Perhaps it was my youthful obsession with "having it my way" which led me in my adolescence to choose Burger King as my favorite Fast Food joint. In those tender years, I suppose that my palate desired something saltier and more "rebellious" than the other FF options on the market. After all, Burger King insisted that I "hold the pickles, hold the lettuce-- special orders don't upset us..."; and doesn't any kid want to be told that it's completely cool to order your burger sans anything other than meat, cheese, and a triple serving of ketchup and mustard-- all piled high on a starchy bun? BK's M.O. was also very different from McDonald's and Wendy's of years past-- as even asking one of either's employees if you could sub mustard for mayonnaise was call for getting a thousand-yard stare from the whole cook-line. Of course, as I got older, I became more and more obsessed with my appearance and that, combined with the barrage of media attention that heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity got, made it simple for me to pull back on how much of any FF I ate.
For a number of years, BK has been courting the younger male demographic-- aiming to please the single guy who desired the sort of burgers and other fare that they knew wasn't great for them, but were too young to care. Unfortunately, that tactic was not enough to keep the Miami-based company from dropping to the #3 Fast Food chain (being surpassed by Wendy's, which overtook #2 this quarter, while McDonald's held on to the Heavy-Weight title); not surprisingly, the decline in customers from their chosen demographic-- as well as any other-- had Burger King executives and their trusty researchers putting together a whole new plan for marketing to new customers-- most notably women.
Several months ago Will, Kenny, and I had gone to BK to try out their Chef's Choice Burger--which was passable-- and their new desserts. Will and I discovered that we were in love with the Peach Granola sundae, and have occasionally returned there to get it as a treat after dinner-- yet we didn't feel any inclination to have an actual meal in the joint. It wasn't until I read about the new marketing campaign and menu items that I decided to give BK a shot once more. Fascinatingly, many of the new menu items may look familiar to you, as some of them are very similar to the ones that McDonald's rolled-out years ago. Chicken wraps, fresher artisan salads, smoothies and frappes-- all new additions; and more interesting is that BK has lowered their prices slightly, while McDonald's appears to be in a race with Exxon to see who can overcharge more for their product. Despite the fact that McDonald's added such options to their menu several years ago, BK still has a shot at bringing in new business with their own versions of the very same dishes.
The plan was for Kenny and I to order things from the new BK menu which were analogous to those items which we've had at McDonald's; finding the dopplegangers wasn't difficult. I ordered the BK toppers Mushroom and Swiss (to compare to the McDonald's Angus Mushroom and Swiss) and Kenny ordered the 3 pc. Chicken Strips meal. Instead of fries, I asked for onion rings with my dinner, as I was curious if changes had been made to their formulation as well.
Kenny's Chicken Strips were very similar to the Chicken Select Strips available at McDonald's, but the difference that he noted was that the chicken was not stringy or dry. We both enjoyed the new fries they serve now, too, which are thick like Wendy's. They tasted of potatoes and stayed warm for much longer, yet still had a very crispy exterior, much like their old fries.
My BK topper sandwich was a Whopper patty on a standard bun, but with a Swiss-American blend cheese and mushrooms; I opted to forego the "grill sauce". The sandwich was enjoyable overall-- tasty and filling, with mushrooms which-- unlike McDonald's-- tasted like mushrooms, not dirty socks. The only thing which I find strange about BK's burger patties is that there is a seasoning in them which gives the final product a hint of sausage-like flavor which, while not too obtrusive or off-putting, is certainly noticeable and somewhat odd. Another point to make is that the portion is much smaller than one of the McDonald's Angus Burgers, which are too plentiful for me to finish. I'm not a fan of wasting food, so this works for me-- and I've been bitching about the obscene portion sizes of our food for ages now, anyway. The last thing anyone needs is to eat a sandwich so large that they need to grow a goatee to cover the stretch marks around their mouth. A pleasant surprise was that the onion rings, while still not reminiscent of anything having to do with onions, were reformulated to have more onion "inspired" flavor and a crispier exterior. ::pinches BK's cheeks:: I know some little restaurant which cleaned its oil recently-- goochie goochie goo. To finish off our meals we both had vanilla hand-spun milkshakes, which tasted of a warm vanilla, weren't too sweet, and had a great thickness-- which McDonald's shakes claim to have, but never do.
While we were enjoying the meal, I paid special attention to the new interior of our BK. Late last year it was remodeled to have a sleeker brushed chrome and dark wood motif. Now the bright and garish photos which donned the walls have been replaced with matte-black metal frames around large vignette arrays of lavish table spreads-- of course featuring beautifully prepared BK dishes, and one grouping on the back wall which depicts three women and two men, presumably friends, laughing and chowing down on their nummy BK food. These individuals were dressed in casual chic and were older than the people in the old BK art-- I would guess that the new photos feature people in their late twenties to early thirties. On top of it all, the employees were tidy and friendly in their new steel gray uniforms and aprons, and the tables, floors, and windows were very clean-- a landmark achievement for any of the FF places on our side of town-- and during the dinner hours, no less. It's safe to say that BK successfully composed itself after retreating to their corner and now have come out swinging.
