Burger King's New Unhappy Meals

[Daniel E.]

Burger King debuts unhappy meals because 'no one is happy all the time'
May 1, 2019, MSN.com

Happy Meals have been synonymous with fast food for decades, ever since McDonald's first rolled out its kid-friendly concept in 1979.

But let's face it, it's not easy to be happy all of the time.

Now, Burger King has come up with a new meal box line that honors a full range of human emotions — from totally excited to super sad.

Burger King's new "Real Meals" launched this week and come in five different varieties, including Blue Meal, Salty Meal, and YAAAS Meal. They will only be available at select Burger King locations in Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City and Austin, Texas.

And while the brightly colored boxes might seem like just another fast food jab at Burger King's largest competitor McDonald's, their release is tied to an important cause.

Burger King partnered with the non-profit organization Mental Health America to increase visibility about issues surrounding mental health during May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month.

“A natural extension of encouraging people to 'be their way' is encouraging them to 'feel their way.' With the pervasive nature of social media, there is so much pressure to appear happy and perfect," the chain said in the press release. "With Real Meals, the Burger King brand celebrates being yourself and feeling however you want to feel." A representative for the fast-food chain confirmed to TODAY Food that a donation was made to Mental Health America but would not specify how much or whether a specific issue was targeted.

Customers can order any box they choose but what, exactly, is in a real meal?

Every Real Meal is basically some type of Whopper combo meal (which the guest chooses) and, unlike Happy Meals, these are not being targeted at young kids. Unfortunately, none of the Real Meals come with a toy.

Though Burger King is trying to make a statement that not everyone is happy (at least not all the time), many social media users are pretty happy about the chain's decision to bring attention to an important issue...

 

[GaryQ]

I find it hilarious when people actually believe a large corporation is charitably supporting a cause.
Its called using a cause for increasing profit. And the free positive advertising is worth a fortune to any corporation.

 

[Daniel E.]

Not to mention fraudulent food:

 

[GaryQ]

McD also brought a new definition to BYOB with the Big Mac... build your own burger.

there should be a warning label on the box stating “some assembly required”
sometimes i think the teens just throw the contents in the box without actually making the burger

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Burger King Will Sell Meatless Whoppers Across US This Year
Futurism.com
April 30, 2019

On April 1, Burger King announced plans to begin selling meatless Whoppers at restaurants in St. Louis, Mo., a decision that seemed like it could’ve been an April Fool’s Day prank — Whoppers without the flame-grilled beef patties carnivores had come to know and love? Blasphemy.

But it was very real, and apparently a rousing success.

The company now plans to test Whoppers containing plant-based patties created by Impossible Foods in additional markets with the goal of a nationwide rollout before the end of 2019 — a move that could solidify meatless meat’s place on the menu of mainstream America.

Meatless Market
José Cil, CEO of Burger King’s parent company Restaurant Brands International (RBI), discussed the expansion during an earnings call with investors on Monday.

“It’s really difficult to distinguish between the Impossible Whopper and the original offer,” Cil said, according to Engadget. “And based on guest reaction, we decided to advance our plans to expand the Impossible Whopper to select new markets this summer.”

Cil went on to note that Burger King is “going to target a national rollout toward the end of the year, if guest reaction continues to remain as strong as we’ve seen in St Louis.”

 

[David Baxter PhD]

But don't worry, Burger King fans. You will still probably get food poisoning, just like their regular burgers.

 

[GaryQ]

So what they’re saying is their taking out the 2% beef and rebranding the same meatless filler patties. Nice marketing ploy

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Yes. All beef patties (with filler) is now all filler patties. Raised without hormones or antibiotics.

 

[GaryQ]

You left out the GMO

 

[Daniel E.]

And lightly/lovingly processed

 

[Daniel E.]

Going to try an Impossible burger soon at Red Robin, which has them already:

Can the Impossible Burger boost Red Robin's sluggish sales?

Already tried the excellent meatless burger at Carl's Jr. (Hardees) which has the same brand of burger (Beyond Meat) served at A&W in Canada:

A&W sold out of its new plant-based burger all across Canada in a matter of weeks | Financial Post

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Looking forward to your review. I might try one of those.

 

[Daniel E.]

As @GaryQ may have predicted:

Burger King faces backlash after linking ad campaign to mental health, showing the risks of cause-based marketing

...The campaign quickly drew criticism from some on social media, who claimed it was downplaying mental illness or attempting to profit off the subject. Others wondered whether Burger King was making resources available for people with mental health issues or making monetary contributions to any organizations. "Mental disorders are not just moods like 'pissed' and 'DGAF,'" one poster Tweeted. "They cause terrible suffering and hundreds of suicides every day. This new campaign of yours is extremely distasteful."

...Asked to respond to the negative feedback on social media, a spokeswoman for Burger King said the company wasn't offering interviews for the campaign and said the chain is donating an undisclosed amount to Mental Health America.

...Experts say businesses seeking to use a topic like mental health in their marketing need to show it's a genuine, ongoing priority and not just a one-off.

 

[GaryQ]

Muchos Gracias @Daniel ,

One of the few "gifts" that come with my neurophychiatric disorders is an ability to see beyond that what the average person sees in many given situations and with a totally different view and perspective (mainly because the the brain of someone with TS and other disorders is usually wired totally diferently than a "neurotypical's brain). Usually leads to useless arguments more than anything else though

 

[Daniel E.]

Red Robin / Impossible Burger update:

We called Red Robin ahead of time to see if they have the Impossible Burger. They do, but is is $14.69 ($19.79 CDN) for each person (including unlimited fries but not a drink). And since they have servers, you have to pay a tip on top of that. So I am going to wait for Burger King's Impossible Burger.

So we are going to Carl's Jr. (Hardee's) again for lunch. Their tasty Beyond Meat burgers are less than $7 each (fries not included but they have senior/veteran discounts).