Fast food is generally considered a guilty pleasure. Nobody eats a Big Mac or a Whopper and thinks, “That was a good, healthy choice that I’m so proud of.” In fact, the Big Mac has often been used by news outlets as a benchmark for how to measure unhealthy choices.
It’s common to see people describe some of the newer deteriorating foods as “more calories than three Big Macs. That’s probably unfair to McDonald’s.” (MCD) The sandwich is special because it’s “only” 563 calories compared to 677 in a similar Burger King offering, The Whopper.
Of course, Big Mac and Whopper are practically healthy food compared to Wendy’s (wen) Bacon, which comes in at 920 calories.
Calories aren’t really something like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Brands International (QSR) Burger King worry about all that much. This is something backed by the massive failure of McLean and Burger King’s Satisfries, and nearly every fast food attempt to serve up salads.
Fast food is not healthy food. It’s about making you feel good (even if you feel bad not long after). This is something BURGER KING has embraced as more than just offering its newest sandwich.
Burger King launches new Guilty Burgers
The fast food giant decided it wouldn’t even pretend to be the latest menu addition. Burger King Japan has added what it calls “Guilty Porcini Burgers” to its menu. In general, putting the word “guilty” in the name of your product indicates that it is not the best healthy choice you might make. In this case, that seems more than true.
Burger King Japan added two versions of the Guilty Porcini Burger, one with a beef patty and one with fried chicken (which technically isn’t a burger, but the chain doesn’t seem to care).
โBoth Guilty Porcini Burgers feature a gourmet creamy mushroom sauce made with different types of mushrooms, mayonnaise, and fries as well as a choice of flame-grilled beef patty or a fried chicken patty sandwiched between a pair of rich, buttery relishes,โ Chubum said. Sourdough bread laden with butter after the leavening process, before baking.”
Putting french fries on burgers has always been a favorite menu hack.
Burger King, Wendy embraces junk food surplus
While it has shown some restraint in its US menu, Burger King has embraced decadence overseas. It seems that this is actually his strategy in Japan as the series seems to want to get bigger with each new show.
“A few of his recent limited editions include the King Yeti, a one-pound beef burger that has four patties and is drizzled with Gouda cheese, and the Big Mouth, topped with a fried brown crust and a helping of chili. So if you’re training to become a sumo wrestler and need to put on weight, Quick, you know where to go,” TheStreet’s Colette Bennett wrote in March.
Wendy’s didn’t show the same local restrictions that made the ability to add waffles to any sandwichโBaconator includedโa popular feature on its menu. McDonald’s hasn’t fully embraced this level of decadence, but it has completely stopped serving salads.
Basically, all three chains decided to embrace what they are – the places people go to enjoy. This may be taken to an extreme in Japan, but it’s a common thread throughout what each chain has to offer locally as well.
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