Truthfully, I was pretty pleased with the experience-- and I am readily willing to return there occasionally-- but what the whole thing comes down to is not, in fact, a battle between Mickey D's and the BK. The King's new line-up of entrees and desserts shall certainly contend for the attention of McDonald's fans, but I sense that both places are laboring against a foregone conclusion. With her ever-improving quality of food and service-- as well as a diverse menu-- Wendy, the freckle-faced red-head is steadily creeping up on her competitors, primed to hobble their weary legs and punch them in the kidneys.
That being said, give the new BK lineup a shot-- you may like their versions of McDonald's dishes better.
For a number of years, BK has been courting the younger male demographic-- aiming to please the single guy who desired the sort of burgers and other fare that they knew wasn't great for them, but were too young to care. Unfortunately, that tactic was not enough to keep the Miami-based company from dropping to the #3 Fast Food chain (being surpassed by Wendy's, which overtook #2 this quarter, while McDonald's held on to the Heavy-Weight title); not surprisingly, the decline in customers from their chosen demographic-- as well as any other-- had Burger King executives and their trusty researchers putting together a whole new plan for marketing to new customers-- most notably women.
Several months ago Will, Kenny, and I had gone to BK to try out their Chef's Choice Burger--which was passable-- and their new desserts. Will and I discovered that we were in love with the Peach Granola sundae, and have occasionally returned there to get it as a treat after dinner-- yet we didn't feel any inclination to have an actual meal in the joint. It wasn't until I read about the new marketing campaign and menu items that I decided to give BK a shot once more. Fascinatingly, many of the new menu items may look familiar to you, as some of them are very similar to the ones that McDonald's rolled-out years ago. Chicken wraps, fresher artisan salads, smoothies and frappes-- all new additions; and more interesting is that BK has lowered their prices slightly, while McDonald's appears to be in a race with Exxon to see who can overcharge more for their product. Despite the fact that McDonald's added such options to their menu several years ago, BK still has a shot at bringing in new business with their own versions of the very same dishes.
The plan was for Kenny and I to order things from the new BK menu which were analogous to those items which we've had at McDonald's; finding the dopplegangers wasn't difficult. I ordered the BK toppers Mushroom and Swiss (to compare to the McDonald's Angus Mushroom and Swiss) and Kenny ordered the 3 pc. Chicken Strips meal. Instead of fries, I asked for onion rings with my dinner, as I was curious if changes had been made to their formulation as well.
Kenny's Chicken Strips were very similar to the Chicken Select Strips available at McDonald's, but the difference that he noted was that the chicken was not stringy or dry. We both enjoyed the new fries they serve now, too, which are thick like Wendy's. They tasted of potatoes and stayed warm for much longer, yet still had a very crispy exterior, much like their old fries.
My BK topper sandwich was a Whopper patty on a standard bun, but with a Swiss-American blend cheese and mushrooms; I opted to forego the "grill sauce". The sandwich was enjoyable overall-- tasty and filling, with mushrooms which-- unlike McDonald's-- tasted like mushrooms, not dirty socks. The only thing which I find strange about BK's burger patties is that there is a seasoning in them which gives the final product a hint of sausage-like flavor which, while not too obtrusive or off-putting, is certainly noticeable and somewhat odd. Another point to make is that the portion is much smaller than one of the McDonald's Angus Burgers, which are too plentiful for me to finish. I'm not a fan of wasting food, so this works for me-- and I've been bitching about the obscene portion sizes of our food for ages now, anyway. The last thing anyone needs is to eat a sandwich so large that they need to grow a goatee to cover the stretch marks around their mouth. A pleasant surprise was that the onion rings, while still not reminiscent of anything having to do with onions, were reformulated to have more onion "inspired" flavor and a crispier exterior. ::pinches BK's cheeks:: I know some little restaurant which cleaned its oil recently-- goochie goochie goo. To finish off our meals we both had vanilla hand-spun milkshakes, which tasted of a warm vanilla, weren't too sweet, and had a great thickness-- which McDonald's shakes claim to have, but never do.
While we were enjoying the meal, I paid special attention to the new interior of our BK. Late last year it was remodeled to have a sleeker brushed chrome and dark wood motif. Now the bright and garish photos which donned the walls have been replaced with matte-black metal frames around large vignette arrays of lavish table spreads-- of course featuring beautifully prepared BK dishes, and one grouping on the back wall which depicts three women and two men, presumably friends, laughing and chowing down on their nummy BK food. These individuals were dressed in casual chic and were older than the people in the old BK art-- I would guess that the new photos feature people in their late twenties to early thirties. On top of it all, the employees were tidy and friendly in their new steel gray uniforms and aprons, and the tables, floors, and windows were very clean-- a landmark achievement for any of the FF places on our side of town-- and during the dinner hours, no less. It's safe to say that BK successfully composed itself after retreating to their corner and now have come out swinging.
Truthfully, I was pretty pleased with the experience-- and I am readily willing to return there occasionally-- but what the whole thing comes down to is not, in fact, a battle between Mickey D's and the BK. The King's new line-up of entrees and desserts shall certainly contend for the attention of McDonald's fans, but I sense that both places are laboring against a foregone conclusion. With her ever-improving quality of food and service-- as well as a diverse menu-- Wendy, the freckle-faced red-head is steadily creeping up on her competitors, primed to hobble their weary legs and punch them in the kidneys.
That being said, give the new BK lineup a shot-- you may like their versions of McDonald's dishes better.
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