What is the first thing that comes into one’s mind when they heard the word McDonald and Burger King – burgers! The battle of burgers, as to which of the two makes better burger, has been going on for almost fifty years. McDonald’s and Burger King are both established and known when it comes to fast food, hence the rivalry is inevitable. Lovers of McDonald’s will definitely argue that their favorite burger is far better off than that of Burger King’s, and the same will be the battle cry of those who are fanatics of Burger King. Hence the need for an objective, if there are any, way of determining which is better between the two will be what this paper will attempt to do.
Determining which of the burger is better over the other is a tough task. Why tough? Such is tough, because the said question will be answered with more subjectivity than objectivity. Personal preference whether one admits it or not is influenced by a lot of things. One objective manner of determining which is better than the other is to examine the nutritional value that one gets from the two burgers. The criticisms that McDonald received from using antibiotic infused factory farmed beef, have prompted them to look into and eventually shift to better and healthy ingredients. This uproar did not only push McDonald’s, it also did push Burger King to look into their products and assure the public that they are using ingredients that are healthy and safe. Improving the nutritional value of their products did not come easy for both burger giants because such change entails cost. Cost is an important factor in the fast food industry; it is interesting to note that the inventor of McDonald’s, Ray Croc, is considered to be the Henry Ford of the fast food industry. The reason why a lot of people are patronizing McDonald’s can be traced back to the fact that their products are low-cost and prompt service and delivery of goods as opposed to restaurants. Nevertheless, the call for healthier food was embraced by both McDonald’s and Burger King.
To start, let us look into the nutritional value of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder® without the cheese and Burger King’s Whooper®, also without any cheese. Comparing the size of the two, both are quart a pound, although a closer look will tell you that the Whooper® is slightly heavier than the Quarter Pounder®. The calories content of a Quarter Pounder® is 410 while the Whooper® will give you 670 which is quite large.
The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder® boasts of 19 grams total fat content, wherein 7 grams are saturated fat and the trans fat is a meager 1 gram. Burger King’s Whooper® has 40 grams of total fat. Of the 40 grams of total fat, 11 grams are saturated fat and 1.5 grams are trans fat.
For many carbohydrates conscious individuals it is interesting to note that Burger King’s Whooper® will give you more carbohydrates than that of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder®, which is 51 mg and 37 mg, respectively.
A Quarter Pounder’s cholesterol content is 65 mg, while that of a Whooper® is 75 mg. The sugar content of Burger King’s Whooper® is higher by 3 grams (11 grams) than Mc Donald’s Quarter Pounder which is 8 grams. Protein is more in Burger King’s Whooper® than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder® that is 29 grams and 24 grams respectively.
Both burgers are also boasting to have Vitamin A and C, iron and calcium contents.
The difference between the nutritional values of the two burgers is quite significant; it seems that McDonald’s Quarter Pounder® is better in terms of nutritional value than Burger King’s Whooper®. For carbohydrates and calorie conscious individuals McDonald’s is definitely a better choice than Burger King.
The comparison between the two giants in the fast industry may also be put into test by looking at the way their burgers tastes and are presented. There are customers who value presentation also and their opinions are also worth considering in determining which of the two burger moguls is better. When it comes to burger patties both have the same claim – their burger patties are one hundred percent pure beef. McDonald’s burgers are juicier than that of Burger King. McDonald’s manner of frying their burger patties gives it an indoor sort of home-made style taste, while Burger King’s flame broils burgers make it attractive to those who love outdoors because it givers their burger patties that outdoor barbeque grilling feel. Both also provided their customers the freedom to select from a wide variety of dressings and add-ons, thus giving the customers the joy of having what fits their taste and what they really like.
But what about those who are not really concern about their carbohydrate and calorie intake, and see little or insignificant difference between the nutritional value content of the two burgers but are more concern on the quality of the ingredients, in particular the beef which is main ingredient of their patties. When it comes to the quality of the beef that is being used in their burgers, McDonald’s went ahead of Burger King and other burger chains. McDonald’s recently introduce its new and bigger burger made from high quality Angus Beef. The new product will also be served using better buns. With their low-cost burgers still being offered to its customers who prefer cheap and convenient food products this recent development is McDonald’s way of reaching out to a more upscale market segment whose concern is quality more than cost and convenience. Although market analysts are still in doubt whether such move made by McDonald’s will succeed or not, the fact of the matter is this – McDonald’s have set another precedent. While it is true that McDonald’s decision to upscale its products by offering burgers made from Angus beef is still to be put into test and whether it will be accepted by the market that they are targeting or not, Burger King is now set in a way to follow what its rival did. Burger King is now also on the verge of coming up with a new line of products that is also aimed at that market segment that care less for price and convenience, that market segment that value quality even if it will cost them more.
Determining which of the two delivers that best burger is indeed not an easy task. No matter how objective you try, their will always be an element of subjectivity in the way one decides which is better or not. The assessment just showed how comparable the burgers of McDonald’s and Burger King are. For the budget conscious, both have offered products that will appeal to them. The same can also be said for those who are health conscious. Furthermore, the same can also be said for those who are now quality conscious. The decision as to which of the two offers the best burger in town still relies on each and every one of us. The preferences may vary but the choice is to be decided not by any expert but by the one who will buy and enjoy the burger – which is YOU!
References:McDonald's
Menu and Nutrition. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/index.html
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