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Burger King's Newest Sandwiches Are Making Customers Feel Cheated

Could the chain have another flop on its hands?
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By Mura Dominko
Published on March 14, 2022 | 4:16 PM

Burger King recently took the first step in putting its Whopper brand front and center with the launch of three new Whopper Melts. The sandwiches are essentially patty melts that use two Whopper Jr. patties but swap out the burger bun for two toasted slices of bread. They're also layered with melted American cheese and caramelized onions, and depending on the variety you get, can contain jalapeños or bacon.

America is just getting to know the new sandwiches nationwide, but initial reactions and opinions have started to trickle in and they seem to spell bad news for Burger King. In fact, one particular feature of the sandwich is making customers feel cheated: its size.

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According to dozens of customers who have tried the new Whopper Melts, the name of the item has misled them to believe that what they'd be getting would be the same size as the Whopper.

Burger King does advertise the melts as "one-handed" sandwiches (which now we know is code for small), but the chain also doesn't skimp on the meat, stacking them with two Whopper Jr. patties which amount to about the amount of meat as a regular Whopper. Still, some customers felt this was just a cheap ploy to get them to pay more for less.

On the other hand, some had more of an issue with the fact that the Whopper Melts have little resemblance to classic patty melts, which are made with Swiss cheese and rye bread. Tim Carman, who reviewed Burger King's melts for The Washington Post, called them "patty melt pretenders" and pointed out that, wrong cheese and bread aside, the flavor was off, too, and the sandwiches were all too sweet.

Whereas the caramelized onions usually provide the slight sweet factor in a classic patty melt, Carman pointed to Burger King's new bread, saying it had an overwhelming sweetness akin to that of a steamed bao bun. "The sweetness, surprisingly, is the flavor that lingers," he writes. And he isn't alone in being disappointed with the flavor.

Another issue with the bread? For many customers, it didn't come out as toasted as the chain's original ads showed. "No amount of griddling can seem to impart the crispy edge necessary for a melt, as if the bread defies all laws of kitchen chemistry," Carman said of its texture.

Others have also pointed out the rather anemic slices.

Considering the chain has missed the mark with several items they were betting on in the past—from the Impossible Whopper to the new chicken sandwich—could the chain have another flop on its hands?

Mura Dominko
Mura is ETNT's Executive Editor, leading the coverage of America's favorite restaurant chains, grocery stores, and viral food moments. Read more about Mura
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