Talk:Burger King Specialty Sandwiches/Sandbox

Lead (new)
The Burger King Specialty Sandwiches were a line of sandwiches developed by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King in 1978 and introduced in 1979 as part of a new product line designed to expand Burger King's menu with more sophisticated, adult oriented fare beyond hamburgers. Additionally, the new line was intended to differentiate the company from other fast food hamburger restaurants at the time. Since the line's introduction, the other sandwiches have been discontinued, leaving the chicken offering, the Original Chicken Sandwich (abbreviated as OCS), as the only product left. The Original Chicken Sandwich is also known as the Long Chicken, BK Chicken and Chicken Royal in international markets, and is the company's primary chicken sandwich.

The company markets several variants of the Original Chicken Sandwich as well as other variants that are specifically tailored to meet local taste preferences or customs of the various regions and countries in which it does business. To promote continuing interest in the product, Burger King occasionally releases limited-time (LTO) variants on the sandwich that have different ingredients from the standard sandwich recipe. Additionally, other sandwiches that utilize the same roll as the chicken sandwich have been introduced to the company's menu both domestically and internationally, including hamburgers, pulled pork and ham and cheese. Being one of the company's major offerings, the Original Chicken Sandwich is sometimes the center of product advertising for the company. Despite being a major product in the company's portfolio, Burger King has registered very few global trademarks to protect its investment in the product.

Lead (current)
The Burger King Specialty Sandwiches were a line of sandwiches developed by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King in 1978 and introduced in 1979 as part of a new product line designed to expand Burger King's menu with more sophisticated, adult oriented fare beyond hamburgers. Additionally, the new line was intended to differentiate the company from other fast food hamburger restaurants at the time. Since the line's introduction, the other sandwiches have been discontinued, leaving the chicken offering, the Original Chicken Sandwich (abbreviated as OCS), as the only product left. The Original Chicken Sandwich is also known as the Long Chicken, BK Chicken and Chicken Royal in international markets, and is the company's primary chicken sandwich.

The company markets several variants of the Original Chicken Sandwich as well as other variants that are specifically tailored to meet local taste preferences or customs of the various regions and countries in which it does business. To promote continuing interest in the product, Burger King occasionally releases limited-time (LTO) variants on the sandwich that have different ingredients from the standard sandwich recipe. Additionally, other sandwiches that utilize the same roll as the chicken sandwich have been introduced to the company's menu both domestically and internationally. Being one of the company's major offerings, the Original Chicken Sandwich is sometimes the center of product advertising for the company. Despite being a major product in the company's portfolio, Burger King has registered very few global trademarks to protect its investment in the product.

History (new)
During the mid-1970s, Burger King was having several issues with its operations, franchises and image. In 1978, Donald N. Smith was hired from McDonald's to help restructure the corporate operations of Burger King to better compete against his former company as well as the then up-and-coming chain, Wendy's. As part of an operational overhaul he dubbed "Operation Phoenix", Smith reorganized the corporate operations of Burger King. He also initiated a development plan for a new product line that would become the Specialty Sandwich line. Development began that same year, and while the company found that the new product lines would add approximate eight second delay to the production time of products which would cost about $39 million in lost productivity, the product was introduced in 1979. Despite these possible sales losses and time issues, the new products were successful and the company's sales increased by 15 percent.

The breath of the new additions, several new sandwiches made with disparate ingredients, was made possible due the design of Burger King's kitchen. Burger King's kitchen is designed around a more flexible concept that allows for multiple work-flow operation where stations can be re-tasked more easily. In comparison at the time, McDonald's kitchen was a more rigidly designed assembly line concept intended to quickly produce a more uniform product and was not easily adapted to new products. This more rigid system prevented McDonald's from broadening its menu to effectively competing with similar chains that were more flexible and were better positioned to expand their menu.

This line—with many non-hamburger sandwiches, including chicken and fish—significantly expanded the breadth of the BK menu. It was one of the first attempts by a major fast food chain to target a specific demographic, in this case adults aged between 18 and 34 years, members of which were presumably willing to spend more on a higher quality product. Included in the new line was the Original Chicken Sandwich, a ham and cheese sandwich, a roast beef sandwich, the Long Fish Sandwich and the Sirloin Steak Sandwich. The ham and cheese sandwich replaced an earlier version ham and cheese sandwich called the Yumbo that was served hot and was the size of a hamburger. In 1981 the chain tested a veal parmigiana sandwich in limited areas of the united States and took it national in 1982. While most of the line has since been discontinued, the company's Original Chicken Sandwich is still offered in all of its global markets, and the ham and cheese sandwich is a regional offering. The Long Fish was eventually discontinued and the Whaler fish sandwich was reintroduced, while the Steak Burger sandwich was discontinued all together.

