topped with mustard, ketchup and two pickles between a bun without sesame seeds and are available in a two-pack ($1.39) or a six-pack ($4.09).

BK Breakfast Shots feature the choice of ham, bacon or a sausage patty with an egg, a smoky cheese sauce and melted American cheese served on a bun. BK They're available in a two-pack ($1.49) or a four-pack (2.89).

You can read a review and see real-world photos of the Breakfast Shots at Hamburger Calculus.

Here's your nutritional info for the 2-packs of both:

And now for the video proof that this is BK's second attempt at this concept:

Woman Calls 911 With Fast Food Complaint

Wow, people really do call 911 when a fast food restaurant doesn't meet their expectations!!

I hardly believed someone could waste the time and resources of people (911 operators) who are there to save lives!

But apparently it happens. Here's audio of a woman calling 911 to complain about her experience at Burger King:

Lose 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper

Burger King has unleashed a unique technique to install itself as a social networking player.

Their website, www.WhopperSacrifice.com, encourages you to install a Facebook app called "Whopper Sacrifice" on your Facebook page.

Once you've used it to 'sacrifice' 10 of your Facebook friends, you'll get a coupon for a free Whopper.

BK's Interesting Burger Documentary

If you've seen the short versions of Burger King's new marketing concept, we've got the full length version for you to watch below.

It's called "Whopper Virgins" and the idea is to let folks from remote parts of the world, who have never heard of McDonald's or Burger King, try a Whopper and a Big Mac.

But it is more than just your average taste test. Directed by Stacy Peralta (skateboarder turned director, he's an original Z-Boy from Dogtown), the documentary takes an interesting look at people from around the world trying a hamburger for the first time.

Picking up a hamburger is second nature to us, so it is interesting to watch people try to pick up a hamburger for the first time!

Here's the full video (it runs over 7 minutes long):



You can also watch it at BK's Whopper Virgins site.

more on the movie:

"I was eager to sign on to this project when I realized the risk Burger King Corp. was taking to uncover the true nature of peoples' love for the Whopper sandwich," said Stacy Peralta, award-winning director and producer of films such as "Dogtown" and "Made in America." "The footage that my crew and I were able to capture takes a revealing look at the naked truth behind the Whopper sandwich's following."

"The people we encountered along the way were wonderful," said Brian Gies, vice president, marketing impact, Burger King Corp. "They were enthusiastic about sampling our product and even more eager to share their culture, including their own food, with the team conducting the tests."

In keeping with BKC's philanthropic philosophy to give back to the communities in which it lives and works, at the conclusion of each taste test, Burger King Corp. worked cooperatively with local authorities to make donations, tailored specifically to benefit each individual community that participated in the 'study' and make a lasting contribution in each region. The company donated educational supplies and children's toys in Thailand and Greenland that will benefit local schools and increase learning opportunities for children. In Romania, the company helped fund a restoration of a 17th century church, which will enhance one of the community's central gathering places.

BK Drops Special Marketing Wallets

So Good food blog has a thorough documentation of a guerilla marketing effort by Burger King.

Evidently Burger King has been dropping wallets (so far in Chicago and Orlando) with cash, a map of area Burger King locations and a message telling the finder that he can also be a keeper.

The message reads: "Attention would-be good samaritan: Don't worry about lost & found. The King wants you to keep this wallet and everything in it."

Read the rest of the story and see more photos at So Good.

BK to Open First "Whopper Bar"

Burger King has announced their plans to open their first Whopper Bar, a concept they first announced in March.

The Whopper Bar is a condensed, more contemporary version of the typical Burger King. It features a modern look and feel and a Whopper topper area to encourage customers to customize their orders. The menu will focus on the Whopper sandwich and other special versions of the Whopper, including the Angry Whopper, Western Whopper and Ultimate Double Whopper.

The first Whopper Bar will open in Spring 2009 at Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Florida, with plans for several more sites over the next 12 months.

"This striking concept is a new generation of Burger King restaurants," said Russ Klein, president, global marketing, strategy and innovation, Burger King Corp. "It's focused on serving the original "Have it your Way" burger in a forward-looking format designed for today's on-the-go burger lover."

Burger King & Chick-fil-a Eliminate Trans Fats

Burger King announced today that all artificial Trans Fats will be eliminated from their menu items by November 1, 2008.

"Removing artificial trans fats from our cooking oils and ingredients is another example of our BK Positive Steps nutrition program," said Burger King Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John W. Chidsey. "Many Burger King restaurants have been using trans fat free cooking oils for several months, and our customers tell us that their favorite menu items taste the same, or even better. This is a result of our rigorous operational standards, supply requirements, and extensive consumer taste tests."

Burger King will be transitioning to two proprietary blends of three oils.

---

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chick-fil-a announced yesterday that they would be eliminating Trans Fat from their foods. We've requested more info from Chick-fil-a.

BK Oreo Sundae Shake, Which is it?

Burger King is now taking your vote on the matter of their Oreo Sundae Shake.

Is it a Sundae, or is it a Shake?

When you vote you are registered to win some prizes:
20 Grand prizes: 80GB Apple® iPod® classics,
100 First prizes: Apple® iTunes® $10 Gift Cards
100 Second prizes: $10 BK™ Crown Cards

In addition to your vote, they're also taking your address, phone number, e-mail address and a couple other survey questions. At least they give you the option as to whether or not you'd like to receive "additional marketing communications about Burger King" or "ure correspondence from Kraft® regarding products and promotions."

