Burger King goes healthy?
On Wednesday, Burger King announced that it is releasing three new kids' meals that are healthier than its old child-oriented offerings. The new choices all have fewer than 560 calories, yet still hover around 600 milligrams of sodium. Even so, with menu options like apple sticks that are cut to look like fries, bite-sized burgers, and low fat caramel dipping sauce, the new meals are a major step up from their predecessors.
In many ways, this is a shocking shift for the burger brand. For several fast food restaurants, the move toward healthier choices began a few years ago, when Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me illustrated the amazing effects of a fast-food-only diet. All of a sudden, Wendy's, McDonald's, Subway and Taco Bell were falling over themselves in an attempt to offer the widest selection of healthy (or at least healthy tasting) food. Menu boards that had once been dominated by greasy burgers and oily fries sported salads and fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and grilled chicken. It was as if the health food fairy had decided to go to war against fast food.
The final holdout was Burger King. While the grilled burger behemoth made a nod toward new, healthier options, it put most of its energy into maxing out the fat, calories and sodium in its food choices. Suddenly, the King was offering burgers like the "Quad Stacker," a monster that sported four meat patties, four slices of cheese, and eight slices of bacon. At 1,000 calories, it was somewhere around half the recommended daily allowance for an adult. On the other hand, the 68 grams of fat were 3 grams over the RDA, and the 30 grams of saturated fat were 10 grams more than suggested.
For those who couldn't wait until lunch to power up on fat and carbs, the Meat'Normous Omelet Sandwich offered three slices of bacon, two slices of ham, two sausage patties, two eggs, and two slices of cheese. By comparison with the Quad, this was practically health food: it offered only 770 calories and 47 grams of fat.
While the Meat'Normous Omelet is off the menu, the Quad Stacker remains in many markets. Although Burger King hasn't introduced any other major heart bombs in the past couple of years, it continues to emphasize its burgers, and the company's new "Whopper Bar" venues are designed to wheeze fresh life into the burger business by offering a customized burger experience that is sort of like a salad bar on steroids. Moreover, the newfound burger creativity has influenced the restaurants, which are offering choices like the "Angry Whopper" and the "Loaded Steakhouse Burger."
In the midst of this, Burger King's healthy new kid's meals seems an odd choice. On the other hand, for many families, children are the primary impetus for visiting fast food joints. With popular, healthier options like pasta and pizza on the horizon, many parents are loath to bring their children to visit the King. It remains to be seen, however, if apple fries and low-fat caramel are enticing enough to bring families into a restaurant that has made itself famously fattening.
The final holdout was Burger King. While the grilled burger behemoth made a nod toward new, healthier options, it put most of its energy into maxing out the fat, calories and sodium in its food choices. Suddenly, the King was offering burgers like the "Quad Stacker," a monster that sported four meat patties, four slices of cheese, and eight slices of bacon. At 1,000 calories, it was somewhere around half the recommended daily allowance for an adult. On the other hand, the 68 grams of fat were 3 grams over the RDA, and the 30 grams of saturated fat were 10 grams more than suggested.
For those who couldn't wait until lunch to power up on fat and carbs, the Meat'Normous Omelet Sandwich offered three slices of bacon, two slices of ham, two sausage patties, two eggs, and two slices of cheese. By comparison with the Quad, this was practically health food: it offered only 770 calories and 47 grams of fat.
While the Meat'Normous Omelet is off the menu, the Quad Stacker remains in many markets. Although Burger King hasn't introduced any other major heart bombs in the past couple of years, it continues to emphasize its burgers, and the company's new "Whopper Bar" venues are designed to wheeze fresh life into the burger business by offering a customized burger experience that is sort of like a salad bar on steroids. Moreover, the newfound burger creativity has influenced the restaurants, which are offering choices like the "Angry Whopper" and the "Loaded Steakhouse Burger."
In the midst of this, Burger King's healthy new kid's meals seems an odd choice. On the other hand, for many families, children are the primary impetus for visiting fast food joints. With popular, healthier options like pasta and pizza on the horizon, many parents are loath to bring their children to visit the King. It remains to be seen, however, if apple fries and low-fat caramel are enticing enough to bring families into a restaurant that has made itself famously fattening.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-28-2009 @ 9:11PM
JR said...
