The home of the Whopper is jumping on the Tex-Mex train.
According to Bloomberg News, Burger King restaurants nationwide will unveil a “Whopperito” next week – basically a deconstructed Whopper sandwich inside a tortilla with queso sauce replacing the mayonnaise from the burger.
“It’s certainly one of the first times that we’ve tapped into the Tex-Mex category,” Alex Macedo, North American president at Burger King, told Bloomberg. “It’s one of the fastest-growing categories — consumers like the freshness of it, they like the mix of flavors.”
The Whopperito was introduced as a test item at a handful of stores back in June, according to Bloomberg.
This comes on the heels of Burger King’s successful move into the grilled hot dog business earlier this summer.
Chains are competing fiercely with low-priced meal deals and heavy advertising. Burger King, which reported second-quarter same-store sales that trailed analysts’ estimates last week, has been trying to use new fare to bring in more diners.
The burrito-burger mashup may help the chain attract Americans who are eating at Chipotle less after E. coli and norovirus outbreaks sickened dozens across the U.S. The idea for a Whopper burrito came from a franchisee with stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania and was tested in some locations in June, Macedo said. The Whopperito isn’t in response to any competitive activity, he said.
