Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fast food: Burger King offering ribs

I was driving down Grant Rd. tonight past a Burger King and nearly drove off the road.

In the window, there's a big sign that advertised their new ribs.

My first thought was:  That's an awful idea.

Burger King has always been more daring with its food and marketing than other fast food chains (I think they prefer "quick service restaurants" these days!) including Herb (Google Burger King Herb and you'll read about one of the grandest failed marketing schemes ever), offering table service, having the Burger King with the giant plastic head do weird commercials, the Chicken Whopper (which was a good idea and is now called the BK Broiler), and a meatloaf sandwich.  I have always had a place in my heart for Burger King because their burgers are so delicious.  However, they do miss the mark often with new product launches.

Here's why I think there's an outstanding chance that ribs at Burger King will fail:  Cars.

Eating ribs is a messy proposition.  Most fast food chains get their business from the drive thru these days.  The one nationwide company that had specialized in ribs, Tony Roma's, has been shrinking.  For example, they no longer have any locations in Arizona.

Only time will tell if ribs are a hit or another legendary Burger King miss.

Here's a press release-ish article about the new ribs:  Click here