All of these articles that came up about fast food restaurants and especially Morgan Spurlock's article that supposedly sent fast food restuarants scrambing for healthier food neglected to talk about the same fat ridden sodium ridden food served in regular restaurants. The regular restaurants even have a much wider selection of these things and serve more of it. Just because they offer a salad or two does not make them any healthier than a fast food restaurant. It was recently stated that an "admirals feast" at Red Lobster for instance carries three times the daily allowance of sodium for an adult, not to mention all the other contents in the rest of the deep fried entree. Sure you can get a smaller plate or different selection such as grilled or saut'ed but they all still have a significantly high amount of sodium and fat in the butter, and sauces. If you go to the trouble of ordering it special without all the good stuff, why pay for it? Stay at home and cook it bland or eat it raw.
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5-29-2009 @ 12:07PM
Hugh said...
It's good to know that they have healthier choices. Now I can have my saturated fat and 600 MG's of sodium and still have room for a triple-bypass on the side. Yay!
5-28-2009 @ 9:38PM
Redeye said...
...and they have "Veggie" burgers too! McD's and the rest of the bunch don't have those......
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5-28-2009 @ 9:40PM
mandalinlady54' said...
I like Burger King. The food is good and the prices are right.
http://susan-livinghealthywithchallenges.blogspot.com
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5-28-2009 @ 11:52PM
bkbjones said...
Why does every wannabe reporter wannabe a health crusader, too. And so contentiously one-sided. I wouldn't know "Bruce Watson," the article's author, if he bit me on the Whopper, but I do know one thingL he's an editorialist, not a journalist. If ya'll are going to write editorials, label them as such. Don't pawn it off on us as "news."
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5-29-2009 @ 12:27AM
OJ said...
The people at the Burger King Corporation think that by offering a few items of a healthier choice will bring back their customer base, what a joke!
Burger Kings problem is they've taken the phrase "Fast Food Restaurant" too literal. They use to make a good tasting burger. The char-broiled burger had a unique taste reminding you of a summer time burger cooked on a open flame grill with family and friends having a good time!
Now it's all about fast service, speed, speed, speed. They've replaced Quality for quantity. Watch them prepare your burger the next time you go. You'll see them assemble your burger with everything from the bun to the meet to the lettuce pickles onions and condiments and wrap it up then put it in a Microwave so it will be hot when you get it. Problem is it's too hot. Have you ordered a sausage egg and cheese croissant and tried eating it as soon as you received it. I burned my lip and tongue and that's not all the sandwich was horrible it was like chewing bubble gum, which is what happens to bread when heated in a microwave it turns into goo!
That's why I and many former customers stopped eating at Burger King, they Microwave everything. If I wanted a Microwave burger I would buy one of those soy bean / meat burgers from a convenient store. They taste about the same after being "Nuked".
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5-29-2009 @ 1:08AM
Jack Y said...
For the most part I agree with you. I don't like the microwave part either. However, here is how the "reheating" process works- BK does not put the whole burger in the microwave. The patty goes through the broiler, then is put into a bun- then the bun & patty are put inside a place to keep it warm. When an order is placed, the burger maker takes the bottom half (the patty & the bottom bun) and places it in the microwave to be reheated. After being reheated for a few seconds, they take it out....then put all the condiments on. I am a former teen employee...This was the "place to work" when I was in High School...now, not so much. I don't go to fast food places for something healthy. I can eat healthy at home. I would hope that the person eating would be able to decide whether something looks healthy enough or not...I mean, bacon and multiple patties...probably not so healthy.
5-29-2009 @ 10:02AM
sammy said...
I love the smell of the burger BUT the taste stays with you for hours--very weird.
Onion rings taste good but make people run to the bathroom ! lol
Who wants apple slices when they get fast food !
Sure they look cute and might be fun for a 3-4 year old, but then they want the yummy fries like the rest of us !!
They need to add some allergen free chicken for kids. Baked chicken.
How about some veggies..... sweet potatoe fries, corn on the cob, cucumber & carrot sticks with ranch dressing.
5-29-2009 @ 11:22AM
eric_barbaric said...
What a frigging cry baby. I don't know about you, but around where I live, Burger King is one of the few places that DOESN'T microwave the burger. Now quit your crying, get off your ass, and go make your own food you lazy SOB.
5-29-2009 @ 12:36AM
bailoutsos said...
Reminds me of a Roberta Flack song, "Killing Me Softly"
Reply
5-29-2009 @ 1:24AM
ariannehana said...
Just FYI some Burger Kings offer a $.99 Kids meal with the purchase of a combo meal :-) I always like to save a buck
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5-29-2009 @ 1:34AM
Gary said...
Forget so-called "healthy" fast food, it isn't supposed to be good for you, it's made to TASTE good, that's all. For myself, giimme a quad-stacker with extra fries and supersize it!! I've had three heart attacks, but If I'm going to go, I want to go out with a big grease stain on my shirt, a smile on my face, and an enormous loud fart!
