TenderGrill chicken sandwich
The North American version of the
TenderGrill sandwich, as of November 2013
Nutritional value per 1 sandwich (425 g)
Energy510 kcal (2,100 kJ)
49 g
Sugars15 g
Dietary fiber0 g
19 g
Saturated3.5 g
Trans0.5 g
37 g
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Sodium
79%
1180 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Energy from fat124 kcal (520 kJ)
Cholesterol75 mg
May vary outside US market.
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: www.BK.com (PDF)

The fast-food restaurant chain Burger King was the first major fast food chain to introduce a grilled chicken sandwich to the marketplace, in 1990, six months before Wendy's and four years before McDonald's. Since then, Burger King, and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have offered a variety of grilled chicken sandwiches, as have Wendy's and McDonald's.

Their first grilled chicken sandwich, the BK Broiler, was one of the most successful product introductions in the fast food industry ever. It was reformulated as the Chicken Whopper (2002), named after their Whopper Sandwich. That was replaced by the BK Baguette (2004), promoted as health-oriented, which was in turn replaced with the larger, meatier TenderGrill sandwich (2005), targeted to more sophisticated, adult customers, notably 24- to 36-year-old males.

The company sells different variants in different markets, using white meat chicken breast in some regions while using dark meat chicken thighs in others.

History

BK Broiler

Burger King's first broiled chicken sandwich, the BK Broiler, was introduced in 1990.[1][2] It was made with lettuce, tomato and a dill ranch sauce served on an oat dusted roll.[3] At that time, more than 90% of chicken products sold by the major chains were fried. By a month after its introduction, it was selling more than a million units per day, and poaching sales from fried chicken chains such as Kentucky Fried Chicken.[4] The sandwiches were part of an industry trend towards the diversification of menus with healthier products such as reformulated cooking methods and salads.[5] At the time, the sandwich had 379 calories and 18 grams of fat, 10 of which came from the sauce.[6]

The introduction of the BK Broiler was one of the most successful restaurant product launches ever, encouraging the company look into introducing additional products that would match the success of the Broiler.[7] Its success helped Burger King increase its profit margin by 47% over the corresponding six-month period in 1989.[8] By 1992, sales of the BK Broiler had slowed to half of their peak.[9]

The company increased the size of the BK Broiler, along with several other sandwiches, in 1998. The idea behind the upsizing of the product was to give the customer a sense of value, with a company spokesperson stating "When they [the customer] see a lot, it seems like they're getting a lot for their money, and even if they don't eat it all, they think they're being treated fairly."[10]

Chicken Whopper

An example of the Chicken Whopper Jr. (left) and the Chicken Whopper

As part of the forty-fifth anniversary of its Whopper sandwich in 2002, BK introduced an updated version of the sandwich called the Chicken Whopper and added a smaller version called the Chicken Whopper Jr. sandwich, along with a new Caesar salad sandwich topped with a Chicken Whopper filet.[11][12][13] The introduction of the Chicken Whopper represented the company's first move to extend the Whopper brand name beyond beef-based sandwiches since the original Whopper's introduction in the 1950s.[14] The sandwiches featured a whole chicken breast filet, weighing either 4.7 oz (130 g) for the larger sandwich and a 3.1 oz (88 g) for the Jr., mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato on a sesame seed roll.[15] A newly reformulated low fat mayonnaise was introduced in conjunction with the new sandwiches.[16] Along with the company's new BK Veggie sandwich, The Chicken Whopper Jr. version of the sandwich was lauded by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as being one of the best nutritionally sound products sold by a fast food chain. Still, the CSPI decried the rest of the Burger King menu as being vastly unhealthy.[17]

Development of the sandwich began in 2001 in response to several major factors.[13][18] After an overall sales decline of 17% coupled with a profit decline of 29%, Burger King held a series of consumer tests that showed the company's customer base was looking for a wider variety of options when making purchases.[13][16] Additional survey results revealed that a lack of newer products was discouraging consumers from visiting the chain.[18] Furthermore, the company was seeking to counter the threat to its sales by newer fast casual restaurants that had begun to bite into sales.[13] By July 2002, the chain had sold nearly fifty million of the sandwiches, eventually displacing the BK Broiler's initial launch figures as the company's best selling product introduction.[18][19] The successful introduction of the Chicken Whopper was one of the few noted positive highlights of the company during negotiations for the sale of Burger King by its owner Diageo to a group of investors led by the TPG Capital; Chicago-based consulting firm Technomic Inc. president Ron Paul was quoted that he was encouraged by recent product changes at Burger King such as the new Chicken Whopper, but he said it's too early to tell whether the changes have been successful.[20] Despite the Chicken Whopper's initial success, just over a year after the Chicken Whopper's introduction enthusiasm for the product was waning; Burger King's largest franchisee, Carrols Corporation, was complaining that the product line was a failure, describing the sandwich as a pedestrian product with a great name.[14] As of November 2013, the Chicken Whopper is the current grilled chicken sandwich sold by Burger King in the Middle East.[21]

With its 2014 expansion into India, Burger King introduced the Chicken Whopper as one of three versions of the Whopper. The other two variants are the Mutton Whopper and the Veggie Whopper.

