Do you go to McDonald’s for their Chicken Caesar salad or their notorious Big Mac? It’s probably the latter. Quite recently, fast food restaurants have been trying to adjust to changing views on healthy eating. However, they have not managed to reap the benefits out the trend. This can be seen at their attempts of new options such as yogurt parfaits, salads and fruits. However, with the lack of sales, Burger King understood that these strategies were not effective.

Burger King’s new lower calorie, lower fat option French fries called ‘Satisfries’ in America, or ‘Gratifries’ in Canada, are making the headlines. Burger King’s shares have sky rocketed with a new record high of an 18% increase. This is because they found the trick to riding the health trend – making a healthier option for a product that consumers couldn’t resist having: French fries. To accomplish this without compromising taste, they mixed up a new batter recipe that is less porous rather than decreasing the amount of potatoes used. This recipe decreases the amount of oil the fries absorb when they are deep-fried. Customer reviews show satisfaction and huge sales confirm that this change may evolutionize the fast food industry.

Burger King strategically invested in the creation of healthier French fries. On top of the profitability of French fries with huge, Satisfries have a value proposition that enables them to charge thirty cents more per serving. All of this, combined with a safe patent, is Burger King’s ‘recipe for success’.

Burger King’s new competitive advantage is strongly marketing online as news headlines and customer reviews make presence. However, other fast food burger companies must step up to keep their market share. This is especially true for the fast-food leader, McDonalds. They must re-evaluate their position in the market and find strategies to avoid facing detrimental effects.