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5-29-2009 @ 1:37AM
john c said...
How stupid are you people, eating out once in a while is ok. When
you get home are you too stupid to prepare a healthy meal or just
lazy. You eat out to relax, take your kid's to Ruth Chris and drop
a hundred plus on the meal for a healthy time. Don't attack fast-food it's not set up for all the lazzoids who cannot make 21 meals
a week.
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5-29-2009 @ 1:42AM
OJ said...
Yes Jack Y that is the proper procedure for Burger King and there are stores that make the burgers like that, however there are 8 stores in my area and I have been to each one and they unfortunately completely make the sandwich and then place it in the microwave to be "reheated"!
It's nothing like it used to be. ( I was a Manager many years ago, that's why I visit them from time to time.)
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5-29-2009 @ 3:07AM
dave said...
Burger King still has the best taste but the dirtiest , sloppiest, employees to cook and serve.Makes me ill going there compared to MacDonalds for instance.
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5-29-2009 @ 10:41AM
dude said...
Oh jeezus freaking christ... Do you think kids eat any better at home? If it was up to you health nuts all they would eat is raw or steamed veggies and a 3 ounce piece of broiled fish or chicken everyday. If you look at the USDA food pyramid and tried to eat the recommended servings on it everyday you would be an overweight blimp. Nobody can eat that much freaking food and if they do they are probably one of those 500 pound blobs you see on AOL news.
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5-29-2009 @ 4:45AM
Jeanne Y said...
Actually, Burger King's burgers are put through the broiler, then they are stacked in plastic containers and placed in a warmer by themselves. The buns are toasted and placed in a steamer that keeps them warm and soft. Yes, the burger on the bottom half of the bun (unless there is only pickle and/or ketchup on the sandwich) goes in the microwave, but only for a handful of seconds, usually less than 10. The rest of the sandwich is put together, some of it on the top, and then the whole thing is wrapped up.
I can attest to the fact that so many people are in such a hurry, they don't give workers time to make the sandwiches really well. I have a boss (yes, I work for BK) who will jump on her workers if the sandwich is even more than a minute in being made. Since most of the sandwiches are made to order, this is hard on the workers. Special orders take longer, too, and yet are often put at the top, just to get them out. And what makes it even worse is when people aren't ready to order when they get to the counter or drive-thru order station! Some people wait until they get to the order station before even really looking at the menu, and they aren't ready, therefore making people wait even longer for their food. Parents will wait until they get to the speaker in drive-thur before even finding out what their kids want, which is a big mistake. If you want quick and good tasting food, and quick service, you need to know what you want before you get to the order station!
As far as the "healthier choices" many of these things have been available for months, even years, at BK! The new thing is strickly the Burger Shots, they started only a couple of months ago, and became available to children within the last month. Apple fries have been around for at least 6 months, and apple juice has been around for many years now. Also, milk (choc. and white) and oj have been around for quite a while, too.
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5-29-2009 @ 10:32AM
claire said...
That is all well and good but if you don't know the menu by heart then you have to wait untill you get to the ordering spot to see what there is to choose from. Fast food places need to put up their menu's before you get to the ordering station.
5-29-2009 @ 6:21AM
mannnan said...
I love a Jr Whopper... best buy and tastes wonderful.
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5-29-2009 @ 6:09AM
Beth said...
I think offering some healthier kid's items is a step in the right direction. I would love for them to offer a whole wheat bun, or a low carb bun or a high fiber bun wiith a burger for those of us that watch our carbs as well.
I am in 40's and recently lost over 80 pounds and after battling my weight for years, I know I will never be heavy again. I am not thin, but I am healthy, curvy and normal and am happy with how much I get to eat to maintain my size.
I stopped eating lots of processed foods (but still love fast food in controlled portion sizes!) and discovered the huge advantage of adding fiber to your diet. You feel fuller and more satisfied longer. I used to start my day with a muffin and a dietpepsi. All empty calories and loaded with fat. I now have a thick greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of fitflax http://www.fitflax.com and some berries. Fitflax is a golden roasted flax and chia blend that is nutty, delicious and low carb and low cal. Since it is roasted it does not have to be ground and it is loaded with Omega 3's and antioxidants. So not only did I lose weight, but my skin is fabulous now too.
I also would love if Burger King could offer an egg white on whole wheat muffin itme with turkey sausage. Starbucks offers a similiar item..but their problem is everything cost too much
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