Burger King is prepping more than fries in their kitchen. Customers will soon see some significant menu changes in 2022. Restaurant Brands International, owner of Popeyes and Tim Horton’s, is streamlining ordering at Burger King and eliminating “sandwich builds” that are complicated while seeking to do more in the design of the general menu. All of these changes are to make ordering simpler for the customer.
This means some favorites will be removed or will end up in different menu areas. But the experience, especially with the drive-thru, should become easier to manage. “We’re working on eliminating SKUs that – we’re simplifying processes that have become a bit too complicated in terms of sandwich builds, and doing a better job in terms of the menu design to make it easier for the customer, at the drive-thru in particular, to make quicker decisions,” CEO Jose Cil said at Morgan Stanley’s Global Consumer and Retail Conference.
Videos by PopCulture.com
According to USA Today, Burger King and many other restaurants face delays in their drive-thru times. A study by SeeLevelHX in September showed wait times in drive-thrus had increased over 25 seconds this year. Not mentioned is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
USA Today also adds that Burger King, Arby’s and Carl’s Jr were tied for third in order accuracy despite the delay, with Chick-fil-A taking the top spot followed by Taco Bell. The simpler menu should only help these rankings going forward.
The question is what will get removed. Many fast-food joints take aim at breakfast first when it comes to cutting back. Taco Bell only recently decided to bring back its breakfast offerings and McDonald’s pulled back its All-Day Breakfast offerings to save time and confusion on the line.
Two major members of the Burger King menu that are old class at this rate include the Original Chicken Sandwich and the junior chicken offerings. The new Ch’King Sandwich seems poised to be the replacement, with some condensing to be done between the Deluxe and regular versions of the spicy and regular chicken patties.
Also clogging up the menu are several burgers that could likely take a walk, including the idea of a single, double and triple Whopper. All of these could be condensed down into one menu item with the choice of patties. Breakfast does seem like the top place where trimming could start, though, so keep an eye on your favorites heading into 2022.
