On Monday, the No. 2 fast-food chain launches its Enormous Omelet Sandwich. How enormous? For those counting: one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon. On a bun.
For those still counting, that's four layers of breakfast with 730 calories oozing 47 grams of fat. For about $2.99, depending on the market.
The move flies in the face of many of the industry's better-for-you new products in the past two years - from salads to fruit bowls to bunless burgers.
But few expect it to leave Burger King with egg on its face. The move plays right into an industry counter-trend that strongly appeals to the gut belief of fast-food's favorite, young male customers: Bigger is better.
"The critics will still label it food porn," says Sherri Daye Scott, editor at QSR, a fast-food industry trade magazine. "But the average male fast-food customer does not have a problem with this."
In fact, they love it. That's why the Monster Thickburger has been such a hit for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. It's why Pizza Hut introduced its Full House XL Pizza. And it's why more are certain to follow. This could also make Burger King more of a player in the breakfast market, where it seriously lags behind McDonald's.
Morgan Spurlock, who ridiculed McDonald's in Super Size Me, says Burger King's new item, "should come with a $5-off coupon for your first angioplasty."
Nutritional experts are aghast. "Eating like this is a step on the way to a heart attack," says Fred Pescatore, author of The Hamptons Diet. "It's irresponsible."
