When it comes to fast-food fries, McDonald's (MCD) has been the clear customer favorite. It seems like every few years Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King and Wendy's (WEN) reboot their french fries (usually by saying they're better than McDonald's) and customers rarely seem to agree.
Wendy's has tried slapping bacon and cheese on its fries, dubbing them Baconator Fries while Burger King had the ill-fated lower-calorie Satisfries experiment that went very wrong. None of this has helped either brand catch its rival with a Thrillist ranking putting McDonald's at number two behind only Arby's curly fries.
On that list, Burger King came in 13, behind both Yum! Brands (YUM) KFC and Taco Bell, which only offers its Nacho Fries sometimes. That's embarrassing but not as bad as Wendy's which had its 17th-ranked revamped fries trashed by the reviewer.
"Wendy's former fries weren't anything to write home about (trust us, we've had plenty of French fries correspondence over the years), but they were perfectly pleasant and paired delightfully with being shoved into a Frosty. Now they have this odd, barely-present-but-definitely-there artificial taste that seems off, visible flecks of potato skin notwithstanding," the site shared.
Those results were very similar to an Uproxx story, which ranked McDonald's behind only Five Guys, which is a much more expensive fast-casual offering, with Wendy's and Burger King ranked well below the clear fast-food leader.
That's probably at least partly why Burger King has decided that fries should not be its only side dish. And that has led the chain down some pretty weird roads, at least for this category of restaurant.
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Burger King Goes Way Beyond Fries
Burger King has sold onion rings since 1998 when they first appeared on its dollar menu. The chain has kept them ever since, and while they have their fans, they have never become the fan-favorite you would expect even if only because neither McDonald's nor Wendy's sells an onion ring.
The chain, however, does have a diverse menu of side dishes which include:
- Cheesy Tater Tots: "Melted cheesy potato bites covered in a crunchy bread crumb coating." It's a potato-based non-fry and who complains about cheese being added?
Jalapeño Cheddar Bites: "Our Jalapeño Cheddar Bites are filled with gooey cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeño pieces, covered in a light, crispy coating." These don't have potatoes involved, but it's a fairly similar item to the Cheesy Tater Tots.
- Mozzarella Sticks: These are self-explanatory, but they do make sense for a fast-food menu, even if they've never gained much of a following.
Burger King also has its Chicken Fries, a fry-like shape that's at least unique.
"Made with white meat chicken, our Chicken Fries are coated in a light crispy breading seasoned with savory spices and herbs," the chain shared on its website. "Chicken Fries are shaped like fries and are perfect to dip in any of our delicious dipping sauces. Choose from BBQ, Honey Mustard, Ranch, Zesty, Buffalo, and Sweet & Sour."
Something Is Working at Burger King
Burger King may lag behind McDonald's (and maybe Wendy's) when it comes to french fries, but it has been growing its business in the U.S. and the world.
"Burger King's international business, which grew comparable sales positive 19.4%, a 320 basis point sequential acceleration. In addition, Burger King U.S. started to narrow the gap to industry performance and saw comparable sales improved to plus 1.8% from a decline of 1.6% in Q3," RBI CEO Jose Cil shared during his chain's fourth-quarter earnings call.
And while none of these side dishes seem overly popular, Burger King clearly believes in them as they survived a recent pare down of the menu.
"At the end of December, we rolled out our first of 2 waves of menu simplification, removing low-volume items so the team members can focus on serving our most loved products and providing guests a fantastic Burger King experience consistently," Burger King U.S. President Tom Curtis shared.
The changes did not impact sales and appear to have driven increased repeat visits due to the improved execution.
"In addition, we're streamlining some product builds across the menu and simplifying our menu boards to make production and ordering easier for team members and for guests. These measures and the renewed focus on operations are welcomed by our franchisees and starting to drive progress in several key operational metrics, including order accuracy and overall satisfaction," he shared.