Oh, and a few nutritional facts about the Oreo BK Sundae Shake. The medium chocolate one conveniently gives you 100% of your recommended daily intake of Saturated Fat all in one place! It also supplies almost 1,000 calories and 32 grams of fat (that's half your daily recommended intake).* But heck, that all makes sense, the thing ways over a pound! Plenty of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) for all!

The rest:

*for a 2,000 calorie diet

This BK Is "Out of Meet"

I love this shot from the door of a Burger King:

"Sorry we closed
We out of meet"

via Reddit

New Addition to BK Branded Snacks

Fast food giant Burger King got into the snack food business earlier this year with 2 potato snack flavors you might have seen in vending machines or your grocery store.

Now Burger King has announced the addition of Onion Rings to their existing line of Burger King branded Snacks.

The Inventure Group is producing the BK Onion Rings snacks and also the "Ketchup & Fries Flavored Potato Snacks" and "Flame Broiled Flavored Potato Snacks" with the Burger King brand.

The Onion Rings snacks remind me of Frito-Lay's Funyuns.

All three branded snacks are currently available in a variety of sizes and price points in vending machines, convenience stores, warehouse clubs, drug and grocery stores. Onion Rings are available in single serving sizes of .75-ounce bags and 1.125-ounce bags in vending machines, 2-ounce bags are available in convenience stores, and 3-ounce bags are available in grocery stores. Nine and 12-ounce bags, as well as variety packs, will also be available in club stores and additional outlets this fall.

"During concept testing, Onion Rings continually received high ratings from consumers," said Russ Klein, president, global marketing, strategy and innovation, Burger King Corp. "The popularity of our Onion Rings menu item translated to this new snack product. The familiar flavor profile of Onion Rings rounds out the snack line as we begin to distribute the snacks internationally."

"We are thrilled with the initial success of the BURGER KING Snack launch," said Steve Sklar, senior vice president marketing, The Inventure Group. "We know that the Onion Rings will add excitement and a great tasting product to the snack line up."

Complete Nutritional Information:

The .75 oz bag has 110 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Burger King's Seth MacFarlane Cartoons

Burger King has a new online advertising vehicle: "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy."

The short comic cartoons were created exclusively for Burger King. BK's 'The King' appears at the beginning of them.

Seth MacFarlane is the creator of the highly acclaimed and hilarious, animated US televisions series "Family Guy" and "American Dad!"

There will be new episodes each week. The first 2 appeared on YouTube yesterday, but you might also see them as mini-video ads on other web sites. And, of course, you can watch them below.

It is an innovative, and funny, way for BK to set itself apart in the fast food realm.

At the BK YouTube site, you can also enter the "Buy Seth Dinner Sweepstakes." The winner gets to buy Seth MacFarlane a meal at Burger King. (Click on "Buy Seth Dinner.")

The BK Calvalcade video is called "Super Mario Rescues The Princess." Here it is:

The second is called "A Dog on the $25,000 Pyramid." Watch, laugh, and enjoy...

Fast Food Burger Reviews from 1978

Thanks to a new Newspaper archive at Google News, we can go back in time 30 years to read what one food critic in Pittsburgh had to say about the fast food burgers available then.

The article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dining Out section by Mike Kalina was called "Wendy's Grinds Out Foes in Burger Taste Test."

Here's the burgers reviewed:
Wendy's "Wendy's Single" - price: 85¢ - Rating: A
Burger Chef's "Super Shef" - price: $1.09 - Rating: B
Burger King's "Whopper" - price: $1.09 - Rating: C-
Hardee's "Deluxe Huskee" - price $1.10 - Rating: C-
Winky's "The Great One" - price $1.09 - Rating C-
McDonald's "Quarter-pounder" - price: 95¢ - Rating: D

Today, 30 years later, a Whopper costs $2.59. That's up 238% in 30 years.

Other things were different then, too. McDonald's was the old stand-by, all the other chains were "feisty newcomers:"

"For years, McDonald's hamburgers dominated the fast-food scene, but in recent years the firm's success has been challenged by feisty newcomers."

The Post-Gazette's taste test "revealed unequivocally that Wendy's puts out the best hamburgers."

Also noted, as Wendy's has been promoting heavily of late, Wendy's hamburger meat is "ground fresh daily, which greatly enhances its taste (most chains use frozen patties)."

About McDonald's, Kalina wrote:  "The burgers...contained fewer garnishes than any others we sampled and were the poorest-tasting.  The sesame-seed rolls, however, were very good...The patties...had the texture and look of shoe leather."

And about Burger King:  "The thin, charcoal-broiled pattie was a bit dry and encumbered by too large a roll (about five inches across).  There seemed to be too much bread and not enough burger."<

30 years later and 4 of the restaurants Mr. Kalina reviewed are even bigger national chains.

Wendy's still doesn't freeze their meat, BK still flame-broils theirs, and some would still agree that a McDonald's hamburger patty has the look and taste of shoe leather!

---

A side note... I thought I'd see if Mr. Kalin might still be doing restaurant reviews in Pittsburgh and discovered that despite a successful career with columns and TV shows about food and travel and a popular cookbook, he committed suicide in 1992.

