Burger King has fallen way behind in the fast-food wars. It's not just trying to catch perennial market leader McDonald's (MCD), it has also fallen behind Wendy's (WEN). That's a humiliating fall from grace for the Restaurant Brands International (QSR) brand that was once clearly the Pepsi to McDonald's Coke.
The chain hasn't fully lost its relevance but it has fallen quite a ways down when people think of top fast-food chains. Burger King has a lot of locations but it doesn't really have the best, or most-loved anything. You go to Burger King because it's convenient not because you prefer its fries, its breakfast menu, or even its top-tier signature sandwich, the Whopper.
Burger King has tried to change that by adding new menu items at a pace that's much faster than what McDonald's or Wendy's has done. This has included the chain endlessly trying new variations of the Whopper. While McDonald's has been protective of the Big Mac -- really only offering a chicken version and some size variations -- Burger King has been willing to leverage the Whopper name to launch all sorts of new sandwiches.
That's what the company has done now, but this time it has a millennial twist with a variety of choices.
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Burger King Goes After Millennials
McDonald's has tried to add sandwiches using avocado a number of times. It hasn't gone all that well. The company's Chicken Avocado Bacon Sandwich in 2021 was met with a lot of internet scorn, and did not stick around long.
"A few days have passed and the envy of consumers has turned into disappointment. After tasting this new burger, many of them expressed their disappointment on social networks. As usual the image is enviable, but what we find in the box is far from what we were suggested. Nothing but the dose of sauce has nothing to do with the proof in pictures and tweets," wrote TekDeeps.com.
Avocado has been a sort of holy grail for fast-food chains. It's a millennial favorite but really only Chipotle (CMG) has managed to make it a menu staple.
Burger King Adds Another New Whopper
Now, Burger King has gone to the avocado well again with its latest take on the Whopper, the Southwest Whopper. The new sandwich also has a twist in that it's offered with a variety of patty options including a Whopper Jr. beef patty, a quarter-pound Whopper beef patty, two Whopper beef patties, and a plant-based Impossible patty.
"Along with your choice of patty, each Southwest Bacon Whopper includes avocado spread, bacon, seasoned tortilla strips, American cheese, lettuce, white onions, tomatoes, and creamy spicy sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun," Brand Eating reported.
What makes it a Whopper? Nothing really, Burger King simply uses its most-famous name to get attention for new menu items. That's something that RBI CEO Joe Cil was not subtle about during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call.
"We are leaning into our iconic brand equities and assets starting with a more purposeful highlight on what has made us special over the decades, flame grilling and having it your way," he said, "And also core to our growth is leaning into our strongest brand equity, The Whopper. The Whopper is a multibillion-dollar brand, and we need to treat it as such. You should expect to see new extensions and innovations around The Whopper, some of which are already proven winners in our international markets."
