I Compared McDonald’s New Big Arch to the New and Improved Burger King Whopper and The Winner Surprised Me
I compared McDonald’s new Big Arch to Burger King‘s revamped Whopper to see which burger comes out on top.
You have to love the internet. Social media has a way of pitting the CEOs of ultra-popular fast-food burger chains against one another, and that is exactly where we find ourselves today: Burger King versus McDonald’s.
The entire burger comparison gained momentum after a video surfaced of the McDonald’s CEO trying the Big Arch. He stoically referred to it as a product instead of a burger repeatedly, and he hesitated before taking a minuscule, embarrassingly small nibble of the sandwich that made it look like he despised his own “product.” The clip went viral, prompting other burger chain CEOs, such as the head of Burger King, to respond by taking confident, massive bites of their own sandwiches. The CEO of Burger King noted that the Whopper has been newly revamped, featuring a heartier mayonnaise with citrus notes, fresher ingredients, an improved bun, and an updated serving method to better preserve its shape and appearance. This sparked a viral trend of foodies tackling the comparison to discover whether the Big Arch or the newly revamped Whopper is superior.
The Big Arch is McDonald’s attempt to incorporate a larger burger, similar to the Big Mac, in a fresh way. It features two patties topped with white cheddar cheese, regular onions, and crispy onions, among other vegetables, all slathered in a sauce that appears to be mustard-based at first glance. The Whopper remains a classic. It consistently looks superior, and it now boasts improved ingredient quality, a better ratio of vegetables and toppings, a sturdier bun, and tastier mayonnaise. When comparing size, the Whopper feels more substantial and less sloppy, which is important when you are eating on the go.
The Double Whopper with Cheese ($8.49) has been a longtime favorite fast-food burger of mine. To me, it is the only one that actually tastes like grilled beef. I love how the juice from the tomatoes blends with the mayonnaise to create a fresh, delicious sauce that seems to scatter perfectly throughout the entire burger. It will always be one of my favorites. That said, I am not noticing a massive difference. It looks slightly different, but it did not taste much different to me, despite the upgrades. It now comes in a box, half-wrapped in paper, making it easy to eat the handheld burger in your car without it getting crushed. While the Whopper is usually my top choice, it lacked a bit of sauce this time. Everything was concentrated on the top, leaving the area between the beef patties and the bottom bun dry, which created a strange contrast of textures. That might just be how my local Burger King prepared it, but it was not as pleasant as the experience with the Big Arch.
When it comes to the Big Arch ($9.99), I noticed a significant difference in flavor when comparing it to both the Whopper and the original Big Mac. It was absolutely loaded with sauce and toppings. While it was much messier and harder to eat on the go, the flavor was present and evenly distributed across each patty and bun. I enjoy adding crispy onions to meals at home, so I really appreciated the textural contrast between the crispy onions and the fresh onions on the burger. The sauce truly made the dish. I love Big Mac sauce, or even a classic ketchup and mayo combination, but this flavorful, mustard-based sauce brought something entirely new to the table.
I will always be a fan of the Whopper and its delicious flame-broiled taste, which is made even better now with the tangy mayo and a sturdier bun, but the Big Arch was the standout favorite in this comparison. It was not even close, which tells you everything you need to know about why you need to run to McDonald’s and get this “product” ASAP.
