Thailand (CNN) — Burger King's latest offering, a burger with no meat and staggering amounts of cheese, is making waves in Thailand. The "real cheeseburger," a bun stuffed with as many as 20 slices of American cheese, was unveiled this week by the fast food chain's Thai operator.
The dish debuted on Thai menus on Sunday for a discounted price of 109 Thai baht ($3.1), down from its typical cost of 380 baht ($10.9). As soon as people started recording videos of themselves enjoying the new sandwich on TikTok, it swiftly became popular on social media in Thailand.
"This is serious. In a Sunday social media post, Burger King declared, "This is genuine.
On Tuesday, a shift manager at one Burger King location in Bangkok was overheard indicating that the location had to cease processing delivery orders in order to have enough food available for walk-in guests.
After seeing it on social media, one client who purchased the cheesy dessert told CNN that she had eaten it for the first time.
The 25-year-old IT engineer Im Jeepetch admitted that while she enjoyed cheese, "this was a bit too much."
She wiped her lips with a napkin and replied, "I could only finish half of it." This burger has an absurdly large amount of cheese on it. When the ingredients are in the appropriate proportions, food is good.
I noted that other burgers are already nice and that she probably wouldn't have the gooey food again the following time. I believe I will return to my customary double cheese angus.
A second consumer agreed, describing the cheeseburger as "too intense."
I may not give it another go. Alisa Chuengviroj, a 26-year-old businesswoman who sells beauty goods online, said, "I enjoy a few pieces of cheese on my burger but not this much.
Chuengviroj claimed that, like Im, she had gone to the shop after seeing numerous online reviews of the burger.
The new menu item is an illustration of how fast-food chains all over the world are attempting to acquire traction by introducing outlandish or visually appealing menu items that they hope will go viral on social media.
Burger King has increased its focus on the Whopper in the US, a flame-grilled trademark beef burger that has gained popularity on apps like TikTok thanks to a catchy commercial song that was released in late 2017.
Additionally, restaurants constantly modify their menus to accommodate regional preferences in various nations. In Thailand, youthful clients are particularly fond of cheese, and the dairy ingredient is frequently sprinkled on a variety of foods.
Salmon katsu burgers are also available on Burger King's menu throughout the nation, maybe in response to customers' preference for chicken over beef.
Minor International, a regional hospitality company that operates some of Asia's biggest restaurant chains, is the chain's owner in Thailand. CNN made several attempts to reach the corporation, which also manages locations for brands like Dairy Queen and Benihana, for comment on Tuesday.