Burger King's new sandwich

[Shelly]

Will Hootie be singing about this as well?

Betcha can't eat just one



NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Burger King has unveiled a new breakfast sandwich that's a huge bet that not everyone is dieting.

The No. 2 fast food chain debuted its Enormous Omelet Sandwich Monday. The sandwich has one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon.

That works out to 730 calories and 47 grams of fat -- more than a Whopper sandwich, which the Burger King Web site said has 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.

Critics were quick to spring on the latest breakfast offering.

"Americans do not need an Enormous Omelet Sandwich," said Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Penn State, who noted the sandwich's contents were high in fat and salt and the meal lacked fruit and fiber. "That's too many calories."

According to a joint report by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, the average American female aged 19 to 50 requires 1,800 to 2,400 calories each day, depending on size and activity level. For men in the same age range, it's 2,200 to 3,000.

A Burger King spokeswoman defended the giant egg sandwich, saying eating one is little different than ordering a full plate breakfast at a local dinner.

"It's designed for people who like to start the day with a hearty breakfast," said Denny Post, chief product officer at Burger King.

The Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's, which comes with two pancakes, who eggs, two strips of bacon and two sausage links, has 665 calories and 49 grams of fat, according to the Denny's Web site.

The Fabulous French Toast Platter -- with three slices of French toast, two bacon strips and two sausage links -- contains 1261 calories and 79 grams of fat.

Post said Burger King has a variety of food choices on the menu and that many of the people who liked the sandwich in focus groups were young men with active jobs. "These are not paper-pushers," she said.

Post said Burger King decided to offer the enormous omelet sandwich -- which goes against current trends in the fast food industry of offering more healthy choices -- in response to customers who said they wanted a more filling breakfast.

It has a suggested retail price of $2.99, or $3.49 for the value meal, which comes with fried potatoes and a coffee or juice, according to Post. The hash browns would add 230 calories and 15 grams of fat to the meal.

The new sandwich comes about four months after Hardee's also bucked the "health trend" in fast food restaurants by offering a burger it dubbed the "Monster Thickburger," with 1,400 calories and 107 grams of fat. (For more on the monster burger, click here).

Burger King has been privately held since it was sold by British food conglomerate Diageo to a group led by Texas Pacific Group in 2002.

Hardee's is owned by CKE Restaurants (Research) of California.

[Shelly]

Hardee's unveils new 'Monster'
Fast-food chain's new burger -- with 1,400 calories and 107 grams of fat -- will cost you $5.49.
November 15, 2004: 6:42 PM EST



NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Fans of Hardee's new "Monster Thickburger" may end up making "Big Mac" lovers look like waif-like supermodels.

As many fast-food restaurants cut back the fat and calories in their offerings, Hardee's Food Systems Inc. is betting that Americans are ready to sink their teeth into its new and improved "Monster" burger.

St. Louis-based Hardee's said its new burger boasts two 1/3-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of American cheese and some mayonnaise -- all on a buttered, toasted, sesame seed bun.

The "Monster Thickburger" will cost about $5.49, Hardee's said. But chowing down on the 1,420-calorie burger, which contains 107 grams of fat, will cost around $7 with fries and a soda.

"The (original) 'Monster Burger' was one of our most popular menu items," Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Hardee's, said in a statement. "(But) it's now a 'Thickburger.'"

Many fast-food chains, including McDonald's (Research) and Wendy's International (Research), have tried to offer healthier menu items to cater to Americans on low-fat, low-carb diets.

But Hardee's said the "Monster Thickburger" is not all it has to offer on its menu.

"In about 30 days, we will be introducing a BBQ chicken sandwich that would only have 4 grams of fat and 300 calories. We just have a wide range of selections for everybody," Haley said.

Hardee's is owned by CKE Restaurants (Research) of Carpinteria, Calif., whose stock rose about 1 percent Monday. Top of page

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[desflood]

Which reminds me, I need to find a new diet buddy

[Kori Ellis]

Which reminds me, I need to find a new diet buddy

desflood, we have a diet/health/exercise forum, that's invisible to most of the public. Do you want me to give you access to it?

[SpursWoman]

Thank goodness they've closed the 2 BK's anywhere near where I live/work.

[desflood]

desflood, we have a diet/health/exercise forum, that's invisible to most of the public. Do you want me to give you access to it?

Oh, I had no idea! That'd be awesome. Got three kids' worth of weight to lose now

[Kori Ellis]

You should be able to see it now if you look at the INDEX, it will be under Special Interest Forums.

[desflood]

Thanks a bunch.

[E20]

the meal lacked fruit and fiber.

Who put's fruit in a sandwich!!!

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

crazy, i was just reading about the Bk sandwich and the commercial came on at the same time, I think its a sign.

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Hardee's unveils new 'Monster'
Fast-food chain's new burger -- with 1,400 calories and 107 grams of fat --

OMG! that things huge!

[MannyIsGod]

Gross. Seriously.

[King]

Kori...can I have access to that forum as well, please?

[Duff McCartney]

Sounds good....I'll have to try it sometime.

[Kori Ellis]

Kori...can I have access to that forum as well, please?

Done. Look on the Index for it.

[AlamoSpursFan]

Thank goodness they've closed the 2 BK's anywhere near where I live/work.

That one at Rittiman and 35 is still open.

[E20]

Are there any other secret forums besides that one?

[JoeChalupa]

I know some late night party dudes with the munchies
are going to shove one down and not think twice about it.


STROKE IN PROGRESS

1. Clogged Artery
2. Common Carotid Arteries

[Clandestino]

that bk sandwich sounds awesome.. i would rather it be on a huge ass biscuit though!

[atlfan25]

finally somethin good offerred for breakfast at a fast food place, im tired of that little bull everyone offers, which means i gotta get a double burger at whataburger or somethin for breakfast, but i don't always want that, im glad i got another option in the mornings besides a burger at someplace. i'll probably get 2 of those es.

[GoldToe]

Starting the day with one of those bad boys could lead to ending your day quicker than you expected.

[atlfan25]

mayne, people eat backwards. i heard breakfast is suppose to be the biggest meal, followed by lunch being a little smaller, then dinner as the smallest meal. most people i know eat exactly the opposite of that. i may be wrong, but i read that somewhere.

[Shelly]

Starting the day with one of those bad boys could lead to ending your day quicker than you expected.

This is true!

mayne, people eat backwards. i heard breakfast is suppose to be the biggest meal, followed by lunch being a little smaller, then dinner as the smallest meal. most people i know eat exactly the opposite of that. i may be wrong, but i read that somewhere

Yes, I've heard this also, but a calorie is still a calorie and doesn't matter what time of the day you eat it.

[Guru of Nothing]

Who put's fruit in a sandwich!!!

GAYABC forum.

[Guru of Nothing]

I wonder how two typical breakfast tacos compares to this monster.

I'm all for high-calorie breakfasts, but this is just bad health run amok.