Tequila in a burger? That’s right, Wendy’s NZ has launched a new Mexican Tequila Crunch burger with a hint of real Mexican tequila in its tangy tequila lime salsa.
Made by Hamilton boutique food producer Wild Country, the tequila lime salsa is made from crushed tomatoes, honey, mustard, lime, spices and a splash of silver tequila. But unlike the real thing, with only three percent alcohol per 100 mls and the alcohol also cooked out of the salsa, it won’t leave you hurting the next day.
Packing a flavour punch, the satisfying burger also comes loaded with corn chips for lots of crunch, sour cream, avocado and red onion, along with Wendy’s famous Manuka-smoked streaky bacon, natural Colby cheese and your choice of chicken, double beef or double chicken, all on a toasted Kaiser bun.
Wendy’s NZ CEO Danielle Lendich says she developed the burger range after sampling Wild Country’s 362 Grillhouse branded tequila lime salsa, available online, and being inspired by the unique taste – sweet and tangy, with a subtle tequila kick.
While the odd tequila-spiked burger recipe can be found online, Lendich says Wendy’s is not aware of any other tequila burger being sold by a QSR, making it a first in New Zealand and possibly elsewhere too.
Supporting the launch is a tongue-in-cheek campaign that looks set to push a few boundaries within the local QSR market.
Positioning the new burger range as a ‘taste from across the border’, the campaign leverages the infamous Mexican border – an ever-constant topic of conversation regularly featured in film, TV shows and Donald Trump’s latest twitter rants.
Created by Wendy’s agency Augusto, the hero social video and accompanying TVC shows customers being surprised with an offer to try the new burger for free, but only if they’re willing to take it down the road and eat it on foreign soil – inside a competitor restaurant. A few of them nervously accept.
Wendy’s is also encouraging fans on social media to cross the border and upload a photo of them eating the new burger in a rival QSR store, using the hashtag #bordercrossing.
