Have You Had Yours Yet??

It's been on sale for less than two weeks in Canada, but KFC Canada has already proclaimed the controversial Double Down its most successful new menu item ever with sales expected to top 350,000 bunless sandwiches by the end of October.

The Double Down, introduced in Canada last week, involves two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese and sauce stuck between two fried chicken breasts. The hefty package comes in at an artery-clogging 540 calories, 30 grams of fat and 1,740 milligrams of sodium, KFC said.

Dan Howe, chief marketing officer for KFC franchisor Yum! Restaurants Canada, said the sandwich has been especially popular in Alberta and Manitoba.

"It's just been phenomenal for KFC, our customers and our franchise partners across the country," he said in a release.

Priszm Income Fund, which is the franchisee of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in Canada, needs all the help it can get after reporting another loss in its third quarter last week.

The company missed financial performance covenants on its loans in the most recent quarter, and has also run into trouble renewing franchise licences for 75 of its restaurants.

To scrounge up liquidity, Priszm is considering selling off some of its restaurants.

The Double Down was first introduced in the United States in April and sold more than 10 million sandwiches in a month.


(National Post)