How Big is a Burger King Whopper?
Burger King Whopper is 4 ounces. A Wendy;s single is 4 ounces.
The real question is, can you misrepresent a product in advertising? Everyone may know the product is not what it is claimed to be. It is a sales gimmick meant to entice you. However, does this relieve the seller of responsibility for misrepresentation?
The ten and fifteen cent McDonald’s burgers were tiny at the time. The McDonalds Quarter Pounder weighs 4.25 ounces. Did McDonalds brag of their size? Or is it all in what you call it? What constitutes a Whopper?
Do we care or is this just an exercise in eating our favs regardless of what constitutes weight or is advertised?
Burger King can’t ignore customers’ beef over its Whopper size, qz.com, Diego Lasarte
Burger King lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the burger joint of exaggerating the size of its popular Whopper offering.
Roy Altman, a federal judge in Miami, said parts of the proposed class-action suit against the company could proceed. This includes the accusation that—on its in-store advertisements and menus—Burger King depicts its burgers looking 35% larger than they actually are. The suit also claims that, in reality, Whoppers have less than half the meat as advertised.
Altman also ruled that customers would be allowed to sue the company for unjust enrichment—or when a company illegally deprives consumers of their time and money—in addition to the violation of consumer protection laws. However, he dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint that its TV and online ads were misleading, stating that the company never promised burgers of a certain size in its digital marketing campaigns.
While the exact figure was not clear, the suit is requesting “monetary damages fully compensating all individuals who were deceived by [Burger King] as a result of purchasing [its] Overstated Menu Items.”
Burger King admits it exaggerates in its advertising
Burger King was not immediately available for comment regarding the judge’s decision. In the fast-food chain’s original motion to dismiss, lawyers for the burger joint said exaggerations are an inherent part of the advertising business. Representatives for Burger King wrote.
“Food in advertisements is and always has been styled to make it look as appetizing as possible. That is hardly news; reasonable consumers viewing food advertising know it innately. This lawsuit unreasonably pretends otherwise.”
This issue is not limited to Burger King. Rival fast-food giants McDonald’s and Wendy’s were sued last year in a New York federal court over burger size in an ongoing class-action lawsuit. And last month, Taco Bell was sued for exaggerating the amount of meat in the Crunchwrap Supreme, amongst other offerings. The plaintiffs in those lawsuits are being represented by the same lawyers that are arguing the claims against Burger King.
Actual (un-stylized) photos are not very attractive.
@DB,
Agreed, although that doesn’t seem to deter the endless parade of food pix on Facebook.
First of all, is that cooked or uncooked weight? Hamburger shrinks when cooked. Back in the 60’s the school my mom cooked for was looking for ways to get foods the kids liked to eat into the cafeteria menus. McDonalds hamburgers were the kids favorite by far, but when they looked at the nutrition it did not meet their lunch standards by far either. Type E back then, and 2 ounces of cooked protein was required. The MickyD’s patties weighted two ounces before cooking.
If they beefed up their patties so they met weight after cooking (pun intended) the pictures might be accurate for a 1/4 or 1/3 pound burger, cooked weight.
Jane:
The weight is pre-cooked from what I read. The Quarter Pounders starts at 4.25 Oz and the Whopper at 4.0 Oz.
It’s hard to have much empathy for customers complaining about exaggerated size of burgers who are repeat customers, particularly over more than a couple of times.
I always thought that a big whopper referred to a big lie…It seems that Burger King’s product confirms it!
@John,
Ah, yes. The whopper that got away!
Whoppers have been marketed for like 40 years. Are there customers seriously claiming they had no idea that an actual Whopper (Big Mac, Arby’s and 50 more) aren’t exactly just like the pictures?
Eric:
True; but there is such a thing as truth in advertising.
When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it’s on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. The FTC enforces these truth-in-advertising laws, and it applies the same standards no matter where an ad appears – in newspapers and magazines, online, in the mail, or on billboards or buses. Truth In Advertising
The customer is not asking for quarter pounder of raw meat.
Most cheeseburger photos appearing on the web, from fastfood chains or from those posting recipes, look awfully appetizing (perhaps not to vegans though.) Go figure!
I can only wish I could partake as often as I once did, alas.
Some, however, which leave off the lettuce & tomato, look almost ordinary.
Like ShakeShack for instance, which look almost ordinary.
Shake Shack Cheeseburger