Burger King may be known for burgers (it’s in their name, after all) but with the 2010 introduction of pork ribs to the fast-food menu, this global fast-food chain reached new levels of success. The amazingly positive reception of this new menu item was an unanticipated achievement on the part of Burger King. The move was extremely risky on the part of the fast-food chain, but it more than paid off in the end.

There were many things barring Burger King from success when they introduced ribs to the menu. The difficulty of cooking, storing and seasoning ribs is a trying task for even the brightest chef. Previous tries to produce rib products (such as McDonalds boneless ribs) had not met with much success. Plus, ribs traditionally took longer to cook, and at a fast-food restaurant time is not a luxury. So at first, ribs did not seem like something that should feature prominently on the Burger King menu – it was too much of a risk. In fact, ribs were not even featured on any of Burger King’s rival menus, and the difference between burgers and fries vs. barbeque was astronomical. However, several things aided Burger King in making their introduction of succulent pork ribs the success story we remember it today.

First of all, the ribs were, in all honesty, particularly good. Burger King produced tasty ribs that were fresher and purer than most other meats on the menu, and customers were honestly drawn to a food that still resembled a home cooked meal. This is considerably impressive when one includes the fact that ribs are not easy to season and cook. Somehow, Burger King perfected both the tasting and the cooking process. By not over-simmering or over-saucing the ribs, they produced a tasty meal that was twice as good as the ribs available in other fast-food joints.

Price and portion sizing was another turn on for customers. Burger King was producing pork ribs for the first time at $7 or $8 a meal. This was a phenomenally cheap price for any rack of ribs, even ones bought from a fast-food joint. The other factor was the size of the ribs. They were not very large (some might only measure the size of a finger) but this actually proved to be a positive aspect in the end. Most customers ended up buying the ribs alongside another meal option, such as a burger. In effect, ribs became a delicious side dish that paired well with any Burger King meal. Burger King took a risk introducing ribs to their menu, but the move turned out to be an innovative and successful move for the fast-food chain.