NEW YORK — What has two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame bun? Burger King’s latest sandwich.
The Miami-based chain says it’s bringing back its Big King sandwich, which looks a lot like the Big Mac made by its bigger rival, McDonald’s. Burger King says it’s a permanent addition to its menu as of this week.
Burger King says it previously offered the Big King for a limited time, but without the middle bun, a Big Mac hallmark, that it sports now.
It’s just the latest move by Burger King that seems to pay more than a little homage to the “Golden Arches.” In the spring, Burger King unveiled a revamped menu that contained several items that were similar to those McDonald’s had added in recent years. They included fruit shakes, chicken snack wraps and specialty coffee drinks. Burger King has since rolled out a rib sandwich to compete with the McRib, as well as chicken nuggets that Burger King calls chicken tenders. The New York Post wrote at the time that “they look like McNuggets. They’re as nutritious as McNuggets. Just don’t call them McNuggets.”
What does McDonald’s think of all this?
“We’re focused on our business and our customers,” spokeswoman Lisa McComb said in an email.
Scott Hume, editor of BurgerBusiness.com, notes that imitation is common in the fast-food industry.
“McDonald’s clones make sense if they’re popular in the marketplace,” he said, adding that Burger King has also rolled out more differentiated products,
such as a pulled pork sandwich.
The changes aren’t yet making a big splash with customers. In the latest quarter, Burger King said sales slipped 0.3 percent at North American locations open at least a year. McDonald’s said the figure edged up 0.7 percent.
Burger King Worldwide Inc. has had numerous owners over the years. 3G Capital, an investment firm run by Brazilian billionaires, bought the chain and took it private in 2010. It took it public again in 2012 in a deal that allowed it to earn back what it paid while still maintaining a majority stake.
Since then, 3G has moved CEO Bernardo Hees to another assignment in Pittsburgh, where he’s heading H.J. Heinz. 3G bought the ketchup maker with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. In Hees’ place, 3G installed another one its principals, Daniel Schwartz, who was 32 at the time.
As for the new Big King, Burger King’s website says it has 510 calories. The Big Mac is listed at 550 calories.
Burger King also recently introduced lower-calorie fries: Satisfries. Burger King has been touting the fries as having 30 percent fewer calories than regular fries. But the comparison is to McDonald’s fries, not its own. Satisfries have 20 percent fewer calories than Burger King’s own fries.
