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KFC sandwich test draws worldwide attention
August 23, 2009
KFC's Unthink campaign apparently is not just about offering a better-for-you grilled bone-in product line. The chain may be poised to ask consumers to Unthink what they know about sandwiches.
The company is testing in the Midwest a bacon sandwich called the Double Down that uses two fried chicken filets as buns. The innovation has drawn attention from media outlets as far away as Australia and criticism from health organizations, according to a story in The Vancouver Sun.
NineMSN in Australia picked up on the story and contacted a KFC in Omaha, Neb., where an employee said sales of the Double Down had exceeded expectations. The news organization asked KFC Australia about the sandwich, and the company said it does not have plans for the sandwich but has not ruled it out. An Australian nutritionist criticized the sandwich as an example of quick-service chains claiming to have nutritionally balanced menus but offering extreme burgers like the Double Down.
The Vancouver Sun tested the nutritional content of the sandwich, which is priced at $6.99 and features two slices of bacon, Pepperjack and Swiss cheese slices and the Colonel's secret sauce between two filets of KFC original recipe chicken. The newspaper's test found that the Double Down's caloric content likely surpasses Wendy's Triple with Everything and Cheese and the Burger King Stacker Quad and is close to that of three McDonald's Big Macs. (Note: KFC later provided corrected information. ReadKFC addresses inaccurate nutritional reports of test sandwich.)
From The Vancouver Sun:
The results show this one menu item can be estimated to supply more than the daily recommended allowance in fat (124%), saturated fat (117%), cholesterol (105%), sodium (125%) and protein (194%), as well as 61% of your daily recommended calorie intake.
A YouTube post of KFC's TV ad for the new product airing on KETV 7 in Omaha, Neb., says the Double Down has "so much 100 percent premium chicken, we didn't have room for a bun."
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