# What's wrong with Burger King? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560 "2010-12-28T00:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/61 "2010-12-30T06:55:40Z")
Speaking only for myself (at least judging by the looks I tend to get when I explain this IRL), I’m not a fan of Burger King because while their product is the closest facsimile to an actual hamburger, I consider fast-food burgers to be a different food altogether. When I want a fast-food hamburger, I want the food item that is a “fast-food hamburger”, not something that’s sort of like a hamburger only crappier. Almost every time that I might prefer BK over Micky D’s, it’d be because I wanted a hamburger as opposed to a fast-food hamburger, and while BK’s offering is closer to that, a real hamburger is closer still, and so I’d just get one of those. I feel much the same way about Kraft Macaroni n’ Cheese. The more expensive boxed mac n’ cheese brands you might find at Whole Foods or Fresh Market are closer to the “real thing”, but despite the superficial similarity, the boxed stuff and actual mac n’ cheese are intrinsically different foods. Attempts to mix the two just strike me as bizarre, like, I don’t know, pouring spaghetti sauce on Ramen noodles. They’re different things; just pick one and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/62 "2010-12-30T07:39:55Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > There are indeed grilled from both directions. But, getting back to my last post, is this method more likely to make a burger drier? I’ve noticed this problem with Burger King and other places that char or flame grill their burgers (e.g., Carl’s Jr.). I don’t recall encountering this problem with places like McDonalds that fry their burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/63 "2010-12-30T08:19:47Z")
Burger King, AKA Hungry Jack’s, seems to be doing pretty well in my area. They advertise as much or more as the other chains. The recent special menu item is the Angry Angus, which has fried onions. When I want a hamburger, Hungry Jack’s is my default. If I go to Mac’s I’m after the Filet-O-Fish. Oporto for chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/64 "2010-12-30T15:02:01Z")
It looks like even Burger King thinks there’s something wrong with Burger King, unfortunately they think it’s the look of the place and not the food. [Link](http://www.mainstreet.com/article/lifestyle/food-drink/burger-king-preps-pricey-makeover?puc=outbrain&cm_ven=outbrain&obref=obnetwork) I’m with some of the other people here who hate their habit of making an awesome specialty burger only to yank it off the menu a couple of months later. Last year they had one called the Angry Whopper and it was fantastic. Fried jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and some kind of spicy sauce that was really good. I ate one every week. They knocked it off the menu and I haven’t been back since. Beyond the rare special offering like that, I’d rather just go to Dairy Queen. They have better burgers _and_ real onion rings. edit: I just noticed Dave Hartwick’s mention of the Angry Angus burger. It looks like that’s all the way in Australia though. ☹ Bring it back BK! ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/65 "2010-12-30T18:09:31Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > But, getting back to my last post, is this method more likely to make a burger drier? I’ve noticed this problem with Burger King and other places that char or flame grill their burgers (e.g., Carl’s Jr.). I don’t recall encountering this problem with places like McDonalds that fry their burgers. When the patties come out of the little assembly line broiler they are dripping. They’re placed on buns and put into a steamer, the bun soaks up the juice and along with the steam they get kinda mushy in the process. Depending how long they’ve been in there the edges of the bun can get hard too. They throw them in the microwave for a few seconds before making the burger, but the damage is already done. Ask for one to be made fresh, you’ll see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/66 "2010-12-30T20:53:22Z")
Burger King has veggie burgers, thus making it the only option for me when it comes to burger-oriented fast food. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/67 "2010-12-30T20:56:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > BK’s secret is that flame grill. It adds a lot of flavor. This is why I’ve always preferred Carl’s Jr. They have more of a flame-broiled taste than Burger King. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/68 "2010-12-30T20:59:01Z")
What’s wrong with Burger King is that they have that good Whopper Jr but they don’t put cheese on it unless you ask, which is unAmerican. And sometimes you forget to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/69 "2010-12-30T21:18:28Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Great. I read the whole thread and now I want a Whopper, but it’s 6 AM and they only sell breakfast now! My local BK has the whopper as a meal option for breakfast. > [@Terraplane](#): > > Last year they had one called the Angry Whopper and it was fantastic. Fried jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and some kind of spicy sauce that was really good. The whopper is my favorite fast food burger but only when the Angry Whopper :mad: (\<---- see how angry it is?) is not available. I also loved the angus varieties. They really need to bring those back. Also I first read the “Angry Angus burger” as “Angry Anus” and I thought “yep, thats what you get after you eat the Angry Whopper.” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/70 "2010-12-30T21:52:50Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > And thus the heating element—and the heat—is _above_ the pan that holds the food. You asked how they get the flames to go down. They don’t have to. Just because a flame goes up doesn’t mean the heat doesn’t go down. “Flame-broiled” (to me) doesn’t mean the flame has to touch the meat. But it does mean it’s not fried or cooked by an electric element or a pressure cooker. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/71 "2010-12-30T22:02:31Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I was in a combination Arby’s/gas station yesterday in Illinois. After I’d peed in the gas station restroom, and washed my hands and worked my way out using nothing but elbows and knees, before I ordered my sandwich I asked the counter girl if they had their own restroom. The Arby’s side looked clean and shiny, but there was absolutely no way I was going to eat food prepared by someone who had used that restroom on the other side. **Frank** , was this the one in Bloomington? Because I absolutely concur with your restroom assessment if it was. Shudder. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/72 "2010-12-30T23:19:05Z")
> [@Terraplane](#): > > It looks like even Burger King thinks there’s something wrong with Burger King, unfortunately they think it’s the look of the place and not the food. [Link](http://www.mainstreet.com/article/lifestyle/food-drink/burger-king-preps-pricey-makeover?puc=outbrain&cm_ven=outbrain&obref=obnetwork) Well, considering how many of the initial posts in this thread were _about_ the look of the locations… ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/73 "2010-12-31T00:04:35Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Burger King, AKA Hungry Jack’s, seems to be doing pretty well in my area. Ditto in my suburb, where they’ve recently re-opened an outlet that closed about five years ago. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/74 "2010-12-31T02:20:41Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Ditto in my suburb, where they’ve recently re-opened an outlet that closed about five years ago. You may be able to chalk up any BK closings to the franchisees that don’t want to pick up the half million dollar renovation tab. They instead might just opt to close up shop instead, taking the money and ending the BK. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/75 "2010-12-31T02:33:34Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > You may be able to chalk up any BK closings to the franchisees that don’t want to pick up the half million dollar renovation tab. They instead might just opt to close up shop instead, taking the money and ending the BK. There doesn’t appear to have been any renovation. They just closed up shop, the place then sat unused for about five years, and it has now re-opened. After a good clean, it looks exactly the way it did previously. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560/76 "2010-12-31T13:39:29Z")
We’ve got a BK up the road from us. It’s been there since I was small. It’s gone through numerous renovations where the setup is exactly the same, but the walls, floor, and booths have been changed out/cleaned/whatever. I honestly don’t know how it stays in business. Nobody I know goes there – the fast food choice around here is Wendy’s, if anything. Maybe they get most of the business at night? I’ve never been a fast food fan, even as a kid. Oh, I’ll eat it if there’s no choice, but even then I stick to the most basic of basics – I do’t do Whoppers, Big Macs, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-burger-king/565560.md?page=3)