BK Baguette line

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The BK Baguette line is a line of chicken sandwiches and hamburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King. All variants are served on a fresh cooked baguette roll. They are a product line of larger, adult oriented sandwiches made with higher quality ingredients than their "standard" menu items. The BK Baguette line is sold in Europe, parts of South America, and Oceania.


Contents

[edit] Product variants

Currently the Baguette line exists in several formats depending on the region it is sold, European sandwiches have a core set of sandwiches with several variants that reflect local tastes. In some regions the sandwiches are not formally called BK Baguette, but are still within the basic format of the original sandwiches.

Argentina:
In Argentina they are called Churrasquitos sandwiches.

  • The Tradicional -
  • The Patagonico -

Australia: (Hungry Jack's)

Europe:

  • The Monterey Melt - two burger patties, mayonnaise, lettuce, red onion, pepperjack cheese and an infused olive oil, discontinued as of December 2007;
  • The Chicken BLT - fried chicken strips, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and bacon;
  • The Sweet Chili chicken - grilled chicken and is made with mayonnaise, lettuce, cucumber, and a sweet chili pepper dressing;

UK and Ireland:

  • The Fiery BBQ Beef - two burger patties, mayonnaise, lettuce, spiced fried onions, American cheese and a spicy BBQ sauce;
  • The Cajun and Blue Cheese chicken -
  • The Piri Piri chicken -

Sweden

  • The Chicken Club - grilled chicken and is made with bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayonnaise and mustard.
  • The Classic BBQ Beef - two burger patties, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, red onions, BBQ sauce and American cheese

[edit] History

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, L.P. in 2002. They were formally introduced in 2004 as its BK Baguette line of sandwiches, that replacing the Chicken Whopper sandwiches.[1] The Chicken Baguette line was intended as a new health conscious oriented product that got its taste from ingredients instead of fat.

There were three varieties of the sandwich in the US:

  • The Savory Mustard Chicken Baguette - mustard sauce, lettuce and tomatoes;
  • The Santa Fe Chicken Baguette - grilled red and green peppers, onions and a fire-roasted Southwest Sauce (a chipolte based BBQ sauce);
  • The Fire-Grilled Smoky BBQ Chicken Baguette - grilled peppers and onions and BBQ sauce.

The sandwiches failed to catch on in the American market, and as a result they were discontinued as part of a menu reorganization. They were eventually replaced by the TenderGrill sandwich.[2]

The 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 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 the British government Food Standards Agency, abbreviated to 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.[3] 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 sold the UK.[4]

[edit] Advertising

The American advertising campaigns 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.[5]

[edit] Naming and trademarks

Burger King currently does not have any trademarks on the BK Baguette line of sandwiches in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Argentina.

[edit] See also


Chicken sandwiches by other vendors:

[edit] References

  1. ^ BKC press release (June 2002). Burger King's New Low-Fat Fire-Grilled Savory Mustard Chicken Baguette. Burger King Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  2. ^ Bruce Horovitz. "Burger King zaps menu, image", USA Today, 2004-03-22. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. "Early on, he pushed a healthier menu that wasn't true to Burger King's core customer. Now, the company is pulling back from its Chicken Baguette sandwiches and their flagging sales. Blum won't deny that baguettes could go." 
  3. ^ Jonathan Leake (2008-10-09). Burger King opts out of health food drive. The Times. News International. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. “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.”
  4. ^ Fast food salt levels 'shocking'. the BBC (2007-10-18). Retrieved on 2007-12-04. “A meal at a fast food restaurant could expose children to "staggeringly" high levels of salt, a survey has suggested.”
  5. ^ Amy Garber (2003-09-21). Burger King Corp. hires Rick Bayless to promote new chicken baguette sandwiches. Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. “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.”



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