[Matjjalal X File] Burger King Becomes the 'Boy Who Cried Wolf'... In-Depth Analysis of the New Whopper

Burger King Whopper Discontinuation Announcement... Ultimately 'Noise Marketing'
New Whopper Released... Sodium Content and Calories Increased
Price Unchanged... Standoff Between Consumers and Private Equity Fund

Editor's Note[Matjalal X-Files] uncovers misunderstandings and truths about food.

The hottest news in the domestic food industry this month was probably Burger King's announcement of the 'Whopper discontinuation.' On the 8th, Burger King suddenly announced through various channels such as their website and KakaoTalk that they would stop selling the Whopper after 40 years. Since it was a serious notice without any joke, office workers who had lunch with a Whopper about once a month were startled. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who flipped through the calendar wondering, "Was today April Fool’s Day?"

Burger King New Whopper

As soon as I heard the news, I contacted Burger King's PR team. They replied, "We will inform you once an official statement is released." Considering they must have agonized over the decision to discontinue the Whopper, it was suspicious that there was no official comment yet.

After lunch, the truth about the Whopper discontinuation began to emerge. "Are they really not selling the Whopper anymore?" Frustrated consumers and reporters rushed to Burger King stores to ask the staff. "No, it’s being upgraded." I was skeptical... Burger King became the 'boy who cried wolf' in my mind.

Burger King faced criticism for 'excessive marketing.' There were also reactions calling it 'mocking consumers.' What was even more absurd was that despite this, they did not release an official statement to the media. Perhaps they belatedly realized that consumer anger was greater than expected. Four days after the discontinuation announcement, they quietly apologized through a notice on their website: "We caused concern by announcing the end of Whopper sales as we wanted to better communicate the changes."

The arrival of a greasier, saltier New Whopper... Successfully boosting short-term sales

After many twists and turns, the 'New Whopper' was released. Contrary to expectations, the price remained the same at 7,100 won. To celebrate the launch, Burger King started a shocking discount offering the single item for 4,000 won for a limited time. (Though it’s odd that the 9,100 won set price was only discounted by 1,000 won.)

For now, the Whopper discontinuation announcement was noise marketing, but it seems to have succeeded in boosting sales. Curious consumers flocked to Burger King, and the New Whopper has been selling like hotcakes every lunch. On the first day of release, the screen showing waiting numbers was so full that waits exceeded 50 minutes. There were even scuffles between delivery drivers and staff.

I also tried the New Whopper. Taste is subjective, but the salty flavor was delicious to me. Let’s take a look at what has changed.

First, salt & pepper seasoning was added on top of the patty. According to the ingredient list, the sodium content of the New Whopper is 1,125 mg, which is a whopping 45% higher than the original Whopper’s 775 mg. This corresponds to 56% of the WHO’s recommended daily sodium intake of 2,000 mg. Because of this, some reactions said it was "too salty."

Additionally, the patty now has a smoky flavor and more juice. Burger King claims that their 'Tenderform' patty molding method creates air layers between the meat to better retain juices, but honestly, unless you compare it side by side with the previous Whopper, the difference is not very noticeable.

Next, the New Whopper’s bun undergoes a glazing process before baking to give it a shine. It definitely felt more moist and springy than before.

The New Whopper is indeed different. However, I’m not sure if this level of upgrade justifies announcing the discontinuation of the original Whopper and launching a new one. Burger King didn’t emphasize it, but there is one noticeable change: the calories increased from 699 kcal to 723 kcal.

Burger King New Whopper

Will the New Whopper craze continue? Consumers closely watching for 'price hikes'

The key issue is how sales will change after the New Whopper discount ends on the 21st. Will the New Whopper maintain its popularity beyond a temporary sales spike? It will be interesting to see whether many consumers continue to like the new Whopper in the long term or if many will cut ties with Burger King due to the backlash from the noise marketing. One netizen who had celebrated Whopper Day with friends since school said, "I will never go back to Burger King, where I made memories."

It is also curious how long the New Whopper’s price, currently the same as the original, will remain frozen. Burger King is operated by BKR, whose parent company is the Hong Kong-based private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners. Since private equity firms typically aim to recover their investment after acquisition, they will likely try to raise prices to increase Burger King’s sales. Consumers angered by the discontinuation marketing will be watching any price changes closely, so a fierce game of cat and mouse is expected between the two sides.