‘Sensitive’ to the Times, Burger King Launches Dollar Menu

Burger King announces a new dollar menu

As the U.S. continues to grapple with the economic fallout from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — including high unemployment rates, difficulty paying rent, and increasing levels of hunger — it seems as good a time as any for Burger King to announce that it is launching a dollar menu. Starting December 28, customers will be able to buy Bacon Cheeseburgers, Chicken Jr. sandwiches, fries, and soft drinks for $1 each. Between now and then, Burger King will be randomly giving out $1 payments on Venmo to promote its new dollar menu.

“We know that value is extremely important to our guests, especially now,” Ellie Doty, chief marketing officer of Burger King North America, said in a press release.

“When we think about what might resonate with our guests at any given time of year, setting aside the macro economic times, we heavily consider how they’re thinking and feeling — what’s going on in our guests’ lives that we might be able to be a solution,” Doty told Business Insider. “When we promote a value menu or launch $1 Your Way menu, being sensitive to when that might be most useful to our guests is definitely top of mind.”

As BI’s Kate Taylor points out, fast-food chains often unveil new deals in January, when people tend to be more budget conscious. Come 2021, be prepared to see more price slashing across burgers, fries, and nuggets, as chains compete to bring in customers who have, throughout the course of a devastating nine months, only received $1,200 in stimulus checks, with an additional $600 newly earmarked for a second round. It’s still unknown whether additional stimulus checks will be on the table in future legislation. In the meantime, better keep an eye on your Venmo account.

And in other news…

• Singapore’s famed street food “hawker culture” has been added to the UNESCO heritage list. [The Guardian]
• The Food and Drug Administration announced that it is seeking to revoke its definition and standard of identity for French dressing, following a petition from an industry group. [NYT]
• COVID-19 has upended the design of fast-food restaurants, emphasizing drive-thrus and pickup while deemphasizing dining rooms. [CNN]
• McDonald’s China is selling a limited number of Spam burgers topped with crumbled Oreo cookies. [Kotaku]
• The rise of charcuterie boards, hold the charcuterie. [Vice]

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