STRICTLY BUSINESS: POTATOES BIG ON FAST-FOOD MENUS

A lot of fast-food people remember the day -- Jan. 2, 1998 -- when governors in three states welcomed a new Burger King French fry.

Fifteen million people enjoyed a free order of fries.

Mr. Potato Head became the Burger King "spokes-spud."

It was an exciting day in Burger King land.

The new taste? Not so good.

More than two years and 19 pages of special fry specifications down the drain.

Following another two years of testing, new fry equipment, and more cooking specifications, Burger King insists it has learned from its mistakes, and that a much improved fry will be in its restaurants by this spring.

The new fry will be firm on the outside, pleasantly mealy on the inside, and contain seven crunches per mouthful.

The company, considered going back to an "uncoated" fry, but the new, new version is another coated one.

"The new, new fry will be in our restaurants within a couple of months," said Dan Drury of Mid-America Hotel Corp., which includes restaurants and motels over a wide area, including Burger King Restaurants, Holiday Inn and Victorian Inn in Cape Gir-ardeau.

The Burger King French Fry story has appeared in many publications, including page one of the Wall Street Journal. Seems the company's fries were less than impressive, and sales started falling shortly after the 1998 debut.

Who would have thought that potatoes could create a sensation?

Until you looked beneath the surface.

With a profit margin as high as 80 cents on the dollar, fries are the most lucrative food on menu boards.

And, over the past five years, American per-capita consumption of frozen fires -- the type used by almost every fast-food chain -- has increased by a hefty six pounds, to 26 pounds a year.

Potato analysts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture say the increase is probably due to the growing popularity of value meals, that is, fry, drink and sandwich combos. Value-meal sales have skyrocketed industry wide, but at Burger King, they have fallen. People were "passing" on the fries, and the franchisees aren't happy.

About a month ago, the company, which has about 8,400 U.S. restaurants, said it would roll out another "further-improved" fry this year.

The new, new fry has already gone through numerous tests, with different cooking, new cooking equipment, and new "certifried" cooks.

For the first time in a long while, Burger King fries are suddenly "tastier."

During an independent taste test, commissioned by Burger King nationally, 57 percent of those quizzed said Burger King fries were the best. Thirty-five selected McDonald's fries, and eight percent could care less.

McDonald's, which has 3,000 more restaurants that its competitors, claims its fry was still American's most beloved, based on sales volumes.

But, once again, Burger King fry sales dwindled, leading to the latest new, new Burger King fry.

The new King fries will still be coated. The company uses a light, natural coating that makes them tastier, crispier on the outside while they remain soft and savory on the inside.

At one point, Burger King said a poor potato crop may have been a factor, but this left franchises scratching their heads. If it's the potato crop, where did McDonald's get fries, from Mars?

Thus, anyway, the newest new French Fry war is on.

Fast-food chains feed 50 million Americans a day

Did you know?

The American hamburger is a relatively recent creation.

Hamburgers were not commonly made in America until the early 20th century. The first hamburger fast-food chain was White Castle, founded in 1916 by J. Walter Anderson of Wichita, Kan. He sold five cent hamburgers along with French fries and colas.

Fast-food did not become a significant part of the American diet until after World War II.

When McDonald's came along, it specialized in hot dogs for a while, before adding hamburgers.

The McDonald Brothers' success encouraged others to imitate them. Based on his observation of their burger stand, Keith Cramer began a fast-food hamburger restaurant in Florida which eventually became the Burger King chain. In 1954 Ray Kroc, a salesman who sold Multimixers, visited the McDonald's operation. He was so impressed that he arranged with the McDonalds to sell franchises.

Kroc opened his own McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., and streamlined the operation even further. By the end of 1957 there were 37 McDonald's; by 1959 the total had reached over 100. By 1961 Kroc was so enamored of the drive-ins that he bought out the McDonald brothers and expanded his operation throughout the nation. In turn, Kroc's success encouraged the growth of other fast-food chains. Dave Thomas opened his first Wendy's restaurant in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio.

By 1990 there were almost 11,803 McDonald's, 6,298 Burger King's, and 3,721 Wendy' s fast-food establishments in the United States.

Other fast-food chains were developed to market main products such as chicken, pizza, tacos, sub-sandwiches, etc.

Today, 160,000 fast-food restaurants serve more than 50 million Americans daily. These businesses generate sales in excess of $65 billion annually.