As those of you who follow the fast food industry's ups and downs already know, one of the keys to success is to make sure your menu is ever-changing.
This has been a historically successful formula, for some brands more than others, but one thing is for certain: consumers like new things.
Retaining customer interest could be as easy as simply remixing the same ingredients into new combinations (hello, Taco Bell (YUM)), or as challenging as figuring out something to offer that's not a burger or a taco that people actually want to buy.
Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger Kingtends to lean heavily on the former method using its classic Whopper as a base. But it still introduces new ingredients into its burgers often enough to keep people coming back to see what it'll come up with next.
The brand has already proven its fearless enough to try even gross combinations, such as it did in Germany with its "pregnancy cravings" promotion recently.
But lucky for Burger King fans, its latest addition to the Whopper family sounds spicy enough to be fun, but not crazy enough to make you sick to your stomach just thinking about eating it.
Burger King
What's New At Burger King
If you're the type of person who grabs for the hot sauce the moment a meal is served or asks for extra jalapenos, this new menu item is basically made for you.
Called the Mango Habanero King, the new burger features two flame-grilled patties as a double and one as a single, two slices of American cheese, thick-cut bacon, mango habanero sauce, and spicy jalapenos--seeds in.
Both sweet and spicy, this is yet another one of those limited time food specials, so it won't be around forever. In other words, if people like it a lot it may be around longer, and if they don't, it might not be around long at all.
The new burger is also exclusive to Burger King Canada, which also has a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich that looks as if it would also be a huge hit with spicy food fans.
As frustrating as it is that the U.S. locations don't get burgers like this, it's no surprise that Restaurant Brands International is releasing items like this in its international market--it's a highly successful space for it as of late.
"The success of our global development playbook is readily apparent when looking at BURGER KING's international growth, which includes a doubling of the brand's international store count since 2012 to nearly 12,000 locations and roughly 60% of the brand's worldwide systemwide sales," Chief Operating Officer Joshua Kobza said during the company's Q1 earnings call.
Jose Cil, Restaurant Brands International's Chief Executive Officer, echoed a similar sentiment.
"We're pleased with the progress we continue to make internationally at BURGER KING and as restrictions continue to ease, we're optimistic we'll continue to see a rebound in sales, that, coupled with a robust development pipeline, we expect will drive long-term sustainable growth for the brand for years to come," he said.
