MIAMI Burger King and Wendy’s are recasting this summer's battle of the burgers as a heavyweight event, with both adding hefty choices to their menu this month. Burger King said it would promote its Ultimate Double Whopper—two quarter-pound beef patties topped with eight slices of bacon and four slices of American cheese—starting July 27. Wendy's, meanwhile, is rolling out the Baconator, a sandwich of two quarter-pound patties garnished with six slices of bacon and two slices of American cheese.
Burger King indicated that it plans to charge $3.59 for its limited-time offer. Wendy's did not disclose a suggested nationwide price for the Baconator. Franchisor Wendy's International Inc. has been urging units to adjust their prices on a market-by-market basis to bring them in line with what competitors are charging for similar products.
The Baconator packs 830 calories. Burger King did not include nutritional information on its website for the Ultimate Double Whopper. But a Double Whopper with Cheese is pegged at 990 calories. Eight strips of bacon would raise the total to 1,110, according to the online calorie calculator.
Oversized sandwiches have been used frequently by the big burger chains in recent months to snag consumers' attention. BK previously offered Stackers, or sandwiches consisting of two or three beef patties stacked atop one another. The Baconator introduction follows Wendy's promotion in June of the $1.99 Triple Stack cheeseburger, consisting of three hamburger patties sandwiched between slices of cheese, and the April debut of the Steakhouse Double-Melt, with two patties and three strips of bacon.
The launch of the Baconator is tied to a contest that invites consumers to create their interpretation of “burger music.” The best submissions will be awarded grand prizes of $5,000, a free trip to a recording studio session and guaranteed radio play in a major market, Wendy's indicated.
Burger King is supporting the Ultimate Double Whopper's rollout with a tie-in to "The Simpsons" movie. As part of the promotion, the burger chain is launching a new website called Simpsonizeme.com, where visitors can build an image of what they'd look like if they were sketched into the animated movie or the TV show that spawned it.
