While Burger King does have new (and familiar) additions to their 2023 menu, one fan-favorite item won’t be making an appearance, to many customers’ dismay.
As reported by Chew Boom, the fast food chain will be adding three “long” chicken sandwiches to their nationwide locations on January 5th, but the beloved Ch’King sandwich will not be making a comeback, as many BK fans on Twitter are disappointed to learn. Here’s what we know:
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Burger King Is Launching 3 New Chicken Sandwiches—But Fans Still Want This One Back https://t.co/3SiCWsDo6h
— Stormdrane (@Stormdrane) December 30, 2022
Burger King Adds 3 ‘Long’ Chicken Sandwiches To January 2023 Menu
The fast food giant will be bringing the following sandwiches to their menu; the brand-new Mexican Original Chicken Sandwich, the returning (but subtly renamed) American Original Chicken Sandwich and the Italian Original Chicken Sandwich.
The Mexican Original Chicken Sandwich will feature a “lightly breaded chicken breast with ghost pepper cheese and crispy-fried jalapeños on a sesame seed bun,” as Thrillist notes.
Something to look forward to! https://t.co/5IOoKBPEgN
— Mac Wilson (@cinatyte) December 23, 2022
As fans know, the returning American Original Chicken Sandwich will include “lightly breaded chicken topped with crisp lettuce and creamy mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun,” according to Burger King.
The Italian Original Chicken Sandwich will contain “lightly breaded chicken with marinara sauce and melted Mozzarella cheese on a sesame seed bun.”
Burger King’s Beloved Italian Original Chicken Sandwich Is Finally Back in Stores https://t.co/2PlqWyjlLk
— People (@people) November 14, 2021
While all of these options sound delicious, some fans are taking to Twitter to express that the only menu item they wanted to see in 2023 is the Ch’King sandwich, which Burger King replaced in early 2022 with the BK Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich line (which came in 4 varieties including Classic, Spicy, Bacon and Swiss Cheese, and Southern BBQ).
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Fans Express Disappointment With Ch’King-Less Menu
After the announcement of Burger King’s latest menu items (without the long-awaited return of the Ch’King), one user tweeted, “I’m still coping with @BurgerKing discontinuing the best chicken sandwich ever sold on any fast food market (RIP Ch’King!)” They added, “WHY WHY WHY get rid of the only decent side item you had on the menu?!?!?!??? ”
Another BK fan agreed, writing, “Burger king rly won the chicken sandwich game w the ch’king” and someone else noted that nothing compares, commenting, “@BurgerKing new royal chicken is absolutely the worst…took one bite, reluctantly swallowed and tossed the rest…miss the ch‘king.”
@BurgerKing bring back the ch’king. We need it.
— Jay Turgeon (@turgeon_jay) December 30, 2022
In September 2022, Tom Curtis, President of Burger King North America, sat down for an interview with CNN Business to discuss retiring the Ch’King chicken sandwich and why removing it from their menu could bring more emphasis to their classic item, the Whopper.
I am still mad @BurgerKing killed the ch’king.
— Danny Vandelay (@DannyVandelay) December 24, 2022
“What we really want to do in the short term is reintroduce America’s love affair with the Whopper,” Curtis said. The plan, the outlet reported, is to make sure workers are well trained in “making the best possible Whopper, and that kitchens support consistency and ease of preparation.”
The publication also spoke with Restaurant Brands International (owner of Burger King) CEO Jose Cil, who revealed that the Ch’King had more cons for the company than pros, even though it was a popular and raved item.
The Burger King Ch’king sandwich beats the others. I’ll eat 100 pic.twitter.com/cawZ0BWfMM
— (@UpBeatSkeletor) November 16, 2021
“Over the last few years during the pandemic and coming out of the pandemic … [Burger King US] didn’t do a great job of adjusting our business to the environment,” Cil said, “We didn’t simplify.”
He continued, “We, in fact, complicated things, we added menu items … that were more difficult and not necessarily intuitive and typical for us to serve.” Cil was referring to the Ch’King, the hand-breaded chicken sandwich that Burger King introduced in 2021, adding that the product “created a ton of bottlenecks operationally.”
