Burger King, KFC and Smashburger roll out new fall menus
Burger King's new Game Day menu, with a pretzel-bun burger and nacho cheese for Chicken Fries, reached U.S. restaurants Tuesday. KFC launched Go Buckets starting at $3.49, built to fit a car cupholder, and Smashburger added New York pastrami items and fall shakes. Prices and participation vary by location.
Fast-food chains are rolling out fall menus built around football and snacking.
Burger King launched its Game Day menu at participating U.S. restaurants Tuesday. The Game Day Pretzel Burger has a quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patty, American cheese, bacon, crispy onions and nacho cheese sauce on a soft pretzel bun. The chain is also serving its Chicken Fries with a cup of nacho cheese sauce for dipping. Both are limited-time items.
A Tasting Table reviewer near San Diego paid $11.99 for the burger and $7.49 for eight Chicken Fries with sauce. She liked the pretzel bun but called the nacho sauce very salty. The burger has 920 calories and 1,920 milligrams of sodium, close to the 2,300-milligram daily limit the FDA recommends for adults. Burger King is also running a four-week sweepstakes for members of its Royal Perks loyalty program, with weekly cash prizes of up to $5,000.
KFC is going smaller. Its new Go Buckets start at $3.49 and pair four nuggets, two wings or one tender with fries or potato wedges. KFC says they are the first buckets it has designed to fit in a standard car cupholder. The chain cited research showing 87% of consumers snack outside regular mealtimes. KFC's first bucket dates to 1957, when Colonel Harland Sanders and franchisee Pete Harman filled paper buckets with 14 pieces of chicken, five rolls and a pint of gravy.
Smashburger added a New York Pastrami Smash burger and a pastrami-topped hot dog on Tuesday. It also added fall shakes made with Häagen-Dazs ice cream in pumpkin spice and apple pie flavors.
Prices and participation can vary by restaurant, so check the app or menu board before you order.
What we know: The new Burger King, KFC and Smashburger items went on sale this week.
What we don't: How long the limited-time items will stay on menus.
Where outlets agree Burger King's announcement and Tasting Table's review both say the Game Day Pretzel Burger and Chicken Fries with nacho cheese sauce went on sale nationwide Oct. 6 for a limited time.
Where they differ Tasting Table's reviewer praised the pretzel-bun burger but called the nacho sauce very salty, and Burger King has not posted national prices.