Smart move or wasted opportunity?
Sandwiches are extremely popular in Japan, so much so that they are often casually referred to as “sando”, which is the same way a Japanese person would say the English word “sand.” Though at first that seems like an incredibly unappetizing nickname, it kind of grows on you, like: “Wanna grab a sand?” or “I’m gonna whip up a ham sand.”
KFC Japan seems to disagree though and have officially changed the name of their chicken sandwiches from “Chicken Sando” to “Chicken Burgers.” The change comes in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Chicken Fillet Sando in Japan.
As I mentioned before, moving away from the word “sand” is probably a good idea, but “burger” was not the right move here. Setting aside the argument that the strict definition of a “burger” requires the meat component to be ground up and shaped into a patty, it was the wrong play because a far superior name for these sandwiches was right in front of their noses and entrances this whole time…
▼ Sanders!!!
Not only is it a perfect homage to the founder of KFC, but it retains the technical “sandwich” designation, distances itself from a pile of dirt, and is just downright fun to say. I mean, who wouldn’t want something called a “Cheesy Chicken Sander?”
▼ Also, let’s not forget the innate sense of power that the word “sander” carries.
Oh well, the change is made and we’ll all just have to live with it I guess. One thing we can all agree on is that these “Burgers” all look really good and come in five types…which I’m afraid I must insist on calling “sanders” just to demonstrate how great it would be:
▼ Chicken Fillet Sander – 390 yen (US$2.66)
▼ Japanese Style Breaded Chicken Cutlet Sander – 390 yen ($2.66)
▼ Double Chicken Fillet Sander – 590 yen ($4.02)
▼ Cheese Chicken Fillet Sander – 420 yen ($2.86)
▼ Spicy Chicken Fillet Sander – 420 yen ($2.86)
That last of those three are new additions to the lineup. The Spicy Chicken Fillet is topped with a dollop of “secret sauce” that is said to contain a unique blend of 10 to 20 spices. Meanwhile, the new Cheese Chicken Fillet uses a specially selected type of cheese to best match KFC chicken and the Double Chicken Fillet includes a dose of mayo on the top and bottom to ensure evenness in flavor.
They all went on sale from 12 October which is the same time commercials started airing featuring actor Kento Kaku reprising his role as Colonel Sanders.
They’re certainly nice looking sandwiches, but it’ll be hard for me to look at this lineup of “KFC Burgers” and not feel wistful about what could have been. Hopefully, next time a fast food restaurant makes a big decision like this they’ll call me first.
Source: PR Times
Images: PR Times (Unless otherwise noted)
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