Burger King has confounded fast-food fans after unveiling its newest menu item, a burger-less cheeseburger that consists of a bun and 20 slices of American cheese.
Earlier this week, Burger King Thailand shared a first look at the cheeseburger, which the fast-food chain has named the “real cheeseburger,” on social media.
“Not for fun, this is for real!” a 9 July post on the official Burger King Thailand Facebook reads. The post also included a photo of the cheeseburger, which is piled high with melted cheese slices and nothing else.
According to Burger King Thailand, the limited-edition menu item launched on Sunday and is available for a reduced price of 109 Thai baht ($3.14), compared to the usual price of 380 baht ($10.95) for a cheeseburger.
In the comments of the Facebook post, the fast-food chain also informed customers that they can “order more cheese” to add to the burger for just 20 Thai baht if they are “not satisfied”.
On social media, the cheese-focused burger has sparked both confusion and disgust among viewers, with many questioning why the fast-food chain would release the menu item.
“I am, quite literally, gagging,” one person tweeted, while another said: “My stomach hurt just looking at this picture.”
According to someone else, the cheeseburger is the “most degenerate food item [they’ve] ever seen”.
“Taking Thailand off my bucket list,” another person joked in response to the latest Burger King menu item.
As for why the burger exists in the first place, food blogger Richard Barrow, who tried the new cheeseburger himself, according to his Twitter, claimed the “trend” in Thailand is to “put cheese on literally everything”.
“A trend in Thailand is to put cheese on literally everything. Now Burger King has joined in with the real cheeseburger. Though I think they forgot the meat,” Barrow tweeted alongside pictures of his own order of the cheese-packed burger.
In the post, Barrow then revealed that he “struggled eating even half” of the burger, despite loving cheese.
“I love cheese but I struggled eating even half of this ‘burger’. Maybe I should grill the other half? What do you think?” he wrote.
Although the cheese on the cheeseburger appears to be melted slightly in Burger King Thailand’s advertisement for the menu item, Barrow’s photos show 20 slices of non-melted cheese stacked neatly inside a sesame bun.
As for whether the cheeseburger comes with anything apart from cheese, such as condiments, Barrow confirmed in response to one curious viewer that it’s “just cheese”.
While the majority of reactions to the Burger King cheeseburger were negative, there were some who admitted they were intrigued by the fast food item.
“I NEED,” one person tweeted, while another said: “I would 100 per cent eat this.”
In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for Burger King confirmed the cheeseburger, which will only be available until 13 July, “will not be featured in any Burger King location outside of Thailand”.
