Active Low-Carber Forums

As Americans struggle with the growth of obesity in adults and children, restaurants are jumping on the diet bandwagon in an effort to retain their fast-food clientele.

By Ameet Sachdev
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 14, 2004

The nation's fast-food giants are shedding the bread for those hoping to shed some pounds.

Burger King is just the latest to join. On Tuesday, the hamburger chain said it will begin selling a low-carbohydrate version of its popular Whopper sandwich at its nearly 8,000 domestic restaurants.

Consumers might not want to wrap their hands around the newest incantation. Rather than a bun, the patty will come on a plate, minus the ketchup and mayo.

Recognizing the growing popularity of low-carbohydrate, high-protein regimens like the Atkins diet, restaurants have become carb-obsessed. Major chains, such as T.G.I. Friday's, Subway and Ruby Tuesday, are leading the charge nationally, along with scores of regional and local restaurant operations.

Most of the new low-carb menu items are hardly strokes of scientific genius. Much like the bunless Whopper, they are stripped-down versions of old favorites. At Subway, for example, a skinny tortilla is an alternative to its crusty bread.

Restaurants are spending millions to advertise their low-carb alternatives or products high in protein. Two chains--Subway and T.G.I. Friday's--even have endorsement deals with Atkins.

But the restaurant industry has been burned by following Americans' love affair with diets. The carb craze reminds some industry experts of the low-fat diet popular in the 1990s. Fast-food restaurants added salad bars and sandwiches like the McDonald's McLean Deluxe burger, and for the most part the innovations bombed.

"We've gone down this path before where fast-food restaurants offer healthier fare," said Harry Balzer, vice president of NPD Group, a market research company in Chicago. "It's not fared well."

It's too early to tell whether low-carb is a fad or a trend. One thing is for sure: More than 30 years after Dr. Robert Atkins published his first diet book, there are legions of Atkins aficionados. NPD estimates that 10 million Americans are actively pursuing an Atkins diet or one of the low-carb imitators, up from 3 million a year ago.

Those protein-mad dieters have caused a surge in demand for beef, cheese and eggs, while turning an evil eye toward bread and pasta. Food giants like Northfield-based Kraft Foods Inc. and Chicago-based Sara Lee Corp. are scrambling to figure out how to take carbs out of many of their products.

With about half of all meals eaten outside the home, it was only a matter of time before restaurants started listening to this population. Hamburger chains and other purveyors of protein have been quick to respond.

In December, Hardee's and Carl's Jr. began selling a bunless, lettuce-wrapped hamburger. Hardee's version has only 5 grams of carbohydrates, compared with 54 for a burger with a bun. Burger King's bunless Whopper has 3 grams, compared with 52 for a regular Whopper without cheese.

Bunless burger not cheaper

Burger King has said the bunless Whopper will cost the same as its breaded counterpart, although pricing decisions are made by individual franchisees.

In addition to the bunless Whopper, Miami-based Burger King, the nation's No. 2 hamburger chain, behind McDonald's Corp., plans to increase its low-carb options by introducing salads with a choice of grilled chicken, shrimp or sirloin steak. Dieters also will be able to order Whopper meals that substitute salads for carb-laden french fries and bottled water for soft drinks.

"We're doing this as a choice of flexibility for our guests, whether they're following low-carb, low-fat or counting their calories," said Glad Markunas, Burger King's senior vice president of consumer insights and strategic branding.

Some nutritional experts are more cynical about the restaurant chains' motives. After all, a Whopper without the bun has fewer calories but as much saturated fat as one with a bun.

"This is not about the fast-food industry getting interested in health promotion," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "It's about trying to sell as much fast food as possible."

She does applaud McDonald's and other chains for introducing healthier items like salads and yogurt to their menus.

McDonald's, though, has yet to promote nationally any of its healthier offerings as low-carb. The Oak Brook-based chain has started an informational campaign at restaurants in the Northeast that shows customers the carbohydrate content of certain sandwiches with and without buns and some condiments.

Strategy can backfire

Using obesity and health concerns in advertising will not work for all marketers, of course. That was seen in November when KFC was criticized for ads encouraging the carb-conscious to include fried chicken in their diets.

In one ad from the Yum Brands Inc. unit, someone asks his friend Jack what he has been doing to look so good. Jack's answer: "Eatin' chicken." The announcer then says, "The secret's out. Original Recipe chicken has 11 grams of carbohydrates and 40 grams of protein."

KFC pulled the ads after Wootan's organization asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether they were misleading. KFC has said the complaint did not prompt the company to stop airing the ads.