Wendy's announced Thursday that they started rolling out three new BBQ pulled pork items in their menu-a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, BBQ Pulled Pork Cheeseburger and BBQ Pulled Pork Fries. The fast food chain introduced the new items to their 6,000 stores nationwide.
"We're giving customers the BBQ choices and flavors they deserve with the convenience of their local Wendy's," said Brandon Solano, Senior Vice President of Marketing.
Solano said that the company is known for their innovation, and the BBQ Pulled Pork will join the menu that includes square burgers and chocolate Frostys.
Nutritionists are considered over the sodium content of the products, as it's already more than half of what's required in a day. The BBQ Pulled Pork Fries has 470 calories and 1,020 milligrams of sodium, while the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich has 410 calories and 1,230 milligrams of sodium. The BBQ Pulled Pork Cheeseburger, on the other hand, carries 640 calories, 33 grams of fat, and 1,260 milligrams of sodium.
Wendy's try to catch the attention of their target market, the millennials. According to Linda Lipsky, a restaurant industry consultant, this target market loves flavor. That's why the BBQ comes in three different flavors: sweet, smoky, or spicy.
Pork isn't commonly offered in fast food chains, due to Americans' taste that favored beef or chicken. McDonald's offers the McRib sandwich on and off over the years, and Subway also has a pulled pork sandwich. Economically, pork is more practical as it costs less than beef.
"In the next three to five years, we expect to see a lot of non-beef protein items. That might mean more pork, and certainly mean more chicken-oriented items being promoted," said Janney's lead restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski.
Wendy's has started the campaign #bbq4Merica by inviting celebrities Steve Austin, Ralph Macchio, and Alfonso Ribeiro.
