Burger King Tries to Woo You With Low-Cal Fries

Burger King is hoping to lure back hungry-but-calorie-conscious customers with a new menu item: low-fat fries. The chain says the "Satisfries" being introduced across the country today have 20% fewer calories than its regular fries—and 30% fewer than McDonald's fries, reports the Wall Street Journal. The new fries, crinkle-cut to distinguish them from regular fries, will cost 20 cents to 30 cents more than Burger King's other fries, except in kids' meals.

Burger King says the new fries are cooked with the same ingredients and in the same way as its regular fries, but it spent two years working with supplier McCain Foods to come up with the lower-calorie batter, the New York Times reports. "It's not realistic to ask people to replace french fries with carrots or celery sticks," a dietitian hired by Burger King tells USA Today. "This is like meeting people halfway." The chain believes the new fries could have as big an impact as diet soda, but Lacey Donohue at Gawker isn't having it: "No one will ever order Satisfries because no self-respecting person will ever want to say 'Satisfries' aloud," she predicts. (More Burger King stories.)