Marketing

Burger King invites fans to create next Whopper

BK’s Royal Perks members can submit their spin on the signature burger for the chance to win a million-dollar prize.
Burger King Whopper contest
Burger King's Million Dollar Whopper contest gives guests the chance to truly "have it your way." | Photo courtesy of Burger King.

Burger King is asking its Royal Perks members to submit their idea for the next Whopper innovation, with the chance to win a $1 million dollar prize.

Entries for the Million Dollar Whopper contest will be accepted through Mar. 17.

The Miami-based burger giant is not exactly asking fans to reinvent the signature Whopper. Instead, each submission can include up to eight toppings that allow each guest to play out the iconic slogan to “have it your way," the chain announced Monday.

According to Burger King, the flame-grilled Whopper currently offers more than 200,000 possible customized combinations. And since the sandwich's debut in 1957, the BK culinary team has come up with their own iterations—from the Angry Whopper to the Ghost Pepper Whopper and more. But now the chain is turning to its guests, asking them to let their imaginations run wild and come up with ideas that may not have been thought of before.

“Burger King is all about Having It Your Way, and this contest is a true embodiment of that,” Pat O’Toole, BK’s CMO, said in a statement. “More than 50% of guests customize their Whopper sandwich, and now, the possibilities of what those customizations include are endless.”  

Later this year, three Whopper creations will be selected by the contest judges, and those three finalists will be invited to Burger King headquarters in Miami, where they will have the opportunity to refine their ideas before they appear on menus nationwide for a limited time later this year. BK customers will then have a chance to try out the three iterations and vote on their favorite Million Dollar Whopper, with the finalist who receives the most votes taking home the $1 million prize.

To enter, Burger King fans should visit BK.com/MDW or the BK App (no purchase necessary) and submit their Whopper creation, following the prompts and using their Royal Perks account. Once the entry is submitted, they will receive an A.I.-generated image and original jingle inspired by their Whopper idea that can be shared across social platforms.

“Whether or not your Whopper ends up in restaurants nationwide, we’re giving guests the opportunity to experience and share their creation using the power of A.I. technology,” said O’Toole.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners