Burger King tried out a slider in Great Britain before adding one on this side of the Atlantic. Is McDonald’s doing the same?
The burger giant’s U.K. outlets recently added two of the mini sandwiches: Little Tasters, or smaller-sized cheeseburgers served on a mini ciabatta bun, and the Little Italian, the same thing but with a sausage patty replacing the hamburger patty. Prices aren’t listed on McD’s website for the U.K., but you can get the rest of the lowdown here.
McDonald’s Corp. CEO Jim Skinner cited the Little Tasters as a “fourth tier” to the chain’s menu, sandwiched price-wise between bargain items and core selections like full-sized single burgers (the other tier apparently consists of premium-priced choices.) He cited the additional example of a new product marketed in France, the Petite du Jour.
As Restaurant Reality Check reported earlier, Burger King’s U.K. stores started selling a multiple slider meal in May 2008 called the Angus 6 Pack. Last month, another type of slider, called BK Burger Shots, was introduced in some U.S. stores. Two Shots are sold as one order, for $1.49.
In a conference call today with financial analysts, McDonald’s officials didn’t say if the sliders now available in Great Britain might show up on this side of the pond. But Skinner noted that about 75% of units in Europe are now outfitted with a kitchen package called the Bridge Operating Platform. One of the new set-up’s strengthens, Skinner noted, is its capability of producing a wider array of products.
Showing posts with label United Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Kingdom. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
BK takes a Shot on sliders
Burger King’s sliders have arrived. A midtown Manhattan unit sports a sign today announcing the addition of BK Burger Shots, two flame-broiled mini-burgers priced at a mere $1.49 for the pair. Other markets are already airing commercials for the burger-ettes, available with or without cheese, according to blog posts.
A rollout of sliders had been expected since late spring by those who care about such things. In May, BK generated considerable buzz in the United Kingdom by adding a clever take-off on the slider, a uniquely American product. The Angus 6 Pack consisted of an oversized, scalloped-edged burger patty served on a similarly misshapen roll. The patty was actually six connected sliders, or miniature burgers, and the roll was similarly a six-in-one. A customer tore the burger and bun into six individual sliders.
The Burger Shots are much different. Indeed, they look more like Hardee’s Little Thickburgers, a downsized version of that chain’s belly whoppers, than a true slider like White Castle’s bite-sized mini’s (my usual order: 10).
Their larger size may be the result of operational considerations. As I said in a blog written while I was still gainfully employed, BK tried a slider during the 1980s called the Burger Buddy. The little patties proved to be a production nightmare because they would slip through the slats of the conveyor belt inside BK’s charbroiler.
BK has yet to make a formal announcement of the Burger Shots, which were identified in the New York store as a limited-time product. But why should that be a surprise? Half of the things it does are introduced through stealth marketing campaigns.
A rollout of sliders had been expected since late spring by those who care about such things. In May, BK generated considerable buzz in the United Kingdom by adding a clever take-off on the slider, a uniquely American product. The Angus 6 Pack consisted of an oversized, scalloped-edged burger patty served on a similarly misshapen roll. The patty was actually six connected sliders, or miniature burgers, and the roll was similarly a six-in-one. A customer tore the burger and bun into six individual sliders.
The Burger Shots are much different. Indeed, they look more like Hardee’s Little Thickburgers, a downsized version of that chain’s belly whoppers, than a true slider like White Castle’s bite-sized mini’s (my usual order: 10).
Their larger size may be the result of operational considerations. As I said in a blog written while I was still gainfully employed, BK tried a slider during the 1980s called the Burger Buddy. The little patties proved to be a production nightmare because they would slip through the slats of the conveyor belt inside BK’s charbroiler.
BK has yet to make a formal announcement of the Burger Shots, which were identified in the New York store as a limited-time product. But why should that be a surprise? Half of the things it does are introduced through stealth marketing campaigns.
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