Burger King and McDonald's have traded blows since both companies were founded in the 1950s. For decades, the two companies simply tried to out-execute each other.
In recent years McDonald's (MCD) has emerged as the clear leader in the fast-food burger space, with Burger King slipping to No. 3 behind Wendy's (WEN) in the U.S. That has changed the battle between the two companies.
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Since McDonald's has the global edge over the Restaurant Brands International-owned (QSR) Burger King, the "Home of the Whopper" has tried to do anything it can to catch up to its rival.
This has included bold menu innovation and stunts like using a red bun for its Spider-Man Whopper and other novelty Whoppers created more for attention than consumption.
Burger King has also never been shy about knocking off McDonald's biggest successes. That's what led to the Big King, an unapologetic knockoff of its rival's famous Big Mac.
Now, at its restaurants in Canada, Burger King has added two takes on one of McDonald's' most popular items, and that in turn could portend a rollout in the U.S.
Image source: Andrew Holbrooke/Corbis via Getty Images
Burger King Adds a New Type of Dessert
Burger King's dessert menu is kind of lackluster, offering soft serve, shakes, and pies that have never really been all that popular.
The company has tried various items over the years, but it has never had a signature dessert like the McDonald's McFlurry. That ice cream treat may suffer from unreliable dispensing machines, but it's a well-known product that the chain leverages regularly by rolling out limited-time-offer versions of it.
Now, Burger King wants in on the action and has added two new Blasts to its menu in Canada, Canadify reported. The Blast looks an awful lot like a McFlurry, and the two launch flavors are suspiciously familiar:
- The Oreo Blast features a combination of thick soft-serve ice cream blended with Oreo Cookie (MDLZ) pieces.
- The Smarties Blast features a combination of vanilla soft-serve ice cream blended with real Smarties candy.
McDonald's standard menu includes an Oreo McFlurry and one that uses M&Ms as the mix-in flavor. Smarties are a sort of knock-off M&M, so Burger King has essentially copied its rival's most-famous dessert.
The chain has not shared plans to bring the Blast to the U.S., but it sometimes tests menu items in Canada before rolling them out in its home market.
The World Is a Test Market For Burger King
Burger King tries all sorts of innovations -- not just new menu items -- all around the world. Chief Executive Josh Kobza spoke about that and about how it may affect the U.S. during his company's first-quarter-earnings call.
"I had a chance to see some of the latest digital innovation recently in China, where the front counter [point of sale] is becoming less relevant, and nearly all orders can be online channels," he shared. "Some brands are even beginning to sunset their kiosk programs that transition entirely to mobile ordering."
Kobza made clear that he sees some major changes coming in how customers order from all chains, not just Burger King.
"Whatever the format and their local markets, what is clear is that quick-service restaurants are moving towards automated ordering. And the perspectives that come from our international business also allow our U.S. team to watch carefully and potentially adopt digital capabilities in our home market with confidence given the success we're seeing around the world," he added.
