While the big three fast-food burger chains generally keep at least some locations open on Christmas, few people associate the holiday season with getting a burger and some fries. It's not that McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's don't do some business over the holiday (not everyone can make an edible turkey) but it's generally a quiet time for all three companies.
The days between Christmas and New Year's are heavy shopping and travel days. They're a period where people often turn to fast food because it's easy and convenient.
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In general, Wendy's, McDonald's (MCD) -), and Burger King don't bring out many (or any in many cases) special offers in December. It's a tough time of year to get attention from consumers and a very expensive one to advertise a limited-time offer (LTO).
Wendy's (WEN) -) does have a Peppermint Frosty, and McDonald's surprisingly brought out a Squishmallow Happy Meal, but both of these are promotions that will spread via social media without requiring much advertising.
Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) -) Burger King, which brought back its Whopper Melts on Nov. 30, has now added a new $5 deal to close the year. It's a move that's a clear challenge to Wendy's popular $5 Biggie Bag.
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Burger King tries to challenge Wendy's for value
Wendy's has passed Burger King as the number two burger chain in the U.S. behind McDonald's partly because of its value offerings. The chain still has its 4 for $4 deal which includes a Junior Cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nuggets, a small fries, and a drink.
The chain's core value offer, however, is its $5 Biggie Bag, which offers a choice of sandwiches including a Crispy Chicken, or a Junion Bacon Cheeseburger. For $6, Wendy's has a Biggie Bag where you can pick a Double Stack or Crispy Chicken BLT while the $7 version of the Biggie Bag deal offers a Bacon Double Stack. Wendy's also has a $6 Biggie Bag.
Burger King has tried various offers over the past few years at various price points. But starting Dec. 28, it's offering a new "$5 Duo Deal" that includes a version of its signature Whopper as one of the choices.
Burger King has a new $5 deal
Burger King's new deal, which notably does not include fries or a drink, does give its customers a lot of food for their money.
"As part of the deal, you can mix and match any two of the following select menu items for 5 bucks," Chew Boom first reported. The choices include the Original BK Royal Crispy Wrap, Spicy BK Royal Crispy Wrap, Honey Mustard BK Royal Crispy Wrap, and the Whopper Jr."
Technically, the new offer begins nationwide on Dec. 28 but some locations are expected to offer it starting on Christmas Day.
Value has been a key part of Burger King's growth strategy, according to remarks Restaurant Brands International CEO Josh Kobza made during his company's third-quarter earnings call.
"The team's focus on operations has led to continued improvements in guest satisfaction and an increase in product satisfaction across a few key offerings, including the Whopper, nuggets, and fries," he shared. "By layering this with high-quality marketing and targeted menu innovation, we've been able to improve our value proposition, attract new guests, improve retention, and drive our traffic gap to peers into positive territory beginning in mid-August."
Burger King began a two-year $400 million "Reclaim the Flame" program in Sept. 2022 to accelerate growth at the chain. $250 million of that investment will go into restaurant technology and remodeling while the remaining $150 million will be spent on advertising.