BK's Cheesy Bacon Tendercrisp Ads

Two things about Burger King's ads for their Cheesy Bacon Tendercrisp Sandwich:

1. They're strange. Really strange. And kinda creepy, too.
   
2. They're basically the opposite of Chick-fil-a's use of cows in commercials. Chick-fil-a's cows cheer for us to "Eat Mor Chikin." BK's cows get mad when we eat chicken instead of them!
   

Here are 2 television ads for BK's Cheesy Bacon Tendercrisp Sandwich:

By the way, the only thing scarier than the TV ads for this sandwich are the 4 grams of trans fat they have!!

Burger King's Cheesy Bacon Tendercrisp Sandwich (Tendercrisp chicken filet, bun, lettuce, tomatoes, American cheese, and 4 strips of bacon) has 720 calories, 280 calories from fat, 31 grams of fat, 11 grams saturated fat, 4 grams trans fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 2030 mg sodium, 68 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 9 grams sugars, 42 grams protein.

Hat tip to TVSquad

BK Wrappers on value menu

New additions to the BK Value Menu are 2 BK Wrappers. They sell for $1.39.

The Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper is made with hash browns, crispy bacon, egg and smoky cheese sauce.

The Spicy Chicken BK Wrapper is made with spicy, crispy chicken, three blended cheeses and a southwest sauce.

Their move to the Value Menu will be promoted with TV ads showing the King as a "reverse pickpocketer," stuffing cash back into customers' pockets. (watch it below)

Review and 'real-world' photos at The Impulsive Buy.

Fast Food Critic also has a great review with photos.

The Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper has 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 1.5 grams trans fat, 150 mg cholesterol, 1080 mg sodium, 29 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 2 grams sugar, 14 grams protein.

BK gets clever, swipes Big Mac

This ad is pretty clever.

It's a Burger King ad that has been around for awhile on posters and billboards, but it deserves mention for its the creativity.

"Silly Whopper, that's a Big Mac box," creatively tells us that Burger King's standard burger (the Whopper) is bigger than McDonald's biggest burger (the Big Mac).

The nutritional facts tell the same story, by the way....

The Whopper weighs 291 grams, the Big Mac weighs 219 grams.
The Whopper has 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.
The Big Mac has 600 calories and 33 grams of fat.

But here's the real surprise:

The Whopper costs $2.59 and a Big Mac costs $3.09!
That's 100 more calories for 50 cents less!

These prices are the sandwich only price (no combo) at my local McDonald's and Burger King in Texas. -Photo credit

Burger King employee takes bath in sink

Timothy Tackett celebrated his birthday by taking a bath in his employer's kitchen sink last week.

His employer: Burger King.

Another employee took a video (see below) of Timothy (aka Mr. Unstable) in the stainless steel kitchen sink. The manager is in the video, too. She's told of Timothy's bath, but is too busy counting cash to go see for herself.

The video, of course, was posted on MySpace and soon Timmy and his co-workers were out of a job. But not before the whole town knew and started savoring their next Bathwater Whopper!

Burger King has issued a statement on the incident: "We have sanitized the sink and have disposed of all other kitchen tools and utensils that were used during the incident. We have also taken appropriate corrective action on the employees that were involved in this video. Additionally, the remaining staff at this restaurant is being retrained in health and sanitation procedures.”

Here's some local news coverage of the fun! WSB-TV

Wild BK Triple Whopper Ad from Japan

Check out this wild television commercial from Japan for Burger King's Triple Whopper.

The guy who covets another guy's Triple Whopper slithers across the restaurant floor like a snake to get it... and then eats it like a snake!

BK's Homestyle Melts

Yesterday Burger King introduced their new Homestyle Melts for a limited time. BK is billing them as "delicious melted sandwiches just like mom used to make."

There's a Homestyle Melt designed for breakfast and another for lunch and dinner.

For breakfast, the Honey Butter Homestyle Melt, has sausage, egg, honey butter sauce and melted American cheese between two pieces of "buttery flavored" sourdough bread. It costs $2.39.

For lunch and dinner the Bacon Double Homestyle Melt (shown above) has four half-slices of bacon, three slices of melted Swiss cheese and two hamburger patties with a garlic cheese sauce on "buttery flavored" sourdough bread. It costs $2.79 and has 810 calories and 58 grams of fat (more nutritional info below).

"Homestyle Melts are comfort foods Burger King style, with great, robust flavors and textures people associate with home," said John Schafulberger, senior vice president of global product marketing for Burger King Corp.

BK describes the television advertising campaign for these new sandwiches: "three vignettes that feature four moms who are angry at the King for encroaching on their turf by offering melted sandwiches served on soft buttery bread. The moms try to defend their territory, but the King and his new Homestyle Melts are ultimately victorious."

Burger King's Bacon Double Homestyle Melt with Buttery Spread has 810 calories, 520 calories from fat, 58 fat grams, 20 grams saturated fat, 2 grams trans fat, 135 mg cholesterol, 1370 mg sodium, 34 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams sugars, 39 grams protein.

BK not meeting kids advertising pledge yet

UPDATE:
I received an e-mail from Burger King today regarding my article below. My sincerest apologies to Burger King for making a critical error in reading their "Corporate Pledge" regarding advertising to children and healthy Kid's Meals for children.

I misread the date that the pledge is to begin. It is not for over a year: December 31, 2008.

The thrust of my article was that their pledge to consumers would begin fairly soon. This is not the case. it is 14 months away.

