Chipotle (CMG) changed fast food in the United States. The chain didn't solely create the fast-casual concept -- restaurants that are quick but use fresher, higher-quality ingredients -- but it was one of the leaders in establishing that space along with Panera Bread and a few others.
Chains like McDonald's (MCD) and Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King created the fast part of fast food. They wanted to (and still do) deliver a familiar experience quickly no matter where you might be. A Big Mac or a Whopper tastes like a Big Mac or a Whopper no matter where you might be in the United States or even the world.
Chipotle sources its ingredients locally. It's still trying to offer the same experience in each store, but having locally sourced menu items, means it's possible for things to go out of stock. That's something that rarely ever happens with McDonald's or Burger King (although there was a recent McDonald's fry shortage in Japan) because those chains have built global supply chains designed to make every meal be exactly the same.
That does not mean, however, that Burger King, in this case, never experiments. The chain has been very inventive with its burgers and sandwiches both in the U.S. and around the world.
Now, the famed "Home of the Whopper" has a new burger on some of its menus and it uses an ingredient that's featured on the Chiptole menu which the chain has, on occasion, had trouble keeping in stock.
Image source: Chipotle
Chipotle Led Burger King Someplace New
While it seems like avocados have always been a popular menu item in U.S. restaurants that's not really true. Our national obsession with the key ingredient in guacamole actually has only happened over the past 20 or so years.
"For the past 18 years, our appetite for avocados has only risen. In 2000, Americans were consuming a little more than 1 billion avocados. An astronomical number no doubt, but that number has since exploded, reaching nearly 5 billion," wrote Austin Schoonmaker in 2018.
It's an obsession that has been fueled by the rise of Chipotle, which once counted McDonald's as its biggest investor. The chain crossed 1,000 locations in 2010 and now has around 3,000. Guacamole has been a core part of its menu and the chain's stock price has fallen on the rare occasions it has had to warn its customers that it may not be able to source the avocados needed to make the beloved topping/dip/side dish.
Now, the chain might have to compete with Burger King, which has added guacamole to its menu, albeit on a limited basis.
Burger King Jumps in on the Guacamole Craze
If you want guacamole on a Burger King burger, you will either have to go to Mexico or bring some with you to create your own version of the Guacamole Crunch King. This sandwich -- currently being sold at Burger King locations in Mexico -- has been described by the company, on its website for Burger King Mexico, as a "taste of another planet."
That's a bold claim for a burger that has "grilled meat, guacamole, crispy bacon, and melted cheese," according to the company.
Burger King has offered the Guacamole Crunch King in some of its South American locations as well, but availability varies by country. The chain explained the new offering in a press release (translated from Spanish).
"For us at Burger King. it is very important to remain at the forefront and continue innovating with unique flavors and national ingredients of the highest quality, which our guests like."
And while Burger King's limited-time-offers from outside of the U.S. do not usually make it to the chain's home country, this one seems like a logical exception. Americans have gone crazy for guacamole and that has, at least partly, fueled Chipotle's rise. Burger King offering the Guacamole Crunch King domestically seems like a logical extension of that (albeit not right now when avocados are in somewhat short supply).
