• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Burger King

Burger King Is Starting a Fast Food Fight With KFC (Which Turned Colonel Sanders Into Colonel RoboCop?)

By
Laura Stampler/TIME
Laura Stampler/TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Stampler/TIME
Laura Stampler/TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 21, 2019, 2:46 PM ET
Daily Life In Dublin
NurPhoto NurPhoto via Getty Images

Always hankering to start a fast food fight, Burger King launched an ad campaign for its new flame-grilled chicken sandwich Thursday that revolves around roasting competitor KFC.

“When it comes to flame grillin’, a King always outranks a Colonel,” said Burger King’s newly dubbed KFG (King of Flame Grilling), wearing a white suit straight out of Colonel Sandwich’s closet, in a 26-second YouTube video.

it’s the K.F.G., y’all. yeah, the king of flame-grilling, and he’s introducing his new flame-grilled chicken sandwich. it’s flame-grilled good! pic.twitter.com/TuLMgnlxdr

— Burger King (@BurgerKing) February 21, 2019

“We have over 60 years of grilling expertise under our belt,” Chris Finazzo, President of Burger King Corporation’s North American business, said in a statement. “We wanted to celebrate this expertise and show that when it comes to flame-grilling, we ‘reign’ over the competition.”

You can watch the full ad for the $4.99 sandwich below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOCGIXB0Ws

And although it might be jarring to see Burger King’s plastic mascot jam his (somehow human) hands through the white suit, it’s good to know that some fictional fast-food leader is getting some wear out of the ensemble considering that KFC’s new ad campaign has turned Colonel Sanders into Colonel… RoboCop. (Yes, really.)

https://twitter.com/kfc/status/1098621661232807937

For those who thought that the Colonel RoboCop ad campaign, which AdAge reports will start airing on Feb. 24, is a sign that the reboot RoboCop Returns will be coming soon to a theater near you, we hate to inform that that’s probably not the case. The movie’s IMDB page has yet to list a release date or cast.

Whether Colonel RoboCop will slap back at the KFG is still unknown. But considering Burger King’s history of trolling competitors, may have more whoppers in store.

Earlier this month, Burger King Sweden trolled McDonald’s with an offering of Big Mac-themed sandwiches advertised with tag lines including: “Like a Big Mac, But Actually Big”, “Kind of Like a Big Mac But Juicier and Tastier”, and “Big Mac-ish But Flame-Grilled of Course.”

In a similar vein, Burger King offered American customers a one cent Whopper if they ordered it on the app within 600 feet of a McDonald’s, and it briefly launched a Double Quarter Pound King Sandwich to take on McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder.

how do you order a Whopper sandwich for a penny “at” McDonald’s? here’s how. #WhopperDetour https://t.co/lAgbGO0bL0 pic.twitter.com/ANXIy6Yu9I

— Burger King (@BurgerKing) December 4, 2018

But in spite of Burger King’s swat at KFC, that is a small side of mashed potatoes to the true chicken king. As Ad Age points out, while KFC had $4.4 billion in sales in 2017, Chick-fil-A’s sales in the same period exceeded $9 billion.

 

About the Author
By Laura Stampler/TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
Big TechApple
Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
By Alexei OreskovicApril 30, 2026
4 hours ago
Meta’s threat to quit New Mexico ‘is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,’ AG says
LawMeta
Meta’s threat to quit New Mexico ‘is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,’ AG says
By Catherina GioinoApril 30, 2026
7 hours ago
Moreno gestures with his hand
PoliticsU.S. Senate
A ‘no-brainer’: Senate unanimously bans members and staff from using prediction markets
By Mary Clare Jalonick and The Associated PressApril 30, 2026
8 hours ago
Kevin Warsh, nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve.
BankingFederal Reserve
Former Fed economist raises alarm on Warsh after historically partisan vote: ‘this is not normal is going to be a theme’
By Eva RoytburgApril 30, 2026
8 hours ago
Landry speaks a podium wearing a white cowboy hat.
PoliticsSupreme Court
Two days before early voting starts, Louisiana suspends its congressional primaries after SCOTUS knocks majority-minority districts
By Sara Cline, Jack Brook, David A. Lieb and The Associated PressApril 30, 2026
8 hours ago
A banner depicting portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
PoliticsIran
Iranian supreme leader says the only place Americans belong in the Gulf is ‘at the bottom of its waters’
By Jon Gambrell, Aamer Madhani and The Associated PressApril 30, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
4 days ago
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
Big Tech
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
By Alexei OreskovicApril 29, 2026
1 day ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
10 hours ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
3 days ago
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
Big Tech
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
By Jim EdwardsApril 30, 2026
19 hours ago
No, tariffs are not strengthening the economy
Commentary
No, tariffs are not strengthening the economy
By Alex DuranteApril 29, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.