Review: Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper from Burger King

Posted October 25th, 2012 | 4:11pm by Erin Jax

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Burger King continues to crank out new, limited-time takes on their signature burger: the Whopper. At the start of the summer, there was a collection of regional BBQ Whoppers, which was followed by a guac and bacon-topped California Whopper. The latest entry is the Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper.

BK describes the Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper like this:

Our new Wisconsin White Cheddar WHOPPER® Sandwich is ¼ lb of savory fire-grilled beef, topped with naturally smoked thick-cut bacon, creamy Wisconsin white cheddar cheese, freshly cut iceberg lettuce, white onions, ripe tomatoes and crunchy pickles, all on a warm, toasted, sesame seed bun. Limited Time Only. Also available in WHOPPER JR.®

Really, it’s new in name (and cheese) only. Aside from the two slices of “Wisconsin” white cheddar, everything else is standard Whopper material. The patty is the same, sad gray puck, the veggies are bland and flavorless, and the bun is cold, despite being advertised as warm and toasted.

The one ingredient that’s new — the cheese — massively under-delivers, rendering this burger completely useless. Sure, there are two slices of a variety of cheese that, in normal circumstances, would be delicious, but in typical BK fashion, the cheese tastes waxy and it’s completely unmelted. It does approximate the texture of real white cheddar, but eat it blindfolded and there would be no way of knowing which type of cheese (or in the case of Burger King: “cheese”) you’re eating. I had to strain my taste buds to taste anything at all, and the flavor that did come through was a weak, whisper of cheddar that tasted synthetic, even though the BK website doesn’t classify it as such.BK’s “me too” strategy of developing copycat items already on the menu at other fast food joints and this rush to continue churning out “new” twists on established items is getting tiresome. Few, if any, of the items are worthy of a permanent place on the menu, and the majority of them rank squarely within “terrible” territory.

Customers would be much better served if BK completely reformulated their base burger offerings, and admit (at least to themselves) that they’ve really gone downhill. There is huge room for improvement, especially when it comes to the main elements: the beef and the bun. Instead, they keep selling the same crappy burger with different (equally crappy) toppings in an attempt to stay fresh and new. The end result of this strategy (at least for me) is with each new Whopper that’s released, my memory of a time when BK burgers did not completely suck grows more and more faint. It’s starting to feel like the memories were all just a dream.

If you like your Whopper fully loaded (with cheese and bacon), but have always wished that the cheese could have absolutely no flavor, this is the burger for you. Otherwise, skip it.