EAST WINDSOR N.J. KFC nationally debuted its much hyped Double Down “sandwich” on Monday, adding an item to its menu that includes two slices of cheese, the Colonel’s sauce and bacon sandwiched between two white-meat chicken fillets.
Customers can order the item with fillets of either grilled chicken or fried chicken, and in a unit here in New Jersey, KFC agreed to help the indecisive customer by offering to team one fried Original Recipe chicken fillet with the Grilled option on its new bunless item.
The KFC server in the East Windsor location said that the “sandwich” had been selling well over the last two days, as some markets offered the item prior to the national rollout. Sales may have been up since the new dish received an onslaught of press, both favorable and not so favorable.
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“The Double Down created such buzz as a test market item and it already has such high consumer awareness, we toyed with the idea of making a commercial that just said, ‘It’s here!,’” explained Javier Benito, executive vice president of marketing and food innovation for KFC.
In a rare move for the Louisville, Ky.-based KFC, which is a division of Yum! Brands Inc., the chain publicized the arrival of the bunless sandwich before it was nationally available.
“We don’t typically talk about our products before they’re available in our restaurants,” Benito continued. “But we expect Double Down to be in great demand … and we want fans to have time to arrange their schedules in advance for a visit to KFC to try this legendary sandwich.”
Lines, however, were not out the door at this location on Monday for the new menu item, which in this instance came with two unmelted slices of cheese, very thin strips of flavorful bacon and the Colonel’s sauce that tasted like a mayonnaise seasoned with hot pepper. The entire concoction — with calories totaling 460 and 540 depending on the cooking method — was sandwiched in a small paper bag with a top and side opening designed for handheld eating.
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