“Having it your way” has taken on a regal air at Burger Kings everywhere across the globe.
According to its website, Burger King, as of Nov. 7, is offering kids meals called “BK Crown Meals” which are packaged in vivid, king-themed boxes complete with wearable cardboard crowns, food and interactive activities. Even if the customer doesn’t buy a BK Crown Meal, Burger King has stated that anyone in the store can have a free crown.
There is even a breakfast version with oatmeal, apple slices and milk or juice, according to the fast food’s restaurant’s website.
Also included in the box is a code to Burger King’s website where children can play games and choose a charity to which Burger King will donate one cent from the proceeds of their meal.
To increase awareness and further advertise the new meals, Burger King sent a 60-foot aluminum Burger King crown down the Hudson River, settling it just past the Statue of Liberty, USA Today reported.
Burger King is following in the footsteps of many of its competitors in making a concerted effort to appeal to a younger crowd. While Burger King is following a more interactive and crown-filled path, its chief rival, McDonald’s, has focused on nutrition, announcing in July that its Happy Meals would now consist of half the amount of French fries, and that apple slices or other fruits and vegetables would be an option to reduce calorie intake by about 20 percent. Wendy’s CEO Emil Brolick also suggested in an interview with USA Today that the fast food chain has plans to revamp its kids meals within the next year.
While immediate sales numbers have not yet been released, many children are excited by the new kids meals that Burger King is introducing.
“I want one!” said 4-year-old Ella Scipione of Verona, N.J. “Can we go now?”
Ana Matos, a senior math major at the University of Maryland, felt that only young children and parents would be influenced by the new meals.
“As a child I’d be very excited to get a crown,” she said. “But no, now I don’t think I’d want to wear one around though.”