BK unveils premium burger lineBK unveils premium burger line

Ron Ruggless

MIAMI While continuing to offer its discounted value menu, Burger King took the wraps off its long-awaited premium burger line with the national rollout of the Steakhouse XT burger.

The new burger is a product of Burger King’s new batch broilers, which are now in most of the chain's stores in the United States and Canada. The company said Monday it was testing other broiler products, including Fire-Grilled Ribs, stuffed burgers, breakfast items, snacks and even flame-grilled desserts.

Burger King is now scrapping in the premium burger segment with casual-dining chains and No. 1 competitor McDonald’s, which last year debuted its premium Angus Third Pounders. The Steakhouse XT, which contains 7 ounces of beef, is about 30 percent larger than an Angus Third Pounder, Burger King said.

The Steakhouse XT is being offered at a promotional price of $3.99. Burger King is also offering an A.1. Steakhouse XT and a Smoky Cheddar Steakhouse XT, both priced at $4.49 each. Average prices for a basic Whopper are about $3.19.

“This new broiler is a game-changing piece of equipment and a significant point of differentiation for us,” said John Schaufelberger, Burger King’s senior vice president for global product marketing and innovation.

“It allows us to up the ante in our product development across the board -- from superior quality food and unconventional menu innovations to even more competitive value offerings,” he added.

Burger King said the Steakhouse XT and the A.1. Steakhouse XT are permanent additions to its menu. The Smoky Cheddar version is a limited-time offer.

The company said an additional benefit of the new broiler systems is energy efficiency, reducing gas consumption by 52 percent and electricity use by 90 percent from past systems.

Burger King's new premium offerings come on the heels of plans the chain announced last week to raise the price of its $1 double cheeseburger, which had been unpopular among franchisees, to $1.19 and to introduce a BK Dollar Double, which has two burger patties but only one slice of cheese.

Burger King has more than 12,000 restaurants in the United States and 73 other nations. About 90 percent of its system is franchised.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].