Burger King launches barbecue-inspired summer menu

This summer, the home of the Whopper will become the home of the regional barbecue sandwich.

Burger King on Wednesday is scheduled to launch a new summer menu of limited-time offers, from new barbecue sandwiches inspired by regional favorites in Memphis, the Carolinas and Texas to an ice cream sundae studded with a thick-cut slice of bacon.

The move follows the Miami-based chain’s largest menu overhaul in its history in April, which included a line of premium salads, snack wrap sandwiches, smoothies, chicken strips and frappe drinks.

Using the tagline, “Taste is King,” Burger King’s summer LTO lineup aims to evoke a backyard barbecue.

“Barbecues are synonymous with summer; we gather together with family and friends to eat great food, and now Burger King offers guests a chance to sit back and let us take over the grilling,” said Alex Macedo, Burger King Corp.’s senior vice president, North America marketing, in a statement.

The summer menu includes:

A Memphis Pulled Pork BBQ sandwich featuring pulled pork in Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet n’ Spicy BBQ sauce, topped with sliced onions and Sweet Southern dressing on a toasted artisan-style roll. The suggested price starts at $3.49.

Carolina BBQ sandwiches are available two ways:

The Carolina BBQ Whopper includes a four-ounce grilled burger patty with pepper jack cheese, thick-cut bacon, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, Sweet Southern dressing and Bull’s-Eye Carolina Style BBQ sauce on a sesame seed bun (the suggested price is $3.99).

The Carolina BBQ Chicken sandwich is available with either a grilled or fried chicken breast with pepper Jack cheese, thick-cut bacon, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, Sweet Southern dressing and Bull’s-Eye Carolina Style BBQ sauce on an artisan bun (the suggested price is $4.79).

Texas barbecue sandwiches are also available two ways:

The Texas BBQ Whopper is a four-ounce burger patty, American cheese, jalapeno slices, onion rings, tomato, lettuce and Bull’s-Eye Texas Style BBQ sauce on a sesame seed bun for a recommended $3.99

The Texas BBQ Chicken sandwich can be made with either grilled or fried chicken breast and includes American cheese, jalapeno slices, onion, tomato, lettuce and Bull’s-Eye Texas Style BBQ sauce on an artisan bun for a recommended $4.79.

Frozen Lemonade, available in 12-, 16-, and 20-oz. servings, is a frozen beverage available in real lemon and strawberry lemonade flavors with prices starting at $1.99.

Sweet Potato Fries are now a sweet potato alternative to the classic Burger King fries, with prices starting at $1.89.

The Bacon Sundae was tested in Nashville, Tenn., and was a hit. It includes vanilla soft-serve ice cream drizzled with hot fudge and caramel, topped with bacon crumbles, and then garnished with a thick-cut slab of hardwood-smoked bacon. Prices start at $2.49.

The Burger King chain includes more than 12,500 locations worldwide.

Burger King, which was taken private in October 2010 by private equity firm 3G Capital Management, is in the process of becoming a public company again in a deal announced in April with U.K.-based Justice Holdings, which agreed to take a 29-percent stake in the burger chain for $1.4 billion. Once the deal closes, which is scheduled this month, Burger King will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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