Burger King’s new menu discipline helped to push sales gains for North American restaurants to the highest levels in two years, according to executives of the chain’s parent company.
Comparable store sales for U.S. and Canadian Burger King units rose 3.6 percent year over year for the third quarter, the biggest jump since 2012, Burger King Worldwide announced this morning.
It noted that only three menu changes figured into the sales rise: The reintroduction of Chicken Fries, the offer of a BBQ Bacon Whopper as a limited-time offer, and the addition of an A-1 Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger.
Two quarters ago, the chain announced that it was scrapping its strategy of introducing one new product after another to snag consumers’ attention. Previously, Burger King and many of its competitors relied on a combination of continuous short-term menu changes and discounting to capture more transactions.
Burger King will maintain the current strategy of “launching fewer, more impactful products,” it said in announcing last quarter’s financial results.
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