I am still concerned that Burger King is marketing 840 calorie Kid's Meals directly to children via their web site, but they certainly have not broken their promise or violated their pledge. At least Burger King has made a pledge to improve this in the future. That's more than most other fast food restaurant chains have done.

Here is the complete text of the e-mail I received from Burger King:

Dear Fast Food News:
As a spokesperson for the Burger King Corporation, I wanted to provide clarification regarding your post on our timeline for enacting our advertising pledge. If you refer to our Pledge, you’ll see that we’ve actually committed to updating our Kids Meals and limiting our advertising by December 31, 2008 (not January 1, 2008, as you state).

We are fully committed to taking positive steps to provide children with new and innovative food and beverage products that will provide more nutritionally balanced menu options for kids. But developing and distributing new products to thousands of Burger King restaurants across the country is a complex, multi-step process that can take months. That said, we are moving as quickly as possible and hope that we are able to meet that deadline even sooner, but want to make sure that we do it right. The January 1, 2008 date that you refer to is our commitment date for limiting advertising in schools, as well as limiting product placements in movies and other such media. While this commitment is part of our overall Pledge, it’s logistically easier for us to implement, and therefore we were able to set a more aggressive timeline for it.

I hope this helps clarify our timeline and reassures you that we are taking our pledge seriously. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Keva Silversmith
Corporate Communications
Burger King Corporation

Burger King announced their highly detailed pledge on marketing to children on September 7, 2007. The pledge is set to take effect in 79 days 444 days, on January 1, 2008 December 31, 2008.

They aren't there yet.

They've violated at least three of the five nutritional standards they set up for themselves in a new ad campaign.

On their new "Viva Pinata" web site, Burger King makes it clear that the site is aimed at kids and that it is advertising:

One of the features of the site allows kids to build their own kid's meal with standard items on the BK Kid's meal menu. This menu includes more healthy items like applesauce, milk and apple juice, but it also includes a double cheeseburger, Coca-Cola and fries.

Taken directly from Burger King's pledge: "the Kids Meal (consisting of an entrée, side dish and beverage) advertised in our National Advertising will provide, in total:

• No more than 560 calories per meal;
• Less than 30 percent of calories from fat;
• No more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars."

"...all food pages of our company- owned websites that are primarily directed to children under 12 years old will be for Kids Meals that meet the Burger King Corporation Nutrition Criteria."

So let's take a look at one of the Kid's Meal options advertised on the Viva Pinata site (pictured below, left):

Double cheeseburger, small, salted fries, and a kid's Coca Cola. 840 calories, 378 calories from fat, (that's 45% of calories from fat*), 42 grams of fat, 87 grams carbohydrates, 36 grams sugars (that's 144 calories from sugars which is 17% of total calories*), 1410 mg sodium, 32 grams protein, 3 grams fiber.

840 calories is 280 calories over their pledged future limit of 560.
45% of calories from fat is 15% more than their pledged future limit of 30%.
17% of calories from sugars is 7% more than their pledged future limit of 10%

Even the 'healthy' Kid's Meal (that is the default combination on the website) doesn't meet all the guidelines of Burger King's future pledge.

The 'healthy' Kid's Meal (pictured above, right) consists of a four-piece Crown-shaped chicken tenders, Mott's strawberry-flavored applesauce, and Hershey's 1% lowfat milk It has 370 calories, 112 calories from fat (30% of calories from fat*), 47 grams carbs, 33 grams sugars (which is 35% of calories from sugars*), 610 mg sodium, 17 grams protein.

Burger King meets the total calorie limit of the guidelines with this meal and is right on the line with their percent of calories from fat, but 35% of calories from sugars exceeds their future pledge guidelines by 20%.

Sure, these meals are no worse than kid's meals offered by other fast food restaurants, but Burger King has promoted their pledge to parents about advertising food to their children.

What will they come up with in the next 79 444 days to meet the standards they've set forth for themselves?

Could the main thrust of this ad campaign be to remind kids of that double-cheeseburger they can get in their Kid's Meal even after January 1, 2008 when they won't be advertising it anymore?

We'll be watching.

*Calculations:
Percent calories from fat: grams of fat multiplied by 9 for calories from fat, then divided by total calories for percentage (based on standard 9 calories per fat gram).
Percent calories from sugars: grams of sugars multiplied by 4 calories for calories from sugars, then divided by total calories for percentage (based on standard 4 calories per gram sugars).

BK's new $1 trans fat sandwich

Burger King is now serving a spicy, crispy chicken sandwich that only costs a buck.

The Spicy Chick'n Crisp Sandwich is a crispy chicken filet with a spicy kick served with lettuce and mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun.

It may not shrink your wallet much, but it will certainly expand your waist. For a smallish, one dollar sandwich, this thing is loaded with fat. And not just any fat...it's got 2 grams of trans fat!

I thought BK was planning on going trans-fat free like Wendy's and so many other fast food chains. Guess not.

It has 480 calories, 280 calories from fat, 31 grams of fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 2 grams trans fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium, 8 grams carbs, and 10 grams of protein.

UPDATE: Here's the TV ad promoting the sandwich as the latest member of the BK Value Menu. It's a strange ad made on the cheap (like the sandwich I guess).

