Burger King has been open for a whopping 67 years! The Burger King menu has had a myriad of changes and additions, from serving classic burgers, all the way to attempting to selling hotdogs! Whether or not you're a fan of Burger King or you just enjoy their entertaining advertisements, the Burger King menu history has been an adventurous one!
1953-1956: The Burger that Started it All
The Burger King menu history started when they claimed new technology, allowing them to cook more burgers faster without losing any of their quality. The speed quickly became a hit and the Hamburger and Cheeseburger were the only burgers they offered at the time, although you could request an extra patties if you wanted to spend the money. Also available were staples such as coffee and fruit pies.
1957-1977: The Introduction to the Whopper
In 1959, the owners of Burger King changed, and with them changed their cooking technology to allow for flame-grilled burgers just as quickly without any loss of quality. With this change came the Whopper, a menu item that has undergone no design changes since it was introduced over 5o years ago. With that addition, they also introduced onion rings, french-fries, shakes, and soft-drinks.
1978-1982: Fighting for Relevancy
During the next few years, Burger King added new menu items to continue being relevant against the ever-expanding fast-food chains gaining speed, like Wendy's and McDonald's. They decided to try appealing to an older demographic alongside their current one in order to boost profits and stay in the limelight, and it worked! With the introduction of sandwiches to their menu, traffic went up by 15%. By introducing the Chicken Sandwich, the Fish Sandwich, the Steak Sandwich, and the Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Burger King continued to be the King of fast-food.
1983-1986: Health-Minded Goals and Breakfast Items
In the 80's a health craze took over and Burger King did their best to adapt to the changing times, introducing salad bars and lighter meals while also offering the first breakfast menu items, the Croissan'wich with several varieties and French-toast Sticks, the first French-inspired fast-food item on any menu, and both of these items were a huge success!
1987-1989: Burger Bundles are Introduced to Fight White Castle
During the latter half of the 1980's, White Castle became exceedingly popular and Burger King developed Burger Bundles to keep up with the popularity of small sliders. The Burger Bundles were really just smaller burgers sold in sets of six, and it was difficult to cook them on the automatic flame-broiled grill, so they were a failure and the idea was shelved for later.
1990-2001: The Smash-Hit Introduction of the Grilled-Chicken Sandwich
At the start of the 1990's, Burger King introduced a chicken sandwich like no other at the time, featuring grilled chicken on an oat-bran bun, it was a healthier option and a change of pace compared to other chicken products in the market that the public went crazy for. During this time, they released the Big King, similar to their Big Mac, but featured 75% more beef.
2002: The BK Value Menu Earned Burger King More than They Bargained For
The Burger King Menu made history in 2002 when it introduced it's Value Menu and received unprecedented support from the public. This menu offered almost a dozen items from burgers known and loved, to new things like tacos and baked potatoes, all for $0.99!
2003-2004: The Health Kick
The early 2000's brought another boom of fast-food chains trying to introduce healthy options, and Burger King was no exception. They started introducing some low-fat, low-carb options, but they were largely forgettable or simply impractical, such as having a low-carb Whopper where the bun was removed and the ingredients were just speared together.
2005-2007: Is Bigger Always Better?
Around this time, Burger King surveyed it's customers and discovered they wanted larger burgers and sandwiches, so they introduced larger sandwiches/burgers, such as the Shroom & Swiss Steak Burger, and some larger breakfast options, like the Enormous Omelet Sandwich, which has 700+ calories for breakfast.
2008-2009: Sliders Take #2
The Burger Bundles from the 1980's had some tinkering done and were now being sold as Burger Shots in sets of two or six, but still fell more along the lines of smaller burgers than true sliders. The Burger Shots were ultimately discontinued, but is still a fan favorite of missed items.
2010-2012: The Great Rib Rush
In 2010, Burger King started watching their competitors and noted what they could do better than them, and thus, the Burger King Ribs were born. They were pork spare-ribs sold in sets of eight that consumers went crazy for. Burger King offered them as a limited-time item and ended up running low on the product and packaging before it even ended. They came back once or twice over the next two years, and is still sorely missed by fans everywhere.
2013-2015: The Fries that Failed
Fries are a staple of fast-food meals no matter where, but not everyone likes the grease. In 2013, Burger King decided to offer a special type of fry called Satisfries, which were made with a different batter coating to prevent it from soaking up the oil. However, these fries bombed hardcore with the public and were shelved, never to return.
2016-2017: Proof that Some Things Should Not Be Done
A year of experimentation for Burger King, they discovered some things shouldn't be combined, even if they sound great in theory. They introduced some menu items, such a Whopperito (a Whopper in a burrito), Mac 'n' Cheetos (Cheetos stuffed with Mac 'n' Cheese), and hot dogs which ended up as novelties. All of these items did extremely poorly with the public and were taken away forever.
2018-Present: Good Food and Happy Customers
Burger King hasn't made many changes to it's menu over the last few years, having come out with the Impossible Whopper, a plant based version of the Whopper, and Bacon Cheesy Tots. Overall, they may have perfected the menu for the time being and have happy customers aplenty.
The Burger King Menu history has had ups and downs, some great items, and some big flops, but right now, the menu seems to offer a little something for everyone.
