The Reason Burger King Got Rid Of Their Crown-Shaped Nuggets

Burger King ranks as one of the top fast-food chains in the United States. Known for its trademark burger, the company also has made waves in snackable chicken through the last few decades. From 2006-2011, these waves took the form of three-prong, crown-shaped, breaded chicken nuggets (via Change.org). Says one Redditor, "Man those were the best bk nuggets; were the only ones I would eat; I wouldn't eat McDonald's nuggets." A finger food steeped in nostalgia for many, this much-lauded snack also suddenly disappeared. Says another mourner of this loss, "UUUUGGGGHHH....I'm drooling just thinking about them...they were so delicious. Truly better times for Burger King."

And while it must be recognized that Burger King did not discontinue nuggets or other chicken snacks, the replacement product just wasn't the same. To say people feel strongly about that would be an understatement. As one person remembers the loss "When I arrived at Burger King that day, I got a surprise. The nuggets had a new shape. I popped one into my mouth. The taste had changed. It was an odd mix between Wendy's and McDonald's chicken nuggets. My soul has been crushed. My only favorite food from an untasteful restaurant ruined," (via Reddit). In fact, at time of writing, 1,878 people have signed a petition to ask the restaurant to change the nuggets back on Change.org.

So why did Burger King change these beloved crown-shaped nuggets? It seems that no one is 100 percent sure, but there are some viable theories. One Redditor discusses the appeal to a niche versus larger marketing as a probable cause: "They wanted to have more of that 'chicken snack' market, which McDonald's has taken a massive chunk of. The crown look was too 'kid-friendly' and they wanted their new line of nuggets to pertain to all ages. They changed the look and recipe to help boost their sales."

It's definitely a possibility that marketers underestimated the long-standing appeal of the crown nugget. Another theory is that this was simply part of the company's regular menu change-ups. Explaining a nugget revamp in 2013, global chief marketing officer Flavia Faugeres said, "Our new limited-time menu options give guests even more delicious reasons to visit Burger King restaurants in the New Year" (via Business Insider). It could be possible that the crown-shaped nuggets were never meant to become part of the permanent Burger King menu. We may never know.

Here's hoping another chicken snack comes along soon that is even better than the crown-shaped nuggets.