Burger King's hot dog push sparks "wiener war"
Burger King's move to add hot dogs to its menu is touching off a "wiener war."
With grilled Oscar Mayer wieners now being sold at the Home of the Whopper's 12,000 U.S. locations, long-time hot dog purveyors Checkers, Rally's and 7-Eleven are defending their turf.
Checkers and Rally's are reducing the prices of their hot dogs to 79 cents for a classic and 99 cents for a chili dog at its more than 800 U.S. restaurants through the end of next month. 7-Eleven took a poke at Burger King on social media. "Kings selling hot dogs? What's next, dictators selling Slurpees? LOLOLOL," the company tweeted.
Wienerschnitzel is offering a free chili dog with any purchase at the fast food restaurant through the end of the month.
Burger King on Tuesday started selling hot dogs across the U.S.
The new menu item comes as competition grows among fast-food companies and "fast casual" chains such as Chipotle (CMG) and Panera (PNRA), leading companies to expand their offerings and roll out promotions. McDonald's (MCD) has started selling breakfast items all day, while Wendy's (WEN) offers a "4 for $4" deal to get customers in the door.