BK Baguette

2nd US version of the TenderGrill chicken sandwich

In 2003,[22] BK introduced its BK Baguette line of sandwiches designed to replace the Chicken Whopper.[23][24] The sandwiches were introduced at the insistence of the new CEO, former Darden Restaurants executive Bradley (Brad) Blum, shortly after the company was acquired by TPG Capital in 2002. The sandwiches were designed to be a lower fat alternative with 5g of fat and 350 or fewer calories.[25] The line was a health conscious oriented product that got its taste from ingredients instead of fat.[23] They were formally introduced in 2003 as its BK Baguette line of sandwiches, that replacing the Chicken Whopper sandwiches.[24]

The baguette sandwiches were introduced to Europe starting in the UK in 2003, with several new varieties designed to cater to the population mix of the country. While the baguette sandwiches were well received and continue to be sold, several red flags have been raised by the British government and private groups in regards the healthiness of these and other products sold by the fast food industry. In 2005, British Food Standards Agency (FSA) cited large levels of fats and salt in the company's beef-based Monterey Melt baguette and chided BK for backing out of an agreement to help make the company's products healthier.[26] In 2007 the private public interest group Consensus Action on Salt and Health, abbreviated to CASH, cited Burger King and other fast food chains over the continued levels of sodium contained in these types of foods. The group specifically claimed that the Chicken BLT Baguette sandwich, when paired with fries and a Coca-Cola, was one of the three saltiest fast food products in the UK.[27]

TenderGrill

The original version of the TenderGrill sandwich

The Baguette sandwiches failed to catch on in the American market, and as a result they were discontinued as part of a menu reorganization. In 2005, they were replaced by the TenderGrill sandwich.[28]

Grilled chicken sandwich

In 2017, Burger King once again reformulated its grilled chicken sandwich, simply calling it the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. The new formulation replaces the brioche bun with a potato roll and a new seasoned chicken fillet. It was discontinued in 2019.[29]

Competing products

Similar products from other chains have also been introduced, reformulated and generally been fluid in their presences in the marketplace since 1990. Despite the present day competitive products from multiple vendors, Burger King was the first national fast food chain to bring a broiled chicken sandwich to market, beating rival Wendy's by a period of several months.[30] Wendy's introduced their first grilled chicken product, simply called a grilled chicken sandwich, in August 1990. The sandwich originally was made with grilled chicken on 4-inch bun with lettuce, tomato and a honey mustard sauce.[31] Wendy's introduced a reformulated grilled chicken sandwich in 1996 that they claimed was plumper and juicier.[32] Wendy's reformulated their grilled chicken product in 2004 as the Ultimate Chicken Grill sandwich during an overhaul of its chicken sandwich line. As of November 2013, the Ultimate Chicken Grill is still Wendy's main grilled sandwich in the United States.[33][34]

While McDonald's had been trying to develop and test a similar product for several years,[35] the company was caught off guard at the time when its mainline competitors introduced their grilled chicken products and was not able to initially deploy a similar product. This was primarily due to the fact the company's highly specialized kitchens could not produce a high quality product without a large investment in new equipment.[30] By early 1991, McDonald's grilled chicken product was still in development,[36] and the vendor would not introduce its version, the McGrilled Chicken Classic, until 1994.[37] The McGrilled chicken sandwich was replaced with the Grilled Chicken Deluxe sandwich in September and October 1996 as part of McDonald's Deluxe line of "upscale" sandwiches; the company had hoped that a higher value product would help improve average check performance at its stores.[38] However, by 1998 the whole Deluxe line was said to be not selling well,[37] and the Grilled Chicken Deluxe was eliminated when McDonald's brought back the Chicken McGrill sandwich back in 1999.[39] The Chicken McGrill sandwich was retired in 2005 when the company introduced its new Premium line of products, which like the TenderCrisp sandwich was targeted to a more adult audience with higher quality ingredients such as natural cheeses and whole leaf lettuce.[40] Beginning in April 2015, McDonald's moved to a new grilled chicken sandwich, the Artisan Grilled Chicken; the new chicken uses a smaller list of ingredients in the chicken filet, removing ingredients such as maltodextrin and sodium phosphates. The new sandwich is in response to consumer-based market trends of food products that have simpler, more natural ingredients.[41]

