KANSAS CITY — Restaurants are swaying from their specialties to diversify their dishes and draw new customers.
Burger King is branching beyond the burger with the launch of its new Grilled Dogs. The flame-grilled hot dogs consist of 100% beef and are available in two varieties. The Classic Grilled Dog is topped with ketchup, mustard, chopped onions and relish. The Chili Cheese Grilled Dog features warm chili and shredded cheddar cheese.
"The introduction of Grilled Dogs just made sense to our guests and for our brand,” said Alex Macedo, president of Burger King North America. "We're applying over 60 years of flame-grilling expertise with the Whopper sandwich to make Grilled Dogs the next great American icon."
Noodles & Co. is pushing past pasta and offering new Korean BBQ Meatballs with Gochujang Sauce. The meatballs – free of antibiotics and hormones – are tossed with a sweet and spicy Korean-style gochujang barbeque sauce that offers a savory, spicy and sweet flavor profile.
Pie Five Pizza Co. is pushing the pizza parameters with a new pizza-seafood hybrid: the Shrimp Scampi-zza. Served on a crispy, artisan-style thin crust, the pie is topped with a buttery, garlic scampi sauce, shrimp, sliced grape tomatoes and chopped parsley.
"With spring right around the corner, we wanted to introduce a light, fresh new pizza that is unlike anything on our menu," said Patty Scheibmeir, vice-president of R.&D. and product innovation for Pie Five. "Our guests will love the flavors in the Shrimp Scampi-zza – it's perfect for our customers who are looking for something different than their traditional pie."
