KFC tries its hand at burgers
KFC for the second time is stepping beyond its chicken home territory, but this is the first time it has tried a beef entr茅e.
In Japan, KFC is actually stepping outside its whole quick-service brand personality. Visitors to its聽聽are greeted by the image of a formal waiter saying, 鈥淏ienvenue au Bistro KFC.鈥� But the real departure is the introduction of the Bistro Hamburg, a聽聽patty with mushroom demi-glace on a burger bun.
A TV commercial () shows Shuzo Kishida, chef-owner of Tokyo fine-dining restaurant Quintessence, tasting and approving the burger. The burger is priced at 楼490 ($4.11 US) a la carte or 楼770 ($6.46) in a combo meal with coleslaw and beverage.
Last year, KFC offered a聽聽sandwich in France during Lent and it has occasionally menued a fish sandwich in Indonesia. But beef and pork are a departure that should give global burger chains pause.
KFC long has labeled its premium chicken sandwiches as 鈥渂urgers,鈥� especially in markets such as Australia and the UK, where the menus skew to sandwiches, boxed meals and Twister wraps rather than chicken parts.
The chain has become quite adventuresome as it moves away from selling just drumsticks and breasts. KFC Australia currently promotes a聽Kentucky Burger, which is an Original Recipe fillet topped with coleslaw, crispy onions, two slices of cheese, bacon and smoky BBQ sauce. In the UK, KFC offers聽Pulled Chicken聽sandwiches. It鈥檚 described as 鈥渟low-cooked, BBQ Pulled Chicken, draped over 2 crispy Mini Fillets on a bed of Southern-style paprika slaw鈥� on a brioche bun. I鈥檓 not sure in which Southern area paprika slaw is popular, but it could be good.
KFC is scoring well with double-patty items, and not just the Double Down. It has a double-decker聽Big Boss in Canada (as well as a Triple Decker). The聽Big Crunchy聽with two Extra Crispy fillets is big in Brazil, where KFC also is promoting a聽Corn&Philly, which is chicken topped with a corn-and-cream-cheese sauce. Adventuresome.
Curiously, little of this sort of imaginative menuing is evident in the U.S., much to the relief of the burger chains that have enough competition to worry about. Here; no sandwiches other than the聽Doublicious聽and the mini聽Chicken Littles聽are on the permanent menu. None of its $5 Fill Ups meals has a sandwich. Is it missing a major opportunity here?