BK's pledge on advertising to kids

This week Burger King announced their new policy on advertising to kids with their pledge to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

BK's pledge limits Burger King advertising and product placement aimed at children under 12 to 'Kids Meals' that meet the following criteria:

• No more than 560 calories per meal;
• Less than 30 percent of calories from fat;
• Less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat;
• No added trans fats; and
• No more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.

As part of their 'pledge,' BK listed 3 items they are considering for their Kids Meal:
Flame Broiled Chicken Tenders (4pc): 145 calories, 6 grams fat, 54 calories from fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams added sugar, 370mg sodium.
MOTT’S® Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce: 50 calories 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams added sugar, 0mg sodium.
Hershey's 1% Low Fat White Milk: 110 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 22.5 calories from fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0 grams added sugar, 130mg sodium.
The total for the above Kids Meal would be 305 calories, 8.5g fat, 76.5 calories from fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g added sugar, 500mg sodium.

The 'pledge' is scheduled to take effect by January 1, 2008. You can read the entire pledge on Burger King's website.

BK will help farmworkers find a job

A couple years ago a boycott directed against Taco Bell convinced Taco Bell to agree to a penny-a-pound increase on tomatoes and a code of conduct that will help to penalize suppliers that abuse workers.

The same group that organized the Taco Bell boycott, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, has recently been working with Burger King on similar issues.

Burger King said it won't help boost wages for Florida farmworkers by paying more for the tomatoes on its Whopper, but it will send recruiters to help the workers find a job at one of its restaurants.

more at NewsMax

BK Breakfast value meal

Burger King will roll-out the BK Breakfast Value Menu on Feb. 19. The value menu will include two new menu items, the Hamlette sandwich and Cheesy Tots.

The value breakfast menu will include 10 offerings, starting at $1 each. Offerings include: Cheesy Tots; three-piece French Toast Sticks; Sausage Biscuit; small Hash Browns; Cini-minis; small BK Joe coffee in regular, decaf and turbo-strength; white or chocolate 10-ounce milk; 16-ounce soft drink; orange juice; and the Hamlette.

The new Hamlette sandwich has thinly sliced ham, melted American cheese and egg, topped with honey butter and served on a sesame seed bun. Another breakfast addition is Cheesy Tots, bite-size portions of melted mozzarella and cheddar cheeses inside a crispy potato crust. Cheesy Tots will be available all day in six-, nine- and 12-piece portions.

BK fans might also want to check out the BK Super Bowl bobble heads and the bobble head game. 8 different BK Superbowl bobbleheads are available in BK Kid's Meals.

BK begins trans-fat-free testing, too

Following just days after McDonald's announced their limited introduction of a new trans-fat-free cooking oil for their fries, Burger King has announced their own "in-restaurant testing with several trans fat-free cooking oils."

"We have been working for more than two years to identify trans fat-free cooking oils," said Schaufelberger. "Our goal has been to identify trans fat-free oils that allow for the same great taste and texture quality."

BK wants to ensure availability of the new oil before rolling it out in all their restaurants: "Before making promises to our consumers, we want to be certain that we could deliver the taste, texture and quality that our restaurant guests expect from the Burger King brand," he said. "We also wanted to ensure that the oils were a healthier alternative."

BK says they will meet New York City trans fat-free requirements in advance of its national rollout.

BK sells 2 million xbox games

Burger King has sold more than 2 million BK Xbox games in just four weeks. The BK games join the ranks of other top Xbox games such as "Call of Duty 3" and "Saint's Row," which makes it the best-selling collection of games sold for the Xbox this holiday season.

BK is selling three Xbox games in the collection: Pocketbike Racer, "Big Bumpin" and "Sneak King." They are available at Burger King restaurants for $3.99 per game with the purchase of a BK value meal.

"Most video games are considered a blockbuster when they reach the 1 million mark in sales," said Russ Klein, president of global marketing, strategy and innovation for Burger King. "This collection has achieved twice that, thanks in part to the great value for the money and convenient holiday stocking stuffer appeal," he said.

More info on the BK games can be found at bkgamer.com.

BK sued over pot-laced burger

This isn't the first time fast food workers have tampered with cops food, but this time the cops didn't stop at arresting the offending employees. This time they're suing the restaurant.

Two Isleta Pueblo tribal police officers went through a Burger King drive-thru in Los Lunas, New Mexico on October 8th. Officers Mark Landavazo and Henry Gabaldon were in uniform and in a marked patrol car.

When they were about halfway through their burgers they discovered marijuana on the meat and used a field test kit confirm it. They sought treatment at a hospital while their fellow officers arrested 3 Burger King employees and charged them with possession of marijuana and aggravated battery on an officer, a felony.

In this photo from KOBTV, marijuana is visible on the right side of the burger.

How stupid does a person have to be to do something like this? Tampering with food is always wrong (despite what Joanna's McRules say) and should be punished, but you've got to be pretty dumb (or probably stoned in this case), to think you're not going to get caught putting pot on a cop's burger!

As to suing Burger King for their employees actions, I can certainly see where some people (like the cops) might feel that BK should be held responsible, to some degree, for their employees actions. I'm sure BK wishes they had done drug testing on their employees at this restaurant!

A Burger King movie?

Burger King is hoping to make their own feature film.

Above the King is a comedy about a teen misfit. He lives in an apartment above a Burger King restaurant and has an unlikely friendship with an aristocrat.

