Burger King Products - Regionalization

Regionalization

As the company expanded both inside and outside the United States, it introduced localized versions of its products that conform to regional tastes and cultural or religious beliefs. In countries with predominantly Islamic populations, such as Saudi Arabia, pork is not served due to Muslim dietary laws. In Muslim countries, meat is slaughtered using the halal method and labeled as such. Similar adaptations also occurred in Israel, where kosher dietary laws forbid the mixture of meat and dairy products. Before the company exited the country in 2010, many of its locations in Israel were fully kosher.

In many international markets, BK offers products or condiments that fit local tastes. For example, in Canada, BK offers poutine gravy and vinegar for its French fries, and peri-peri sauce is available as a sandwich topping in the United Kingdom. Hungry Jack's, Burger King's Australian franchise, offers the "Aussie burger" with fried egg, beetroot, and other Australian flavors. In Asian markets, dark-meat chicken is preferred over white meat, and poultry products sold in these markets often are advertised as such. One of the more regionally differentiated lines of products is the company's dessert offerings. In the United States, BK offers several desserts, including Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate-chip cookies, apple pie slices, Hershey's Sundae pie slices (a type of chocolate creme pie), and a rotating pie as part of its dessert menu. Internationally the company sells turnovers, tortas, Cini-Minis, muffins, brownies, and vanilla soft-serve ice cream in cones and sundaes. In most markets where BK sells ice cream, it also sells a mix-in dessert under various names. Some of these international dessert products differ from the domestic products in terms of preparation; an example is the pies sold in Asian countries that are fried, turnover-style, instead of the deep-dish tart style associated with American sweet-filled pies.