Advertising

A series of ads called @BK, love is guaranteed that were developed by Los Angeles-based ad house Amoeba, guaranteed that customers would receive a free sandwich if they don't "love" the chain's Whopper and Chicken Whopper sandwiches.[42] With the discovery of mad cow disease by the FDA in 2003, the company instructed their advertising agency at the time, Young & Rubicam of New York, to retool a forthcoming series of ads featuring the company's signature product, the Whopper, to include the Chicken Whopper. A Burger King spokesman stated that the change was because Burger King "decided that if there's anybody who wants a chicken option, at this point, we wanted to remind them that the Whopper comes in chicken as well as the original beef," noting their confidence in their beef supply.[43]

The BK Baguettes line was introduced in the United States via an ad campaign from advertising firm Crispin, Porter + Bogusky that featured the tagline "Flavor from grilling not fat."[44][45] The American advertising campaigns for the sandwiches featured several celebrity chefs, such as Rick Bayless, visiting locations where similar style food stuffs were found, e.g. a farmers' market, and commenting on how these ingredients make the new Baguette line better and more healthy.[46] The advertising firm of Euro RSCG Leedex produced ads for the sandwiches in Great Britain.[47]

The advertising campaign for the TenderGrill sandwich in Spain in 2010 featured a humor-based ad in which men were asked what type of advertisement would get them to buy the sandwich. The responses, which included what men would like to see in the commercials, formed the basis for the ads.[48] The advertisement, made entirely by women, was filmed in London and featured barbarians, ninjas and unicorns in an advertisement that poked fun at the men's preferences. The making of the commercial was the basis of a mini-documentary from UK firm Feral Films.[49] In a 2011 Singapore campaign, Burger King presented an attack advertisement that was designed to counter the introduction of the Chicken McGrill sandwich from McDonald's. The campaign took McDonald's slogan, "Make it better" and changed it to "Make it even Better" and put the sandwich on sale for SGD$1.00 on the same day the McDonald's product was set to debut. Burger King called the McDonald's menu item "fake grilled" as opposed to flame grilled.[50]

Controversies

The 2012 campaign from Clemenger BBDO for the TenderGrill for the Australian Burger King franchise, Hungry Jack's, featured a goth girl, complete with facial piercings and tattoos that loses her piercings and tattoos as she eats the sandwich. By the time she has finished her meal, her clothing and style had completely changed – much to her and her friends horror. At the end of the commercial, the announcer states the tag line "There is nothing naughty about the new Hungry Jack's TenderGrill ... Hungry Jack's makes it better." The Australian Advertising Standards Bureau received several complaints from the public claiming the commercial demeaned alternative lifestyles, was discriminatory and insulting to non-conformists. The Advertising Standards Board determined that the advertisement did not breach any pertinent anti-discrimination codes, and dismissed the complaint.[51]

See also

Similar sandwiches by other sellers:

