Burger King Says Goodbye To ‘Satisfries’


Burger King’s latest venture into healthier food has been dismissed.

The Huffington Post reports “Satisfries” were a calculated risk by Burger King to try to gain a bigger market share by offering a healthier alternative. The Miami-based company put the crinkle-cut fries on the menu with the promise that Satisfries had 40 percent less fat and 30 percent less calories than McDonald’s regular fries. The 7,400 franchises in the United States and Canada were given the option to remove them from the menu. 2,500 franchises have decided to keep them on the menu, while the others are phasing the failed experiment out.

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion regarding the healthiness of the Satisfries. A small order of Satisfries claimed to have caloric content of 270 calories, while a small order of McDonald’s fries have 230 calories, but only because the McDonald’s fries small size weigh less. The Satisfries were more expensive, as well. A small order cost $1.89 on average, compared to $1.59 on average for regular fries.

The biggest issue seems to be whether or not Burger King’s customers were made aware of the healthier alternative. Burger King said Satisfries used a different type of batter to prevent some oil from being absorbed by the potatoes during frying. But the company did not have signs in restaurants explaining the difference between Satisfries and regular fries.

CNN Money is reporting that over 100 million people ordered the Satisfries, but it wasn’t enough to push it forward. Still, Burger King is still trying to expand its market value. The French Fry Burger, a small hamburger with french fries on top of the burger, seems to have also been cancelled. Burger King is bringing back Chicken Fries, but only to certain stores and for a limited time. Burger King has also reintroduced the Big King, BurgerKing’s version of McDonald’s Big Mac, as part of their “2 for $5” menu.

These efforts haven’t brought about the change Burger King has been looking for, especially when fast food restaurants are struggling. In the latest quarter, sales at established restaurants in the U.S. and Canada edged up just 0.4 percent.

The Wall Street Journal reports this isn’t the first time Burger King has tried unsuccessfully to alter its fries. In the late 1990s, Burger King altered its French fry recipe, but customers didn’t like the new version. The chain changed the formula in 2001 and again in 2011.

This failure also speaks to the confusing American mentality when it comes to fast food dining. The more healthy alternatives the customer knows about, the less popular they seem to be. This has led companies like Boston Market to make stealthy changes. Boston Market reduces the sodium content in their foods without announcing it until much later. There was no positive or negative backlash by customers.

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