Whopper Wednesdays

Is that cheap or expensive? I value my health so I have no idea because I'd never put that poison in my body.

 

Yep...I remember when the Quarter Pounder with cheese used to cost $0.35.

 

Apparently about par. The Wikipedia article says the Whopper debuted at $0.37 in 1957, or about $4.36 in February 2026 dollars (can't calculate for March yet).

Article also says all "artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors" were to be removed as of the end of 2020.

Still 43% of your daily sodium in one fell whop, though.

 

Shoo, I think one of the last whoppers I had, I detailed in this post, some 10 years ago or so.

Burger King's Scary new Burger -- It may scare you to the Medical Clinic | PriusChat

 

whopper of a heart attack on a bun?

 

I was reading back through the Halloween Burger King post I referenced back above Bisco's comment and in that 10-year-old post came upon the following from "the electric me,." Seems to fit what we have been seeing on FHOP lately.


The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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It's threads like this that make me wonder why we have people that insist on "leaving" Prius Chat when or if they move on from actual Prius ownership.

Sure this is a Freds House of Pancakes topic.

But we've got a 67+ post thread about Burger Kings Scary New Burger. That has morphed into a conversation about everything from marketing to diet choices.

I may someday NOT own a Prius. And I would expect with that my participation would dwindle. BUT...threads like this are exactly why I check in.
Where else can I get the latest "Triangle of Death" post coupled with a ongoing discussion about a dyed hamburger bun?

#68 The Electric Me, Oct 5, 2015
bisco and Stevewoods like this.

 

And that was not even halfway through the eventual Halloween Burger King thread....

 

Hey; I used to work there in high school. The Whopper has actually shrunk. I always thought it was funny when a large person would walk-in and order two whoppers, two extra large fries, and a large diet Pepsi for themselves. McDonalds is exclusive with Coke. Also funny when people try to order onion rings at McDonalds.
I did a lot of fast food in my decade as a field service engineer.

 

The Wikipedia article says it grew by a fifth of an ounce and got a Kaiser roll instead of a bun, in 1985, then reverted in 1987....

 

I was there in 1980 and the bun was about 5-6 inch diameter compared to McDonald 4 inch buns. I don't recall the Kaiser roll thing; no offense to Wikipedia. McDonald has also shrunk to about 3.5 inches about 2-3 years ago - the last time I got a burger there.
Fun-Fact; check your grocery box weights - same box, less product to hold cost down. Creatures of habit don't notice the details....

YMMV

 

One of our typical lunch fair “burgers”:



The bun’s homemade, fillings vary, this one’s Brazil tinned corned beef and melted cheddar I think.

more often than not accompanied by a chicken or pork, vegetable soup.

 

Who knew?

The last Whopper I ate was on a road trip back when I was a self-loathing vegan (actually a pesky-tarian) when they first came out, back in 2019. Not really sure it counts as a "real whopper" since the one before that was so far in the past that I cannot with certainty say what they are supposed to taste like.

It appears that Whopper Wednesdays have been a 'thing' for a while now......for some.
It appears also that not many around here actually eat them perhaps lending credence to the belief by some Prius drivers that they're smarter than the average bear.

Is that REALLY such a high bar to clear?

 

@ETC(SS) @bwilson4web : Never liked BK burgers, except perhaps when 1) there's isn't anything else within 30 mins on a road trip and I'm starving, or 2) childhood when everything was good w\ Local food fatigue as a backdrop. Even chosen McDs over BK -- there just isn't anything abt the execution of the product that wants me to spend that kind of money to go back. But will agree, tried that Impossible burger... and wasn't awful. Still not good enough to go back for, but not as slapped together as their usual fare.

Commonly-available fast food hamburgers I liked (when could eat them on a whim):

• Five Guys -- most-consistent-best I've had outside a restaurant where they're $30+. Caveat: back in early '90s, which may've changed 30y later

• JITB -- Ultimate Cheeseburger remains a weak spot in my anti-junk-food armour; sooo many eaten in late '90s / early Y2Ks

• Wendy's -- back in late '90s when gas was $0.99/gal... used to get 5 x dbl stacks $1@, remove all but top & bottom bun, and eat that greasy pile of mince, laughing it was cheaper than one of their fancy burgers w/ a fraction the beef. Boy, youth + invulnerability delusion makes one stupid as f***

• Jolibee -- have one cheat day per month... and frequently choose to get their chicken sandwich, and an Angus burger. Burger's pretty good if not life-changing. Often skip the burger for the red meat content past age 50... but when indulging, not sorry for the premium over garbage like JITB or Wendy's

But our BK has been ten-mile-pole for 15y, and probably 6 on mainland prior. To let you know how bad this franchise is... their burgers are even bad in Japan and SK... which is where East Asian reinterpretations of American fast food usually improve it greatly. Nope, still the same slide-y, messy, meh slop over there too... just w\ 5 patties or something

 

Five Guys: Never been in one.
Wendys: I used to buy one of their taters, and a small chili. Pour the later over the former for a fairly inexpensive and not-too horrible lunch.
Over the years their chili got watery, expensive and their taters shrunk. Have not been in one in a few years.
I DID have one of their SEC square biscuits in a pinch-hit breakfast and it was pretty dang good - but....most SEC biscuits are.
The other two are regionals that I also haven't been to.

I do fully intend to grab a 'double-double' during my next sojourn to the home sod.
"What's THAT???" I hear you asking....
"Is ETC(SS) a closet Californian???"
Nope!
But I've been on the left coast a time or two.
(AI Overview)
In-N-Out Burger officially opened its Franklin, TN location at 1951 Double Double Drive in February 2026, located within the Berry Farms community. This spot marks a major expansion for the brand in Tennessee, serving popular items like Double-Doubles, fries, and shakes from 10:30 AM-1:00 AM (Sun-Thurs) and 1:30 AM (Fri-Sat).

For the uninitiated.....

The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California's First Drive-Through and How it Became a Beloved Cultural Icon (2023) is an official book by president/owner Lynsi Snyde...

 

I do like the business model behind the franchise... but tbph? Not all that, as burgers go

What's weird, is I also look forward to an I&O dbl-dbl, on the oft chance I'm caught dead in L.A. County (seriously)... because the taste of one is so consistent, even years later -- which is something any of the 2K - 13K-plus-US-location-franchises can never claim as they're constantly chiseling content from product to satisfy shareholders. If it's an L.A. franchise burger... the only other place I'd bother getting one is Tommy's, which is not universally agreed upon (besides my exp there is circa mid-'80s, caveat emptor).

When I lived in central Cali... there was this one burger joint that made absolutely amazing drive-thru burgers... just tried to look it up on Gargoyle Maps, and the only small chain today even ringing a bell in the city I lived in, was Wimpy's... honestly don't think it was there so the spot must've gone out of business. Was there in '99 and moved back to AZ after the moto shop job turned out to be a seasonal wet turd -- wonder what that place was called

Closet Californian? Far be it for this face *draws finger circle around Asian face* to protest... well we ex-mils tend not to defer too far into the Kool-Aid, classically... salty enough to make Kool-Aid Gatorade But vote with the state? If that makes me Californian (not to mention my County may as well be one of San Diego's), so be it

 

I'm a straight water guy myself.....but life in the south and a career fixing phones for a living makes gator-aid a fairly good option if only for the 28-oz bottles.
I actually recycle them......sometimes twice.