BK has budgeted $5 million for the film and hopes it has a cult success like Napolen Dynamite.

from Forbes:

If it gets made, it is likely to be the first mainstream film written and produced by a marketer and its ad agency, and it is part of what Russell Klein, Burger King's head of marketing, calls "an allout full gallop to catch up with our consumer."

BK has had some seriously creative ad campaigns in the past, like Subservient Chicken and Huckin' Chicken, The Whopperettes, and the Stacker's Union, but a full-length feature film would certainly take the cake.

One prominent film with a specific fast food restaurant as part of its theme, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, was not associated with, created by or financed by White Castle. Although White Castle did create soft drink cups promoting the film (as a thank-you for all the publicity they received) which marked the first time an R-rated comedy was advertised on a fast food container.

BK's Angus 'shroom and bk.com

Saw an ad during football yesterday for a new burger from Burger King. BK's new Angus 'Shroom & Swiss burger is Angus beef covered in sauteed mushrooms and 2 slices of melted swiss cheese. On Burger King's web site you'll notice an asterisk(*) after 'swiss cheese' with this tasty disclaimer: "Processed Pasteurized Swiss Cheese." Yum!

Burger King does not supply, at this time, any nutritional information for this burger.

By the way, Burger King's web site (bk.com) performs terribly in the Firefox web browser. I've experienced this before, so when I was checking out this burger I switched to Internet Explorer. When I went to bk.com in the Internet Explorer web browser I was asked if I'd like to participate in a "Usability Survey" for the Burger King website. I thought, "perfect, now I can tell them about my experience with their site in Firefox." Well, as soon as I clicked "Yes" I'd like to participate in the survey the site crashed Internet Explorer. Not good. Burger King needs to do some serious work on their web site's usability and browser compatibility.

McD, BK sued over cooked meat

As if hydrogenated oils (trans fat) and HFCS weren't scary enough, now a doctors group, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, is bringing attention to the carcinogenic PhIP (heterocyclic amines) found in grilled chicken at fast food restaurants.

Of course, the best way to bring attention to something is to file a lawsuit, right? So that's what they've done. They're suing McDonald's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili's, Applebee's, Outback Steakhouse and TGI Friday's because they identified the PhIP in their chicken products.

The problem is, these heterocyclic amine (HCA) compounds are found in almost all meats cooked at a high temperatures. They form when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and creatine (a chemical found in muscles) react at high cooking temperatures. But heck, let's sue the restaurants anyway!

I realize the lawsuit is just a tactic to bring about public awareness of this carcinogen, and it works because here I am writing about it (as did Forbes), but I think it is an abuse of our legal system. The courts are not every special interest group's own public relations firm.

If you're concerned about HCA compounds in your food and want to learn about methods for cooking meat that reduce the amount created, please visit this page at the National Cancer Institute.

Update: These extremist groups are getting so good at hiding their agendas I almost missed it; this PCRM is just a front for PETA (aka Ingrid's cult). So not only are they abusing our legal system with this lawsuit, but they're doing it under false pretenses.

BK's marketing henhouse

Burger King has issued a series of marketing campaigns with chicken-characters in the leading roles. All these 'foul' campaigns have depended on elaborate, interactive web sites and viral video releases.

The latest (at right) is Huckin Chicken. The Huckin Chicken is simply a stuntman in a chicken outfit jumping and crashing motorcycles. The ensuing videotaped mayhem uploaded to YouTube constitutes the viral campaign. The videos lead you to the Huckin Chicken web site and even a myspace page.

Before the Huckin Chicken was the Buckin Chicken: Stuntmen in chicken outfits again, but this time they're being riden by cowboys at a rodeo. Here's a Buckin Chicken on YouTube.

But it all began with the Subservient Chicken. A person in a chicken suit in an apartment to whom you can give commands and watch them acted out. The Subservient Chicken web site is still there and you can still tell him to dance, fall down or roll over, etc.

Now you can even buy a Subservient Chicken, an 8" limited-edition vinyl one, for $65 (at right).

BK also has a new non-chicken web site to help promote their new Stacker sandwiches.

The www.stackersunion.com site features the 'history & traditions' of the little plastic men (at left) that make up the 'stackers union' that build the burgers.

The site gives the fictitious history of the plastic men's culture, evolution and 'lifestyle.' And, of couse, you can buy a set of 3 of the little Stackers Union Figurines for $14.

Burger King developing feature film

Possibly as a pro-fast food counter point to the upcoming Fast Food Nation film, or maybe for something like a BK version of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Burger King is apparently developing a feature film. From the LA Times:

Product placement apparently isn't cutting it in the movie business anymore. Not satisfied, say, with a mere passing shot of a mega-star munching a Whopper, Burger King is developing a film whose main character lives above one of its burger franchises, according to a story in this week's Advertising Age, a trade magazine.

Burger King, along with ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which is overseeing the script, envision a "character-driven" story along the lines of Garden State and What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

BK Stackers and bottled milk

Burger King's BK Stackers come in 3 varieties: double, triple and quadruple layers of beef and cheese. "It's the flame-broiled meat lover's burger and it's here to stay - no veggie allowed."

BK Stackers Quad is 4 beef patties, 4 slices of American cheese, 8 strips of bacon, and BK Stacker Sauce (featuring high fructose corn syrup!) all on a sesame seed bun. It weighs 311 grams and has 1000 calories, 620 calories from fat, 68 grams of fat, 30 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of the dreaded trans fat, 240 mg of cholesterol, 1800 mg of sodium, 34 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of sugars and 62 grams of protein.

