Burger King to McDonald’s: Let’s Make a ‘McWhopper’

[GennGreymane]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/bu...smtyp=cur&_r=0

Burger King’s mascot, “The Burger King,” is seeking a truce, albeit temporary, with Ronald McDonald.

In full-page ads running in The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, Burger King, a perennial also-ran in the burger races, has asked McDonald’s, its battered but still potent archrival, to join forces.

The goal? To operate one restaurant for one day staffed by employees of both companies and selling a burger called the McWhopper, a blend of the Big Mac and the Whopper, the best-selling burgers at McDonald’s and Burger King.

Sales proceeds would be donated to Peace One Day, a nonprofit group seeking to raise awareness of the International Day of Peace, which was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 for the opening of its annual meeting.

The United Nations later set Sept. 21 as the day to celebrate world peace, and Burger King proposes opening the pop-up store on that day in a parking lot between a McDonald’s and a Burger King in Atlanta.

“Corporate activism on this scale creates mass awareness and awareness creates action and action saves lives,” Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day, said in a video posted on the website, mcwhopper.com, that Burger King is using to explain its proposal.

No Burger King executive was available for comment, but in a news release, Fernando Machado, the company’s senior vice president for global brand management, urged McDonald’s to help “make history and generate a lot of noise around Peace Day.”

On Wednesday, McDonald’s posted a response from Steve Easterbrook, its chief executive, on Facebook and Twitter. He said he would be “in touch” with Burger King but did not outright accept its proposal. “We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference,” Mr. Easterbrook wrote.

Continue reading the main story
Burger King is now part of a Canadian-based company called Restaurant Brands International, which was created by the private equity group 3G Capital when it merged the burger chain with Tim Hortons, a Canadian restaurant chain.

The new owner cut costs, as it often does when it acquires a company, quickly improving the battered burger chain’s financial performance.

Improving sales proved a bigger challenge, and for a time last year, Burger King even ceded its position as the world’s No. 2 burger chain to Wendy’s.

The business has now recovered, though, posting a 6.7 percent gain in sales at stores open at least a year in the second quarter, which ended June 30. Management attributed the gains in part to the success of menu additions like a pulled pork sandwich and the return of the popular Chicken Fries.

In the proposed pop-up shop, employees from both companies would wear special uniforms, and the burgers they would serve might blend the Big Mac’s top bun (Burger King, not surprisingly, calls it a “crown”) and Big Mac sauce with the tomato slices and 4-ounce meat patty from the Whopper, among other things.

One sticking point might be the ketchup. McDonald’s famously stopped using Heinz ketchup when 3G bought the company, and Burger King has suggested using it on the McWhopper.

And there’s no word about which of the chains would supply fries.

[Iphie]

Whoppers and McD's...I 'd eat that

[ParanoiD84]

Sounds tasty, mcWhopper xxl.

[Kathandira]

No thanks. I'll just make one at home. What is so hard about grilling up 2 patties, throwing some tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and thousand island dressing on it.

The Whopper is really similar to a Big Mac. As far as I am aware, the difference is that a Big Mac doesn't have tomatoes, and has diced onions and special sauce. The Whopper has rings of onion on it instead, and no special sauce, but does have tomatoes.

[Fargus]

Whoppers taste better.

[-aiko-]

I've never had a Whopper but they should definitely use Burger King bread buns. They are definitely better.

[Gamdwelf]

No thanks. I'll just make one at home. What is so hard about grilling up 2 patties, throwing some tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and thousand island dressing on it.

The Whopper is really similar to a Big Mac. As far as I am aware, the difference is that a Big Mac doesn't have tomatoes, and has diced onions and special sauce. The Whopper has rings of onion on it instead, and no special sauce, but does have tomatoes.

They really are not similar at all.

Sucks that McDonald's poopooed the idea.

[Jester Joe]

I HATE YOU GENN YOU TOOK THE THREAD I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE.

Anyway, here's more information-
http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/26/news...s-burger-king/

McDonald's (MCD) CEO Steve Easterbrook replied on Facebook that it was a "great idea" and "inspiration for a good cause." But he shot down the idea of a McWhopper and offered a much more vague proposal.
"We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference," he said. "We commit to raise awareness worldwide, perhaps you'll join us in a meaningful global effort?"
Easterbrook also urged Burger King to "acknowledge that between us there is simply a friendly business competition and certainly not the unequaled circumstances of the real pain and suffering of war."
He signed off with, "We'll be in touch. P.S. A simple phone call will do next time."

I think it's ridiculous to turn down such a simple notion honestly, could of easily had any profits of said burger go towards some charity or something if McDonald's CEO really cared about actually doing something.

Basically McDonald's just shot themselves in the foot I think.

Also this website is fabulous.
http://mcwhopper.com/

[Deleted]

I predict this thread one get one page before someone comes in extolling the virtues of home cooked burgers and how there better than regular plebs for making there own.

[freakyduck]

No thanks. I'll just make one at home. What is so hard about grilling up 2 patties, throwing some tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and thousand island dressing on it.

The Whopper is really similar to a Big Mac. As far as I am aware, the difference is that a Big Mac doesn't have tomatoes, and has diced onions and special sauce. The Whopper has rings of onion on it instead, and no special sauce, but does have tomatoes.

I predict this thread one get one page before someone comes in extolling the virtues of home cooked burgers and how there better than regular plebs for making there own.

Yup, you guessed it.

I HATE YOU GENN YOU TOOK THE THREAD I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE.

Anyway, here's more information-
http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/26/news...s-burger-king/



I think it's ridiculous to turn down such a simple notion honestly, could of easily had any profits of said burger go towards some charity or something if McDonald's CEO really cared about actually doing something.

Basically McDonald's just shot themselves in the foot I think.

Also this website is fabulous.
http://mcwhopper.com/

What i find truly upsetting about this is the CEO from McD's response. It's kinda rude and "holier than thou" with his "we just have friendly competition, not actual war" garbage.

I don't normally eat at either place, but i had Burger King for lunch today cause that CEO's unprofessional response was pure jack-assery.

[Jester Joe]

What i find truly upsetting about this is the CEO from McD's response. It's kinda rude and "holier than thou" with his "we just have friendly competition, not actual war" garbage.

I don't normally eat at either place, but i had Burger King for lunch today cause that CEO's unprofessional response was pure jack-assery.

Exactly. It's like they were trying to be like "Hey look people, Burger King thinks our competition is similar to war, they're insulting our armies!" when really it was just Burger King trying to show anyone can get along.

[AndaliteBandit]

This must be the slippery slope that gay marriage is leading us down.

[Lenonis]

Obvious publicity stunt is obvious.

[Afrospinach]

I've never had a Whopper

*checks for a pulse*

[Rawrajishxc]

This is why McDonalds is struggling and losing to Burger King in the fast food industry.

[Deleted]

*checks for a pulse*

Burger King is a lot more rare than McDonald. No BK to be found in my country for example. Only had it for first time while in the UK.

[zEmini]

Yuck, sorry. I will never eat food that is processed from animals that spend most of their sad lives in 2 feet of shit.

[Kyr]

they should bring in wendy's and make it a McWhoppinator

[zEmini]

they should bring in wendy's and make it a McWhoppinator

Dont forget Carl's Junior:

Six Dollar McWhoppinator!

[Deleted]

Not going to happen, McDonalds is very protective of it's brand (Makes you wonder why they let undertrained teenagers that don't give a fuck serve it to people)