The fast-food industry is suddenly in the middle of a full-blown “burger war” after a viral moment involving McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski sparked a wave of playful responses from rival chains.
According to Instagram’s mouthattack, the Mickey D’s big wig recently went viral online after trying the company’s new Big Arch Burger, but fans quickly noticed he took an extremely small bite during the video, and referring to the burger as a very unappetizing-sounding “product.”
The clip spread across social media, with viewers joking about the cautious taste test and turning it into a meme almost overnight. “This almost feels dystopian. He’s acting like he’s afraid of it. And just to call it a ‘product,'” one user wrote. “It just feels incredibly alien, makes me second-guess eating McDonald’s.”
What started as a simple promotional moment quickly turned into a marketing opportunity across the fast-food industry. Almost immediately after the clip gained traction across the media outlets, competitors began jumping in. Overnight, executives from chains like Burger King, Wendy’s, and A&W Restaurants began posting their own burger-tasting videos online, playfully responding to the viral moment.
As NBC News reports, on Tuesday, March 3, the day the Big Arch was released, Burger King posted a video of its president, Tom Curtis, eating its signature Whopper cheeseburger on Instagram. “Thought we’d replay this,” Burger King wrote in the caption, reminding viewers that the chain has been “Flame Grilling Since 1954.”
Then on Wednesday, competitor Wendy’s appeared to weigh in on the spat. On LinkedIn, Wendy’s posted a video of its U.S. president Pete Suerken digging into their Baconater burger. “Lots of chatter this week about burgers,” a caption for the video reads. “Thought we’d remind everyone what fresh, never frozen tastes like.” Wendy’s then reposted the video on X with the comment: “This is what it looks like when you don’t have to pretend to like your ‘product.’”
Wendy’s video prompted a slew of comments, noting the burger wars. One person wrote, “my goodness, move aside COLA Wars of the ’80s (and ’70’s) – the burger wars of the 2020s are here!”
On March 5, Jack in the Box officially entered the viral “burger wars.” The San Diego-based fast-food chain posted a video of Jack Box, its longtime mascot, enjoying the restaurant’s popular Double Jack burger with his finger wagging shamefully. ”Small bites? We don’t do that here,” reads the caption, referencing the mascot’s drawn-on grin that couldn’t possibly open up for a chomp of any kind. “I have reasoning … But the other guy?” Fans of the chain and other brands praised Jack in the Box for “entering the chat.”
Meanwhile, Carl’s Jr. also posted a wisecrack on Instagram nodding to their CEO, which stated, “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: we will not be posting a video of our CEO eating a burger he’s had a million times.” And A&W Canada released a parody video starring “Allen,” recreating the original McDonald’s clip, mocking the overly polished corporate tone – “we love this burger product, which most people call, a burger” – with an additional caption, “@chrisk_mcd we loved your taste test video so we made our own. Who else is going to get an iconic Teen Burger for only $4.99?”
It’s morphed into a full-blown social media showdown. Fans online are calling it the latest chapter in the fast-food burger wars, as brands compete not only on menu items but also on viral marketing moments. While the original Big Arch clip may have started the conversation, the playful back-and-forth between major chains has kept it alive—proving that in today’s fast-food world, sometimes the biggest battles aren’t fought in commercials or billboards, but in short viral videos across social media.
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