Why the Internet Can't Stop Watching This Fast Food Burger War
Fast food chains are fighting over burgers on social media. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski got roasted for calling the new Big Arch burger a "product" during a taste test. Burger King threw shade. Now Wendy's president Pete Suerken is joining the battle.
Wendy's posted a video March 4 showing Suerken eating a Baconator. The caption said "Lots of chatter this week about burgers" and "Thought we'd remind everyone what fresh, never frozen tastes like."
Suerken took at least four bites in the clip. Wendy's added "Our U.S. President Pete Suerken knows a burger that's worth a second bite."
That's a direct shot at Kempczinski, who barely took one bite during his taste test.
Wendy's Goes After the Ice Cream Machines
Suerken didn't stop at just eating a burger on camera. He went for McDonald's weak spot while making a Frosty.
"Of course, you got to have a Frosty with a burger," Suerken says in the video. "Is this set up today? Oh wait, our machines are always working."
Anyone who's ever tried to order a McFlurry knows exactly what he's talking about. McDonald's ice cream machines have a reputation for constantly being broken. It's become a running joke online and Suerken went straight for it.
The video shows Suerken in a Wendy's kitchen preparing his meal. Baconator, fries, drink, chocolate Frosty. He unwraps the burger while talking about the ingredients.
"I've been waiting for this all day," Suerken said. "Wendy's fresh, never-frozen beef, our Applewood smoked bacon, our brand-new bun, our square burger cooked on a flat grill. Amazing. Absolutely wonderful."
"That's a burger. This is exactly the way a great hamburger should be," he concluded.
What Started This Whole Thing
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski did a taste test video for the new Big Arch burger. The internet immediately started mocking him.
"I love this product," Kempczinski said before trying the burger. "It is so good. I'm gonna do a tasting right now, but I'm gonna eat this for my lunch, just so you know."
Calling a burger a "product" was the problem. CEOs call things products. Normal people call them burgers. The awkward phrasing made the whole video feel fake and scripted even though he was literally eating the burger on camera.
Social media tore into him. Parodies of his timid and small bites flooded the internet. The video meant to generate buzz for the Big Arch burger generated buzz for all the wrong reasons.
McDonald's Tries to Recover
McDonald's attempted damage control with a cheeky social media post March 3.
"Take a bite of our new product," the post said, leaning into the mockery by using "product" again.
The strategy was acknowledging the joke and trying to own it. Whether that works remains to be seen.
Burger King Got Involved Too
Burger King jumped in with their own response to the McDonald's video. They stayed classier than Wendy's, emphasizing it was just a "fun way" to highlight their new and improved Whopper.
But they still did a taste test video featuring their CEO Tom Curtis. The message was clear even if they didn't explicitly mock McDonald's. Our executives will eat our burgers on camera and not call them products.
The Fast Food War Continues
Three major fast food chains are now posting videos of executives eating burgers and taking shots at each other on social media. Other fast food giants like Popeyes, KFC and A&W have made their own videos spoofing the situation. This all started because McDonald's CEO used corporate speak when talking about a hamburger.
Wendy's went hardest with the ice cream machine joke. That's the kind of burn that sticks because everyone knows it's true. McDonald's ice cream machines are notoriously unreliable. Suerken pointing out that Wendy's machines "are always working" hit where it hurts.
Whether any of this translates to actual burger sales is another question. But it's generating attention and engagement on social media, which is probably the real goal anyway.
McDonald's wanted buzz for the Big Arch burger. They got it. Just not the kind they wanted. Now Wendy's and Burger King are capitalizing on the attention by posting their own videos showing executives who can eat burgers on camera without sounding like they're reading corporate talking points.
Kempczinski called a burger a "product" and the internet won't let him forget it. Suerken ate four bites of a Baconator and roasted McDonald's broken ice cream machines. The fast food burger war rages on through social media videos and corporate shade.
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