Drive-Thru Gourmet
Hoffman: Burger King trolls McDonald's with its Double Quarter Pound King
This week I reached out for a Double Quarter Pound King at the No. 2 flipper in America, Burger King, with 15,000 restaurants 'round the world.
In your face, McDonalds! Oh it's on — big time. The King is reigning, and confusing, the marketplace by copying the Golden Arches' iconic Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, ingredient for ingredient — even the names are a mind-messer.
You know what they say in Burgerville: Imitation is the sincerest form of flabbery.
Here's the Double Quarter Pound King breakdown: two quarter-pound, all-beef patties, two slices of American cheese, sliced fresh onions, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame seed bun. (See: McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder.)
Total calories: 900. Fat grams: 54. Sodium: 1,740 mg. Carbs: 50 g. Dietary fiber: 2 g. Protein: 56 g. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $5.39. That sure flies in the face of competitors' recent obsession with cutting prices on their value menus.
Burger King is once again trolling McDonald's by unleashing a burger that, let's be kind, "honors" a McDonald's product. This time, the King is really rubbing it in Ronald's face with a commercial burying the Double Quarter Pounder in a fast food graveyard. Rest in peace, McDonald's greasy lifeless flat top taste. Long live the King...and BK's flame-grilled flavor.
It's not the first time trash-talkin' Burger King has side-swiped a rival. Last year, after Wendy's dropped Spicy Chicken Nuggets from its menu, Burger King picked up the pieces, and beckoned broken-hearted nugget lovers across the street.
BK's Double Quarter Pound King is actually more than a half-pound of beef. This is a back-to-basics, stripped-down gut buster — no bacon or lettuce or tomato or mayo. You're getting a fistful of big meat, and lots of cheese — with just a little ketchup and mustard to smooth things over.
You may wonder, how's this different from the Double Whopper, which has been around since Burger King opened back in the '50s? The Double Whopper has more fixins, like lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
More important, how's this different from McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder? BK's monster burger has 900 calories and 54 fat grams. Mickey D's original inspiration has 770 calories and 45 fat grams.
Flame-grilling's flavor carries some weight.
---
Ken Hoffman reviews a new fast food restaurant item every Wednesday. Have a suggestion or a drive-thru favorite? Let Ken know in the comments, or on Twitter.