
The Most Detailed Analysis of Burger King Selling Hot Dogs You’ll Ever Read - esalazar
http://www.wired.com/2016/02/the-most-detailed-analysis-of-burger-king-selling-hot-dogs-youll-ever-read/
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danso
FWIW, this article has fewer than 1,200 words, just in case you were expecting
any kind of in-depth analysis, and not just a tech journalist's opinion of
what an "analysis" means (e.g. something not in listicle form). Sorry to sound
negative and catty here, it's a problem among journalists and the information
they put out for short-attention-span audiences...once something is in
scientific research paper PDF format, it's worth writing headlines about; or,
if it's longform, then it just must be an exhaustively reported piece that is
meaningful.

I wanted to give the author/editor the benefit of the doubt, that the headline
was merely just a sly joke about "Ha ha this article is surely the most you've
ever read about Burger King selling hot dogs because you probably didn't even
know BK sold hot dogs did you?" instead of just the result of their in-house
analytics about what makes a headline more viral...but even on that scale, it
doesn't hold up, unless you really think a huge multinational company doesn't
heavily think through sales impact (and production and logistics implications)
of introducing something as major as a hot dog (i.e. another meat product).
You don't even have to be the type of person who subscribes to The New Yorker
and reads their 5,000 word articles about the chemical flavor industry...you
could've just remembered that Breaking Bad episode where the guy is taste-
testing chicken nuggets and sauces in front of his scientists and gleaned that
food -- even hot dogs -- is a business that necessitates a lot of analysis.

~~~
klenwell
Thanks for the review and saving me of the trouble of checking out the
article. This is why I usually come to the comments before clicking TFA, even
for ones with headlines that interest me.

For anyone looking for an interesting analysis of the fast food industry of
the sort danso anticipated with this article, I highly recommend this New
Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell from 2001:

[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-
wit...](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-with-fries)

It remains one of my touchstones in understanding the fast-food industry,
marketing, and American culture.

(I also recommend their 5,000 word article on the chemical flavor industry:
[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/11/23/the-taste-
maker...](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/11/23/the-taste-makers))

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PaulHoule
Back in 1987 I was working for B.K. and we had hot dogs on the menu, but we
cooked them in the microwave at the "spec board" which is the place where
chicken sandwiches are made.

It was rare to have one ordered, and one time I did one and it burst in an
ugly way which drew a customer complaint from the manager "You mean you don't
know how to cook a hot dog in the microwave?" to which I countered that I
hadn't been trained.

~~~
oxide
When I worked at Sonic 10 years ago they sold (and still sell) a footlong hot
dog. It's cooked on one of those gas station hot dog rollers.

I like a roller cooked hot dog, so I should look into whether or not BK is
using rollers to cook them this time around. Can't say I care for a microwaved
hot dog all that much.

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bluedino
Blocked for using an AdBlocker. Thanks, Wired!

~~~
smarks
Too bad. The ads were more interesting than the article. (For example, British
Airways' 787 service from SJC to LHR.)

~~~
UweSchmidt
So you're not only being blocked for using and ad blocker, the ad network now
follows you back to the forum you came from and tells you about the ad you
missed using old, low karma accounts :-)

~~~
qbrass
It's one of those things you say as a joke, then someone turns around and does
it for real.

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xlayn
I see this as a strategy of expanding horizontally (broaden your menu) vs
following the trend of healthy.

    
    
      -You can see it as a move to keep doing what they can do
       and they are good at while expanding the options they can
       offer
      -OTOH how more healthy are the healthy options? most people
       are aware on how Mc. Salads have more calories than their 
       Big Mac.
      -How bad is non healthy food when the reference point for 
       showing up how bad fast food is (super size me[0]) can
       also lead to lose weight[1]
    

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me)

[1] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2533353/Forget-
Sup...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2533353/Forget-Super-Size-
Me-Man-loses-37lbs-lowers-cholesterol-eating-McDonalds-three-months.html)

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Shivetya
Well considering there are specialty hot dog shops in many areas; I have seen
some with individual hot dogs in the six dollar range; I think the only only
large chain selling them in the US would be Hardees. Krystal does have their
own version and I am sure regional chains might have them.

The simple thing is, it gives another meal option to give to both adults and
kids. It certainly easier to handle than a burger. Worried about your health,
why are you eating out?

~~~
brianwawok
> The simple thing is, it gives another meal option to give to both adults and
> kids. It certainly easier to handle than a burger. Worried about your
> health, why are you eating out?

False dichotomy. Everyone should be "worried about their health" as you only
get 1 health. Plenty of places offer both "eating out" and "reasonably
healthy".

~~~
TwiztidK
Eating healthy comes down to so much more than whether you have a fast food
burger/hot dog occasionally. Personally, I think the unhealthiest thing about
a burger is the bun or the fries and soda that usually come with it. Very few
fast food places have any healthy sides to go with their non-kids meals, which
is kind of a shame.

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grimmdude
Bad timing for this SF location:
[http://sfist.com/2016/02/23/have_it_your_barf.php](http://sfist.com/2016/02/23/have_it_your_barf.php)

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josephpmay
At least in Los Angeles, hot dogs are very "in" right now. I think Burger King
is simply following a trend.

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cthulhujr
Good on BK for bucking their recent heath food trend.