References

  1. ↑ Carlino, Bill (March 30, 1990). "Franchisees on BK Kid's Club: what took so long?". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  2. ↑ Bernstein, Charles (May 15, 1995). "Fitzjohn Navigates Careful BK International Growth". Restaurants & Institutions Magazine. Reed Business Information.
  3. ↑ Burros, Marian (April 11, 1990). "Fast Food Chains Try to Slim Down". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ Ramirez, Anthony (March 20, 1990). "Getting Burned By the Frying Pan". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  5. ↑ Burros, Marian (March 13, 1991). "Weighing In on the Nutrition Scale". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ Ramirez, Anthony (March 19, 1991). "Fast Food Lightens Up But Sales Are Often Thin". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Grand Met's Net Up 36%". International Herald Tribune. New York Times. May 17, 1990. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  8. ↑ Burros, Marian (May 14, 1992). "Eating Well". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ Lubow, Arthur (April 14, 1998). "Steal this burger". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ Allen, Robin Lee, ed. (March 18, 2002). "Crown jewels: New marketing, product rollouts energize BK journey back to fast-food royalty". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Burger King Sells 40 Millionth Chicken Whopper" (Press release). Burger King Corporation. May 23, 2003. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Rector, Sylvia (November 6, 2002). "Chicken rules fast-food roost". Chicago Tribune. Knight Ridder/Tribune. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Carrols: Chicken Whopper Is A Bust". All Business. Dun & Bradstreet. March 2003. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  14. ↑ Hoffman, Ken (April 12, 2002). "Chicken sandwich grows up to be a Whopper". Huston Chronicle. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  15. 1 2 Wahlgren, Eric (April 9, 2002). "Burger Makers' Not-So-Meaty Prospects". Business Week. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  16. ↑ "CSPI Picks the Best and Worst Fast Foods" (Press release). Center for Science in the Public Interest. August 21, 2002. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Horovitz, Bruce (July 3, 2007). "Fast-food giants always trying new tastes". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  18. ↑ "50 Millionth Chicken Whopper Sandwich Will Be Sold Today" (Press release). Burger King Corporation. July 1, 2002. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  19. ↑ Colliver, Victoria (July 26, 2002). "Whopper of a Deal". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 2. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Burger King menu - Middle East". Burger King. November 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  21. ↑ Crane, Dan (November 25, 2003). "McNasty". Slate. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "New Burger King Menu Targets Healthy Eaters". Fox News. Reuters. September 16, 2003. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
  23. 1 2 "Burger King's New Low-Fat Fire-Grilled Savory Mustard Chicken Baguette" (Press release). Burger King Corporation. June 2002. Archived from the original on February 13, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  24. ↑ Day, Sherri (September 19, 2003). "Burger King to sell low-fat chicken sandwiches". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  25. ↑ Leake, Jonathan (October 9, 2008). "Burger King opts out of health food drive". The Times. London: News International. Retrieved December 4, 2007. The company has recently suggested its new range of "fresh-baked baguettes" offers a healthier choice. It includes the Monterey Melt which contains 2.3 grams of salt and nearly 600 calories.
  26. ↑ "Fast food salt levels 'shocking'". BBC. October 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007. A meal at a fast food restaurant could expose children to "staggeringly" high levels of salt, a survey has suggested.
  27. ↑ Garber, Amy (August 22, 2005). "Return of the 'King'? BK recovery aided by sales jump, Chicken Fries". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on December 10, 2013.
  28. ↑ Marvo (January 20, 2017). "Burger King's New Grilled Chicken Sandwich". The Impulsive Buy. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  29. 1 2 Ryan, Nancy (October 15, 1990). "Versatile Chicken Takes Turn On Grill". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  30. ↑ Keegan, Peter (July 30, 1990). "Wendy's grilled-chicken sandwich ready to roll after test flight". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  31. ↑ Bennett, James (October 14, 1996). "Political Ads Leap From the TV Landscape". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Wendy's Launches Chicken Temptations" (Press release). Wendy's Corporation. April 1, 2004. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Ultimate Chicken Grill". Wendy's Corporation. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  34. ↑ Zuckerman, David (February 24, 1986). "McDonald's begins test of chicken sandwich. (Chicken LT)". Nation's Restaurant News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  35. ↑ Ramirez, Anthony (March 13, 1991). "Low-Fat McDonald's Burger Is Planned to Answer Critics". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  36. 1 2 "Big Mac turns 30, but McDonald's refuses to rest". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. September 10, 1998. p. 3D. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  37. ↑ Millman, Nancy (September 20, 1996). "McDonald's Adult Concept Spreading To Fish, Chicken". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  38. ↑ McDonald's Corporation (March 15, 2000). "McDonald's Corporation 1999 Annual Report" (PDF). McDonald's. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  39. ↑ Hoffman, Ken (August 18, 2005). "McDonald's improves on its chicken sandwiches". Huston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  40. ↑ Choi, Candice (April 2, 2015). "McDonald's changing grilled chicken recipe to cut chemical-sounding ingredients". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  41. ↑ The Gale Group (August 19, 2002). "BK guarantees customers will love Whopper, Chicken Whopper". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  42. ↑ Day, Sherrie (January 1, 2003). "A Time for Finesse: Marketing Beef After a Mad Cow Discovery". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  43. ↑ Crane, Dan (November 25, 2003). "McNasty". Slate. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  44. ↑ Cebrzynski, Greg (February 9, 2004). "Fire's ready at BK, and its new ad agency probably feels the heat". Nation's Restaurant News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  45. ↑ Garber, Amy (September 21, 2003). "Burger King Corp. hires Rick Bayless to promote new chicken baguette sandwiches". Nation's Restaurant News (subscription required). Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2007. In an unlikely pairing of fine dining and fast food, Burger King Corp. has tapped Chicago chef-restaurateur Rick Bayless to promote BK's new line of low-fat chicken baguette sandwiches.
  46. ↑ "Euro RSCG Leedex lands Burger King baguette business". The Drum. December 2, 2004. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Burger King: An ad for guys". Ad Women. August 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Burger King Chicken Tender Grill". Feral Films. 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  49. ↑ Kang, Darryl (March 10, 2011). "The King wants to make it even better". Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  50. ↑ Australian Advertising Bureau Archived March 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine case report #0241/12. (June 27, 2012), retrieved November 20, 2013. (PDF)
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