Wendy’s Ditches Popular Pretzel Bun for Brioche Bun

Wendy’s fast food chain has eliminated the pretzel bun burger from its menu. The news of the menu change comes despite the fact that the Limited Time Only (LTO) menu item proved to be popular with patrons. It just seemed that given the popularity of the burger, Wendy’s would make it become a permanent item.

Instead, customers will get the choice of having a burger on a brioche bun, which is a highly enriched bun made with eggs and butter. The tenderness of the bun and lightly sweet taste makes the buns a soft approximation of a doughnut bun burger.

“We’ve made our Bacon Portabella Melt even more irresistible with a new brioche bun—the kind you’d expect a French chef to make—but at a quick-service price and convenience,” says Craig Bahner, Wendy’s chief marketing officer. “We know our new Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche may be a mouthful to say. But no matter how you say Brioche or Portabella, we’ll gladly serve it to you.”

When Emil Brolick, the company’s CEO, was asked about the pretzel bun burger in a conference call this past summer, she explained that the special burger created a logistical delay in the kitchen. The effort involved in assembling the burger with its high quality smoked cheddar cheese, center-cut bacon, Smoky Honey Mustard sauce, topped with a spring mix of vegetables, it had a tendency to slow up operations in the kitchen. Well, the pretzel burger, which sold at a premium, presumably made up for those factors with its higher prize. Fans of the burger are not pleased to see it go off the menu.

On The Web:
Wendy’s Kills Its Popular Pretzel Bun—for Brioche?
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-26/wendy-s-kills-its-popular-pretzel-bun-for-brioche