History (old)
The Original Chicken Sandwich was introduced in 1978 as part of BKs "Specialty Sandwich" line. The products were some of the first by the company to attempt to capture the adult-oriented market, members of which would be willing spend more on a higher quality product. The sandwiches were a part of a plan by the then-company president Donald Smith to expand Burger King's menu to reach the broadest demographic in order to better compete with McDonald's and fend off Wendy's growing market share. The plan was successful and the company's sales increased by 15%.

In 1978, Donald N. Smith was hired from McDonald's to help restructure the corporate operations of Burger King to better compete against his former company as well as the then up-and-coming chain, Wendy's. As part of an operational overhaul he dubbed "Operation Phoenix", one of his first changes to the company's menu was to add the Burger King specialty sandwich line in 1979. This line—with many non-hamburger sandwiches, including chicken and fish—significantly expanded the breadth of the BK menu. It was one of the first attempts by a major fast food chain to target a specific demographic, in this case adults aged between 18 and 34 years, members of which were presumably willing to spend more on a higher quality product. The new products were successful, and the company's sales increased by 15 percent. While most of the line has since been discontinued, the company's Original Chicken Sandwich is still offered in all of its global markets, and the ham and cheese sandwich is a regional offering.

The other "Specialty Sandwiches" were:


 * The Veal Parmesan Sandwich
 * The Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
 * The Ham & Cheese Sandwich
 * The Long Fish
 * The Steak Burger

All sandwiches were served on the same style 7" sesame seed roll.

The Long Fish was eventually discontinued and replaced with the Whaler sandwich and the Steak Burger sandwich was discontinued all together, although two different steak sandwiches made from steak fillets or restructured beef were introduced as limited time offerings. The ham and cheese sandwich replaced an earlier version ham and cheese sandwich called the Yumbo that was served hot and was the size of a hamburger.

Description (new)
The Original Chicken Sandwich consists of a breaded, deep-fried white-meat chicken patty with mayonnaise and lettuce on a sesame seed sub-style bun.

Notable variants
The International Chicken Sandwiches line was introduced in 1988 and is a group of three sandwiches with different toppings that are associated with cuisine from various regions internationally. The Italian Chicken Sandwich is a chicken parmigiana sandwich with marinara and mozzarella, The French Chicken Sandwich is a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with ham and Swiss cheese and the American Chicken Sandwich has mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and American cheese. Similar regional inspired sandwiches included the Philly Chicken Sandwich which was a chicken version of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich made with red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese, and the Hawaiian BK Chicken with mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon, American cheese and pineapple sold in New Zealand.

Related products
Besides the Original Chicken sandwich, Burger King has sold or sells several other sandwiches that are similar to the Specialty Sandwiches. Several burgers have been sold on this family of sandwiches, including a pair of triple cheeseburgers called the Limo Burger or the X-Tra Long Cheeseburger, the Bull's-Eye Barbecue Burger included two hamburger patties, American cheese, bacon and Kraft Bull's-eye brand barbecue sauce, and the BBQ Hero with barbecue sauce, bacon, lettuce, tomato and onions.

A grilled Italian sausage sandwich was sold in 1992 and was served with onions & peppers or parmigiana style with mozzarella cheese & marinara sauce. As part of the company's BK Dinner Baskets promotion in 1993, the Burger King introduced a grilled meatloaf sandwich with ketchup and onions. In 2013, Burger King sold a bratwurst sandwich in a regional limited time offering in the US states of Wisconsin and Illinois. The sandwich featured a bratwurst manufactured by Johnsonville Foods, raw onion and yellow mustard.

