There's no stopping it - Cheeseburger Fries are set to sweep America. The new snack food item, which was developed using beef checkoff funds, will hit the restaurant market in a major way beginning next month.
The beef industry is excited about this new product - and with good reason. The product represents an untapped opportunity to provide beef lovers with another way to enjoy beef. While beef enjoys unprecedented popularity among consumers, only 4 percent of beef servings are breakfast or snack products.
With this and other new beef items, that is about to change. Capitalizing on the huge cheeseburger market (5.7 billion sold in the past year) and consumer demand for more portable food options, the industry has produced Cheeseburger Fries, a tasty combination of ground beef and cheese in a French-fry shape with a crispy coating. It has been described as a cross between a chicken nugget and a cheese stick -- a fun finger-food, portable, quick-cooking, capable of being served with a variety of menu applications in a variety of flavors and shapes, and typically served with ketchup or barbecue sauce.
Ram International on Nov. 3 became the first major restaurant chain to put Cheeseburger Fries on the menu of its restaurants nationwide. Ram International, based in Lakewood, Washington, operates The Ram, C.B.&Potts, Shenanigans, Humperdinks, Murphys and Stonehouse restaurants in eight states - Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming.
Cheeseburger Fries were developed by the beef industry's checkoff-funded R&D Ranch®, which acts as a catalyst for new beef and veal product innovation. The R&D Ranch team focuses on building value into underutilized beef and veal primals, and helping industry partners identify and develop new products that will complement and grow their businesses. The R&D Ranch has developed many other beef appetizer concepts, including Philly Cheese Steak Bits, Country-Fried Steak Tenders, Santa Fe Sticks and Beef & Bacon Bleu Cheese Wedges.
"Beef's entry into the appetizer line can serve as an alternative for chicken nuggets, one of the leading appetizer sellers, and this category creates opportunities in quick service restaurants, casual dining, non-commercial restaurants, entertainment outlets and school lunch programs," says Tracy Brunner, a beef producer from Kansas, member of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and chair of the industry's Joint New Product & Culinary Initiatives Committee. "In a line once dominated by poultry, beef has a unique opportunity to increase its presence and showcase its versatility on the appetizer menu.
Cheeseburger Fries®