Burger King has never shied away from the bigger-is-better approach.
In a market that has been sensitive to health concerns, the fast-food giant has built its brand around the Whopper. And while Burger King's (QSR) signature sandwich hasn't been the stand-in for unhealthy items like the McDonald's Big Mac has in countless news stories — [blank] has more calories than 3 Big Macs — it's certainly not health food.
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In a broad sense, the fast-food burger chains have generally admitted that they're bad for you. Of the big three, only Wendy's offers salads, while McDonald's and Burger King know their customers well enough to know that nobody visits them because they want to make good choices.
Burger King over the years has leaned into the excesses of fast food. Most famously, the chain offered the Egg-Normous Breakfast Burrito in 2016. This unabashedly indulgent breakfast was marketed to people who needed a hearty breakfast to kick off a day of hard work.
"Featuring a generous serving of savory sausage, thick-cut smoked bacon, lots of fluffy eggs, topped with queso sauce, golden hash browns, plus a creamy spicy sauce all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla and served with a side of picante Sauce," the chain described at the time.
More recently that's not a strategy Burger King has pursued, but the chain is offering a massive burger and is leveraging it for a different kind of promotion.
Image source: Burger King
Burger King has a one-pound burger
In the U.S. Wendy's (WEN) also has embraced the bigger-is-better mantra, but it has done so quietly. The chain allows customers to add two more patties (for a total of 4) to the two-patty, 960-calorie Baconator.
That's a stunning amount given that the often-vilified Big Mac comes in at 563 calories while the Whopper beats it at 677 calories. At their U.S. locations, at least in recent years, the big three have generally not touted high-calorie counts even while offering them.
In Japan, however, that's not the case. There, Burger King has embraced and promoted massive burgers. The biggest of them, the Great King Yeti, weighs in at a full pound (454 grams). The chain touted the burger on its X feed and teased a novel promotion.
"2 weeks left. 'Great King Yeti The One Pounder.' The yeti will soon return to the snowy mountains. It looks like he won't be participating in this year's all-you-can-eat event. ... We are currently planning this year's all-you-can-eat! The first installment is scheduled for around May, so please wait for further updates," the chain said.
Coming in at 1,495 calories, the Great King Yeti consists of four beef patties, six slices of gouda cheese, caesar sauce, pickles and onions served on a toasted sesame bun.
Burger King offers all-you-eat promotion
While it's not unheard of for fast-food chains to offer all-you-can-eat deals, that has not been something Burger King, McDonald's (MCD) or Wendy's has done.
Pizza Hut and KFC (YUM) have offered all-you-can-eat buffets, but those have become very rare.
Burger King Japan will be using the Big King Yeti for a limited-time all-you-can-eat promotion in Japan.
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"You can eat as much of it as you want with Burger King Japan’s One Pounder Challenge. For 45 minutes, you’ll get all-you-can-eat King Yeti plus medium french fries and soft drink. You have to finish the item first before ordering another one, with the last order set at the 30-minute mark," Timeout reported.
Taking part in the promotion won't be cheap. It will cost you 3,900 yen, roughly $26.56, but participants get T-shirts and custom Whopper cases for taking part.
