Burger King has escalated its long-running rivalry with McDonald’s, with its president publicly poking fun at the fast food giant’s CEO after his viral burger taste test drew widespread ridicule.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski recently faced mockery over a video of himself eating the brand’s new Big Arch Burger. In the comments, people ruthlessly pointed out how uncomfortable he looked while eating the burger and suggested that dining at the chain was not a regular occurrence for the executive. Others said he took the “smallest first bite ever” of the huge burger.
Burger King has now posted its response to the viral moment, sharing a TikTok video Monday of Tom Curtis, the president of Burger King U.S. & Canada, taking an enthusiastic bite of the brand’s signature Whopper.
“Not bad, right?” a voice asked in the background while Curtis chewed and nodded. “Only one thing missing — a napkin,” he laughed.
“Thought we’d replay this,” the caption read.
“Yea that’s a big bite. McDonald’s CEO could never. W BK,” one person wrote in the comments, while another added: “The shade to the McDonalds CEO.”
In his viral Instagram video, Kempczinski explained how “unique” McDonald’s new Big Arch Burger is. “I don’t even know how to attack it, there’s so much to it,” he said, while holding the burger in his hands and taking a bite.
“That’s a big bite for a Big Arch,” he said, as he showed the burger to the camera. “It’s distinctively McDonald’s. Only McDonald’s could do this type of burger, but it’s also unlike anything else on our menu. It’s a delicious product.”
In the comments, fans mocked Kempczinski's attempt at eating the burger, and even mentioned McDonald’s’ rival.
“What a delicious product my fellow humans!” one person joked of Kempczinski’s on-camera delivery. “What a great ad for Burger King,” quipped another.
“He acts like he’s never seen a burger before. Impressed by sesame seeds,” added a third, while a fourth suggested: “Man’s aura screams kale salad.”
In a 2020 interview with the Financial Times, Kempczinski said he ate McDonald’s twice a day and stays trim by running at least 50 miles a week and ordering his Filet-O-Fish without tartar sauce and his Egg McMuffins with no bacon.
The Big Arch launches in the U.S. this week. Prices vary by location, ranging from $6.89 to $10.19 for the 1,020-calorie burger. It is not yet clear how long the item will remain on menus nationwide.
The fast food giant’s “most McDonald’s, McDonald’s burger,” as it calls it, was previously tested in Canada and countries across Europe, but is already a permanent menu fixture in the U.K. and Ireland.
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