Vegetable burgers added to menu at Burger King

By Juliann Walsh
Bloomberg News Service

NEW YORK — Burger King will offer meatless burgers containing 10 grams of fat beginning Monday to attract more customers to the world's second-biggest fast-food restaurant chain.

The flame-broiled patties will contain vegetables, whole grains and spices, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and a new reduced-fat mayonnaise, served on a sesame-seed bun, Burger King said in a statement. They will sell for about $1.99 each.

Burger King plans to introduce 14 products, including a Chicken Whopper and a grilled-beef sandwich called Back Porch Grillers by June and launch a new advertising campaign to bring in more customers.

The patties, to be sold at all 8,248 U.S. Burger King stores, are made with water chestnuts, mushrooms, brown rice, green peppers and other grains and vegetables, spokeswoman Kim Miller said. While the burgers contain no soy products, the lowfat mayonnaise is made with soybean oil, she said.

Burger King owner Diageo Plc has said it wants to separate Burger King to emphasize its faster-growing liquor business, which includes labels such as Smirnoff, Seagrams, Johnnie Walker and Guinness Stout. The company hired an adviser, but hasn't said how it will accomplish the separation.

Burger King, based in Miami, trails McDonald's Corp. in size. Wendy's International Inc. is No. 3.