Whopper

Whopper is a hamburger product sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's. Introduced in 1957, the hamburger has undergone several reformulations such as portion resizing and bread changes. The Whopper is Burger King's signature product and has been part of its menu for more than 60 years.

History

The Whopper was created in 1957 by Burger King co-founder James McLamore and originally sold for 37 cents. McLamore created the burger after he noticed that a rival restaurant was having success selling a larger burger. Believing that the success of the rival product was its size, he decided to create a larger burger that was 'so big it took two hands to hold' and named it the 'Whopper', meaning 'something large of its kind'.

Product description

The Whopper is a hamburger, consisting of a flame-grilled 4 oz (113 g) beef patty, sesame seed bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and sliced onion. Optional ingredients such as American cheese, bacon, mustard, guacamole or jalapeño peppers may be added upon request. Burger King cooks its burgers over an open flame, which expands the aroma of the patties and gives them a different taste from those cooked on a griddle.

Variants

Over the years, Burger King has introduced many variations on the Whopper, including the Whopper Jr., Angry Whopper, Whopper Plopper, Texas Double Whopper, and the Impossible Whopper. The Whopper Jr. is a smaller version of the Whopper, without the center "crown" portion of the bun. The Angry Whopper added jalapeños, "Angry Sauce" and "Angry Onions". The Impossible Whopper substitutes the beef patty for a vegetarian patty made by Impossible Foods.

In popular culture

The Whopper has been at the center of many advertising campaigns, controversies and legal cases. It has also been the subject of a hoax, where a rumor was spread that Burger King was discontinifying the Whopper, leading to widespread customer protests.

See also

• List of hamburgers
• Burger King products
• Burger King advertising