Variants
Regional, limited time offerings (LTO) and discontinued varieties:


 * The Italian Chicken Sandwich - a Chicken Parmesan sandwich with marinara and mozzarella. Sold in the US, Argentina, Canada and Chile.
 * The French Chicken Sandwich - a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with ham and Swiss cheese. Sold in the US, Argentina and Chile.
 * The American Chicken Sandwich - mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and American cheese. Sold in the US, Argentina and Chile.
 * The Chicken Club - mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and bacon Sold in the US and Italy
 * The King de Pollo Picosos - a choice of jalapeño, chipotle or spicy cream sauce and lettuce Sold in Mexico and the UK/Ireland, called the Spicy Royale.
 * The Hawaiian BK Chicken - mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon, American cheese and pineapple Sold in New Zealand.
 * Burger King Germany expanded the Long Chicken sandwich variety (non-LTO variety) to include 2 new Long Chicken sandwiches (known as the Specialty Line): The Jamaica Barbecue and the Western Barbecue. The Jamaican Barbecue is served with extra chicken breast, lettuce, mayonnaise and spicy barbecue sauce. The Western Barbecue is served with mayonnaise, lettuce, 2 large onion rings and barbecue sauce.

Available as a permanent menu option in Germany and as an LTO option in Austria and Switzerland.

Aliases and international naming

 * The American Chicken Sandwich was also called the Chicken Deluxe.
 * In Turkey, the Middle East and most of Europe the Original Chicken is called the Chicken Royale.
 * In Italy, the Chicken Club variation is called the Chicken Royale Deluxe.
 * In Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Czech Republic and Austria it is called the Long Chicken sandwich.
 * In Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina and Chile it is called the King de Pollo (King of Chicken).
 * In New Zealand and Brazil it is called the BK Chicken.
 * In Australia it was known as the "Chicken Royale" before being discontinued in October 2011.

Related products

 * The ham and cheese sandwich - 4 pieces of ham, 2 slices of American cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato and served on the same sub-style roll. It is served either hot or cold, as specified by the customer. Sold in the US as an optional product and sold in El Salvador as a regular menu item called the King de Jambon con Queso.
 * The X-tra Long cheese or Limo burger - 3 hamburger patties, 2 slices of American cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard and served on the same sub-style roll. Sold in Europe and El Salvador

Advertising (new)
One of the promotions used when the Specialty products were first introduced was a scratch card game called What's my Specialty? Customers would get a card and would have to match famous people with their profession. The commercial explained that if you expected to lose, you would be disappointed, as all cards were winners. Prizes included fries, sodas and sandwiches. The Meatloaf sandwich was part of the BK Dinner Baskets and promoted as part of the BK Tee Vee ad campaigns.

In the autumn and winter of 2007 BK advertised the Italian Chicken sandwich with a commercial that played the "Have it your Way" theme on an accordion with a simple text insert that asked the consumer if they had a problem with the sandwich being sold only at BK. This insert played up the Italian "toughguy" stereotypes.

Controversies
A 2009 advertising campaign in Singapore for the company's new BK Super Seven Incher cheeseburger, caused a notable controversy over the content of the ad. Originally and erroneously attributed to Burger King's advertising firm of record, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which had generated controversy with some misogynistic and culturally insensitive American and European advertisements, it was later revealed that a local, unnamed Singaporean firm was responsible for the campaign. The print version of the advertisement, left, made an overt association with the sandwich and oral sex using imagery and less-than subtle innuendo in the printed description in the advertisement. Critics across the globe complained that the ad was "disgusting", went "too far", and "disgusting".

Just about every aspect of the advertisement was criticized. Blogger Rein Bhagwandat noted that the its copy featured terms such as "blow" which she felt obviously alluded to the slang term "blow job". She also felt that the image of the woman in the advertisement had been overtly sexualized, have the effect of objectifying women in general. An article in Psychology Today echoed Bhagwandat concerns, adding that advertisement was openly displayed in public spaces, and could have troubling implications for parents having to explain the content to younger children.

Advertising (old)
One of the promotions used when the Specialty products were first introduced was a scratch card game called What's my Specialty? Customers would get a card and would have to match famous people with their profession. The commercial explained that if you expected to lose, you would be disappointed, as all cards were winners. Prizes included fries, sodas and sandwiches. The Meatloaf sandwich was part of the BK Dinner Baskets and promoted as part of the BK Tee Vee ad campaigns.

In the autumn and winter of 2007 BK advertised the Italian Chicken sandwich with a commercial that played the "Have it your Way" theme on an accordion with a simple text insert that asked the consumer if they had a problem with the sandwich being sold only at BK. This insert played up the Italian "toughguy" stereotypes.