UPDATE: The BK Stacker is a permanent addition to the menu and is now available at all participating restaurants. The BK Double Stacker sandwich is available at a suggested price of $2.49, the BK Triple Stacker at $3.29 and the BK Quad Stacker at $3.99.

In other Burger King news, BK is now offering milk in re-sealable, eight-ounce plastic bottles. It is offering 1% white and chocolate milk with the Hershey’s label. According to AgWeb, the dairy industry has been pushing for these new bottles because they determined that "customers would choose milk more often when it was offered in fun, attractive packaging and in different flavors."

BK to sponsor youth soccer

With complaints about McDonald's sponsorship of the World Cup still sounding, Adweek is reporting that the United States Youth Soccer Association has signed a multiyear deal making Burger King its official quick-serve restaurant partner.

BK has said it would leverage the deal through "integrated marketing communications campaign that includes national restaurant promotions and a series of Burger King and youth soccer programs."

The US Youth Soccer Assoc. has 3 million registered players between the ages of 5-19.

New BK breakfast items

Burger King has added 2 new items to their breakfast line-up: the French Toast Sandwich and Cheesy Tots.

The French Toast Sandwich features two slices of cinnamon and maple-flavored French toast bread, one folded omelet egg, American cheese and a choice of thinly sliced ham, sausage or bacon. Price: $2.19.

New bite-size "Cheesy Tots" feature a crispy outside and smooth, melted mozzarella and cheddar cheeses with potato bits inside. Cheesy Tots can be added to a value meal for 50 cents, or purchased individually for between $1.29 and $1.79.

No nutrition information has yet been released for these items.

BK's value menu is back

As we reported late last year, Burger King has been test marketing its first value menu since 2003 and is now rolling it out nationwide. The value menu has 10 items ranging in price from $1 to $1.39.

The 7 items priced at $1 are Whopper Jrs., four-piece chicken tenders, small fries or onion rings, side salads, 16-ounce soft drinks and apple pies.

BK had trouble with their value menu from '99 to '03 when people stopped buying their more expensive and profitable menu items. But with well established discount menus at Wendy's and McDonald's they really don't have a choice.

BK Whopperettes Super Bowl ad

Burger King's ad during Super Bowl XL featured the 'Whopperettes.' It was essentially a 1-minute musical production featuring dancing hamburger ingredients. Unfortunately, the new-ish Burger King 'King' character, whom I consider pretty darn creepy, was in the ad, too. You can watch the BK Whopperettes ad here.

BK IPO

Acronyms aside, it appears that the number 2 burger chain is about to go public. Currently owned by Fort Worth, Texas based Texas Pacific Group (along with Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners), Burger King is planning to offer stock for sale in late February or early March.

Texas Pacific bought BK from the drinks producer Diageo three years ago for $1.2 billion in cash and $300 million in debt.

The cash generated by the IPO could be used to improve existing restaurants and create new menu items in a bid to compete with #1 McDonald's.

[ABC - Ft. Worth ST]

BK's Kong-sized burger

One of the many promotional tie-ins for the year's blockbuster film, King Kong, is with Burger King. BK is offering up their largest burger to date to help promote the film. (Although given the expected record breaking box office revenue for Kong, BK may be the bigger winner.) Their "Triple Whopper" is marketed to satisfy your "Kong-Sized" hunger. BK is also offering screensavers, desktops, and icons from the movie on their website. Other King Kong co-promoters include Volkswagen, Kellogg's, Toshiba, Chase, Nestle, the City of New York, and a concession program that will be one of the largest ever for Coca-Cola.

The Triple Whopper has a whopping 1,320 calories and 88 grams of fat. The featured beverage is a special King Kong (drum roll please) chocolate-banana milkshakes.

BK tries value menu

The rest of the fast food big boys have been offering 'value menus' for years, but not Burger King. But now BK is getting around to giving it a try. They're test marketing at least 2 plans in 2 cities: Los Angeles stores are offering 6 items for $1, and in Minneapolis stores are offering similar items for between $.99 and $1.29.

from NRN: "Calls to restaurants in Los Angeles found that $1 products include the Whopper Jr., two tacos, a cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, onion rings, a side salad and fries. In Minneapolis, the Whopper Jr. is priced at $1.29, and mozzarella sticks are offered for the same price."

BK viral marketing for Chicken Fries

Burger King has launched yet another viral marketing website to promote their introduction Monday of their Chicken Fries. The site, www.coqroq.com, promotes a ficticious heavy metal band called Coq Roq (get it?!). Music video-style ads for the band will air on network and cable TV, including SpikeTV, MTV and VH1.

UPDATE: Slipknot's Burger King Beef: Metal band threatens lawsuit over chain's chicken fries campaign @ thesmokinggun.com

Chicken!

