It's tough to imagine a world without Burger King.
For over sixty years, the company has provided cheap and filling food to hundreds of millions
of customers across the globe.
Here are a few things you probably don't know, or don't remember, about this American favorite.
"Break out the buns, cuz we grillin this dog my way.
Bikinis, martinis, zucchinis… yeah, you know the rest."
The Whopper Sacrifice
In 2009, Burger King created a one-off app which awarded users a coupon for a free Whopper,
if they deleted 10 people from their friends list.
Oh, and the app also sent a message to the friends you’d deleted, informing them that
you valued their friendship at less than one-tenth of a Whopper from Burger King.
Facebook shut the app down after only ten days, claiming it was a massive violation
of their users' privacy.
In that time, however, the app had already been installed on almost 60,000 accounts.
20,000 of those got their free Whoppers, while 200,000 more people were force-fed a hefty
dose of reality.
Burger King vs. Burger King
In 1952, Gene and Betty Hoots bought the Frigid Queen ice cream store in Mattoon, Illinois.
They quickly added burgers and fries to the menu and changed its name to Burger King.
They even acquired a state trademark for the name in 1959.
A few years later, the real Burger King rolled into town.
It was a classic case of David versus Goliath, and in this case, the little guy won.
The larger Burger King chain was forbidden from opening a location anywhere inside a
20-mile radius of the Hoots' Burger King.
Although the company later offered the Hoots $10,000 to set up shop within the radius,
their offer was firmly declined.
The restaurant still exists to this day.
The Google ad
In 2017, Burger King introduced an ad campaign specifically designed to hijack the devices
in viewers’ homes.
The commercial was basic enough: an actor, facing the screen, asks:
"Okay Google, what is the whopper burger?”
Any Google Home device that picked up the audio would then react by reading aloud the
Wikipedia entry for the Whopper.
Google didn’t appreciate the gimmick.
The ad was only effective for about three hours after it aired, when the audio was added
to a list of sounds that Google Home would refuse to respond to.
Easy come, easy go.
The BK sauna
Burger King made headlines in 2016 when they opened their very own sauna.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s located in Helsinki, the capital of a country populated
by 5 million people and 2 million saunas.
But only in this one can you can relax, make your order and chow down on a Whopper and
some fries, while sweating like crazy, of course.
There's enough room inside for around 15 people, making it perfect for private parties, and
guests can even purchase robes embroidered with the BK logo.
The Burger King sauna has been something of a surprise hit since it opened, and no wonder:
where else can you go to get literal meat sweats?
"How’s the burger?"
"Probably not smart to do this, right?"
"Let's see what happens."
The net neutrality debate
Net neutrality has been a landmark political issue for several years now.
As the threat to net neutrality has increased, no small number of celebrities and companies
have entered the fray to explain just how devastating it would be if internet providers
were allowed to charge more for higher speeds and priority service.
In 2018, Burger King broadcast a series of commercials in which customers were asked
whether they wanted to pay more for their Whopper to get it faster.
The customers paid different amounts based on each Whopper's “Making Burgers Per Second”
speed, whilst employees explained that, since the restaurant could make more selling chicken
sandwiches, they had decided to restrict access speeds to the Whopper alone.
"We don't make the rules."
"You just enforce these ridiculous rules?"
"Works when we have to."
Burger King then directed viewers to a petition aimed at preserving net neutrality.
It was a brilliant way to make a realistic comparison between burgers and the potential
pitfalls of an unbalanced internet.
"The Whopper actually taught me about Net Neutrality.
Stupid but true."
Crown Cards
In 2008, actor and comedian Hugh Laurie sent shockwaves across the world by revealing to
the Times that certain celebrities had been gifted their very own lifetime unlimited Burger
King Crown Cards.
He also named a number of well-known figures, including Jay Leno and George Lucas, as recipients
of the card.
Laurie didn't actually have his own card at the time, but was granted one soon after he
made his comments to the press, making him the 12th celebrity to receive an unlimited
Crown Card.
The bling burger
In 2008, Burger King created what they simply called, "The Burger."
Available in just one restaurant in west London, The Burger was made with Wagyu beef, Pata
Negra ham, Cristal onion straws, white truffles, and Modena balsamic vinegar.
Anyone wanting to sample this decadent beast would first have to fork over £95, or around
$125.
It was all for a good cause, though.
100% of the proceeds from sales of The Burger were donated to the Help A London Child charity,
an organization which lends a helping hand to children and young people suffering from
homelessness, poverty, illness, and abuse.
A secret meal
Burger King’s most famous secret menu item is the Quad Stacker.
It consists of four patties, four slices of cheese, a layer of bacon and special sauce.
And if that doesn't exactly sound like the healthiest choice on the menu, that’s because
it’s not.
No official nutritional information exists for the Quad Stacker, but the Triple Stacker
will set you back 640 calories, 42 grams of fat and 940 milligrams of sodium.
Throw in fries and a drink and you’ve got yourself a disaster just waiting to happen.
Maybe stick to the salad, next time.