When popular TikTokers started flaunting a “real cheeseburger” — a plain bun stuffed with 20 slices of cheese and nothing else — over the weekend, social media users in Thailand took it as another eye-catching prank.
“We are not kidding. This is for real,” Burger King said in a Facebook post Sunday.
While all eyes are on the Southeast Asian nation’s political future (Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former general who seized power in a military coup nine years ago, announced his retirement from politics Tuesday), burger fans and influencers spared some attention for the new offering, but with mixed reviews.
Wipada Khankhokkruad, a 31-year-old model, took her 2- and 10-year-old sons to a Burger King in central Bangkok late Monday after seeing clips about the new menu on TikTok and Instagram.
“It was really yummy at first bite, and you can feel the thickness of the cheese,” she said. “But the more I ate, the more cloying it got; it was too much for me.”
She let her elder son take a bite, but “he said he liked french fries better,” Khankhokkruad added.
Thailand-based British travel writer Richard Barrow said in a tweet that he loves cheese but “struggled eating even half,” adding, “I think they forgot the meat.”
Another Bangkok resident tweeted that she had one big bite before feeling the need to stop. She didn’t throw it away: In a follow-up post, she posted a photo of a bowl of ramen doused in kimchi soup and topped with melting cheese (recycled from her leftover burger) on top of the noodles.
The harshest review came from Bangkok food writer Eric Surbano, who called the burger “horrid” and “a shock to the digestive system.”
The cheesy burger (or should we call it a sandwich?) is a latest example of how global fast food franchises are trying hard to win customers’ hearts with unconventional or shocking menu options in the hope of achieving social media virality.
Researchers from Thailand’s King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang identified the “growing importance of social media tools” in fast-food marketing in Thailand, saying the eating habits of Thais and other Asian cultures are “influenced more by its social or entertaining value.”
Burger King Thailand could not be immediately reached and Minor International, its local operator, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Western chains have also catered to local tastes in different countries. Burger King’s menu in Thailand also includes salmon katsu burgers. McDonald’s offers Spicy Paneer Wrap in India and Ham N’ Egg Twisty Pasta in Hong Kong. In Brazil, KFC has served alcoholic gravy cocktails.
The localization paid off. In a presentation in 2020, Burger King Thailand’s chief executive Prapat Siangjan said that Thai consumers are heavily influenced by their viral promotion campaigns and local menu options. Adding a new rice menu, he said, gave them a 12 percent boost in daily sales the previous year.
Cheese is far from a common ingredient in Thai cooking, but it is becoming increasingly accepted among younger generations with the popularity of cheese-heavy Japanese, Korean and Western dishes. It is becoming more common for the dairy product to be sprinkled on even some local dishes. Cheese sales in Thailand are expected to exceed $110 million in 2023, yet Thai people on average consume only 80 grams of cheese per year, according to Statista.
Not all creative menus are welcomed. Burger King’s Halloween Whopper in 2015 flopped in the United States, with the dyed-black bun grossing many people out.
