After receiving a large number of complaints from consumers, Burger King, which is famous for its Whopper, is revamping its best-selling product for the first time in nearly a decade. Burger King announced Thursday that its new Whopper willChange to better quality bread,useNew mayonnaise with a creamier texture, and use insteadboxedrather than paper packaging. The upgraded burger will be generally available in more than 7,000 stores across the United States this week.
The changes stem from years of customer complaints about burgers being squashed and falling apart easily.
Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. and Canada, told CNN: "I have actually heard and seen Whoppers being squashed. We have improved the packaging so that the burgers can remain intact. The denser mayonnaise is actually a request from some franchisees who want to use higher-end sauces. In addition, we have also upgraded and optimized the bread."
Curtis, who started taking calls directly from customers last week, said the brand was cautious about the revamp. for example,Beef patty recipe remains the same.
“You can’t just rip out the manual and start over,” says Curtis. “It’s like taking our iconic classic burger and changing it from casual to dressy.”
Upgrading the Whopper will cost each Burger King franchise about $4,000 more per year. Burger King recommended storesDon't raise prices, in order to sympathize with consumers who are suffering from inflationary pressure, and said that this investment will drive sales growth.
"For franchisees, it's tricky," said Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at Technomic, a restaurant industry data analysis company. "Labor costs haven't gone down. 'Why do you want me to pay more?' Having said that, it's about improving the business, but it's going to be a difficult process."
Why upgrade now?
Burger King is the eighth-largest fast-food chain in the U.S. by sales, according to Technomic data.
But Byrne pointed out that around 2023, Burger King gradually lost favor with customers, with complaints focusing on old stores, cold food, and a mediocre overall experience.
Curtis said the company must address these fundamental issues before it can update its menu. Now sales are finally picking up — U.S. same-store sales rose 3.2% in the latest quarter. However, the menu revision may also cause resentment among old customers, which in turn affects sales.
Byrne said: "In an environment where there is economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures are high and everyone is struggling to make ends meet, there is an additional risk in buying something unfamiliar. It is very risky for brands."
But Burger King believes the changes to the Whopper are gentle enough not to anger loyal fans while winning back customers who are disappointed with the brand.
“I hear customers at the airport all the time saying, ‘I love the Whopper, but I haven’t had one in years.’ And I say, ‘What are you waiting for?’ Now I feel like we’ve given them a good reason to come back.”
Inside the Test Kitchen
Burger King has repeatedly tested mayonnaise, buns and packaging over the past seven months.
The test kitchen didn't let any ideas go, or even tryPut the burger upside down: Meat patties on top, vegetables on the bottom.
Burger King chef Amy Alarcon, who joined in January this year, said: "This actually deviates from our goal. It is better to assemble it the way it should be assembled."
Redesigning a product for a national brand is a big undertaking. When it comes to bread, Alarcon needs to coordinate nearly ten national bakeries. They adjusted the pan size to make the bread fluffier and added an extra layer of frosting.
“This allows the sesame seeds to stick to each other more firmly and gives the impression of handcrafting rather than something produced at high speed in a factory.”
In terms of mayonnaise, the R&D team pursues a denser taste, with a slightly sweet and citrus fragrance.
The difficulty of packaging is how to make WhopperDoes not fall apart. Eventually, they gave up paper packaging and switched toflip-top lunch box.
Alarcon said the team found the box kept the burgers fresh "while locking in the temperature and giving the cheese a melty texture."
The president personally answered the phone
Through this Whopper upgrade, Burger King realized that customer feedback is the best basis for improvement. But brands need more input from ordinary diners.
As a result, President Curtis released his mobile phone number last Tuesday to receive calls from customers for two weeks.
"I spend four to six hours a day on the phone, and Saturdays are no exception," he said. "We still let customers down every day, but we have to be honest about it and address it directly. I want American consumers to know that we are doing this."
These calls also confirm the direction Curtis’ team is moving forward:More menu changes.
“A lot of people said, ‘Can we improve the fries?’ When I saw that trend on 12,000 calls, I knew I had to do it.”
fierce competition
Byrne noted that Burger King faces stiff competition: not just from direct competitors like McDonald’s and Five Guys, but also from other fast-food brands like Raising Cane’s.
Consumers have many choices and prices cannot easily rise, so they turn to other brands.
Technomic has been tracking consumers’ opinions of fast-food brands such as Burger King for years.Value for money rating.
Byrne said: "Looking back at the overall average over the past ten years or so, Burger King's value for money score has remained flat or even slightly declined. This shows that they do not have much flexibility in pricing and lack pricing power in the current market."