About 25 percent of chicken consumed in the United States is eaten in fast-food restaurants – up from 17 percent ten years ago, according to new data from the National Chicken Council. And that figure may climb even further with these brand new chicken menu items:

• Burger King will roll out BK Chicken Fries, its answer to McDonald's and Wendy's chicken strips. BK already features chicken in theirTenderCrisp chicken sandwiches and meal-sized salads.
• Wendy's will promote a Monterey Ranch chicken sandwich next month as a limited time offer. Wendy's currently offers Homestyle chicken strips and Chicken Temptations sandwiches and has mentioned the possibility of flavored chicken strips as well as a line of deli-style sandwiches which will have a chicken variety.
• McDonald's is introducing 3 new chicken sandwiches: the Classic, Ranch BLT, and Club. This adds to their existing chicken menu items: Chicken Selects, Chicken McNuggets, and their Premium Salads. (Note: From August 11 to 14, McDonald’s will be handing out Premium Chicken Sandwich menus featuring three coupons (one for each sandwich) in participating restaurants nationwide while supplies last. The coupons offer a free medium drink and medium fry with the purchase of a Premium Chicken Sandwich. McDonald’s national advertising campaign launches August 2.)
• Church's Chicken has announced the launch of its spicy bone-in chicken and chicken tenders which will be available starting July 25th. The 'heat' will be supplied by a mix of jalapeno, cayenne, chili, black and white pepper. Church's introduction of spicy chicken is an attempt to take on former sister company Popeye's in the spicy fried chicken field.
  

First Burger King in China opens

Burger King opened their first restaurant in China today in Shanghai hoping to take a bite out of McDonald's market share. McDonald's has 600 restaurants in China with plans for 100 more this year. In addition to American standards like the Whopper, BK is adding menu items with local flavor such as a hamburger seasoned with the spicy mala sauce of southwestern China. [AP]

Burger King to introduce 'chicken fries'

Burger King has scheduled a summer launch for these 4-inch long, fried white-meat chicken snacks. A cup-holder friendly box of 6 will set you back $1.79. In the current test marketing they are called "BK Chicken Fries." The CEO of Burger King, Greg Brenneman said, "For me, they're like M&Ms." Fast food 'snack items' like these have become increasingly popular; McDonald's very popular Chicken Selects are another example. [USA Today]

Burger King/Star Wars promotion criticized

The Dove Foundation has asked Burger King to cancel their Kid's Meal promotion for the new Star Wars film. Their complaint is that the promotion targets children ages 4 to 9, yet the film is rated PG-13. Dove was successful in getting McDonald's to apologize 13 years ago for its promotion of Batman Returns, also rated PG-13, with their Happy Meals. [USA Today & CNN/Money]

"Have it your way" again

After trying other slogans like "Best Darn Burger" (1978) and "Burger King Town" (1986), Burger King has returned to it's 1974 slogan "Have it your way." According to research, the 31 year old slogan was the one that resonated best with consumers. [USA Today]

BK to offer new veggie burger

A new vegetarian burger produced by Kellogg 's Morningstar Farms and served by Burger King will be the first vegetarian burger offered nationwide. McDonald's has a vegetarian burger in a limited number of markets. -CNN -Press Release

BK official NFL sponsor

Paying mid to high seven figures to the NFL, Burger King has become an official sponsor of the football league hoping to reach their core customer, young males. This is the NFL's first fast food sponsorship since McDonald's sponsorship ended in 1998. The deal also includes a NFL kid's meal video game giveaway at BK to help generate interest with young football fans of the future. As reported in a Miami Herald article:

The deal gives Burger King the right to use the NFL trademarks in its advertising and promotions, but it doesn't mean the fast-food chain's logo will be displayed on NFL broadcasts or in stadiums. Burger King is expected to launch key promotions surrounding the kickoff of the NFL season and the NFL playoffs, culminating with Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

BK HQ to stay in S. Florida

After much conjecture, Burger King has announced it will keep its headquarters in Florida. BK has signed a lease on a new building in Coral Gables.

Star Wars returns to Burger King

Burger King produced a series of popular collectible glasses when the original Star Wars film was released in 1977. Now, with the release of Star Wars Episode III, Burger King will be offering the Super Star Wars Collection:

"31 Star Wars toys spanning all six Star Wars movies...pull-back vehicles that speed away, wind-up figures, water squirters, plush toys and image viewers with scenes from each Star Wars episode." -StarWars.com [list of toys]

They will also give away bigger prizes (money, cars, electronics, etc) in the "Choose Your Destiny" promtion. Burger King kicked off the promtion tonight with a TV ad during American Idol. It was the first of 10 ads (Adweek).

Bootleg Burger Battle Is A Whopper

Apple Valley, Minn. (WCCO) A fast-food giant is trying to shut down a former franchise owner who really, really wants to have it his way.

Girish Dharod operates eight Burger King restaurants in several Minnesota cities, including Rochester and Apple Valley. The signs and menus all look familiar, and the food tastes like regular Burger King fare, yet there's something missing.

That's because Burger King recently cut off its franchise contract with Dharod, who is now running the restaurants outside the company's sanction.

How A New CEO Turned Burger King Around

The Tuesday edition of The Wall Street Journal includes an interview with Greg Brenneman, CEO of Burger King, who joined the company last summer and turned the company around. The report noted that the company has posted 14 months of sales growth in stores open more than a year and that traffic is up 7 percent for the first time since 1997.

"Texas" Burgers

Fast-food chains have created regional burgers named after the Lone Star State:

McDonald's: Took note that Texans preferred burgers with mustard, onions and pickles and created the "Texas Homestyle Burger."
Wendy's: "Texas Double Cheeseburger" with two 2-ounce patties, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes.
Burger King: "Texas Double Whopper," a traditional Double Whopper with mustard and jalapeños – no ketchup, no mayo.