The Whopper Is The Most Overrated, Boring Burger

pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 17:31
Last edited 30/10/2020 - 16:28

Let's talk about Hungry Jack's Whopper for a second.
Originally I titled it "The Whopper Is a Burger Which Does Nothing Wrong, but Nothing Right Either" but felt that was too wordy lol

It's been their signature burger they take such pride in for a long time. However, it's nothing special. It's just a glorified cheeseburger.

This will probably come off extremely pretentious but while eating a Whopper I feel myself getting quickly bored with it. It doesn't taste much like anything or whatever taste it originally has gets dulled quite quickly.

I haven't tried the Big Jack and one part of me really wants to because I feel they might outdo Maccas there. Although the burgers have definitely slipped in quality from Hungry Jack's - don't know whether it's just the few stores I've visited but meat tastes old, bland and hardly warmed. Buns taste one day off going stale. Sauce is normally the saving grace, although sometimes there's not even much taste of that.

If the Big Jack doesn't live up to the hype either, what burgers have Hungry Jack's got left really to compete?

Part 2:

I actually really enjoyed the BBQ Pineapple Whopper from Hungry Jack's previously. Maybe that's why I had high expectations for the standard Whopper. Doesn't look like I can add pineapple though so that's a shame.

Also a double whopper with bacon and cheese just for the burger is over $10? That's without things added like beetroot or angry onions.
I don't know if the Ozbargainer in me will allow me to spend $10 on just a fast food burger.

I see on the coupons 2 Whoppers for $9.45 but not sure who'd eat the second one and idk if you can do add ingredients on vouchers and still get the reduced price

Part 3:

For anyone still following this, I tried a Whopper (with Cheese and Bacon) from a different store. Was a lot better but I don't think that was the issue. I could actually see the meat was flame grilled and it tasted like that too compared to those previous which were tasteless.
Note I never compared the Whopper to the Big Mac, I was wondering the quality of the Big Jack to the Big Mac. Somehow I feel a simple cheeseburger gets the job done nicely at Maccas rather than Hungry Jack's but the problem with Maccas is the size. At least the Whopper is more decently sized.

Would I buy one again? Yes, but only if I spun a $4 Whopper on shake and win and didn't go to the first store I tried.

Food & Grocery Burger

Related Stores

Hungry Jack's
Hungry Jack's

Comments

  • avgbowlofpho on 28/10/2020 - 17:38
    +217

    ok.

    • Kangal on 29/10/2020 - 20:36
      +36

      I enjoyed your comment more than the post above.

      • mousie on 30/10/2020 - 10:29
        +1

        Cool story bro. I can see this being a netflix series.

    • jacross on 30/10/2020 - 07:28

      This is my sentiment. I like the Whopper but…ok.

    • djoz on 30/10/2020 - 13:00
      +1

      Most people read the first comment and then the post. Thanks for the summary.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 28/10/2020 - 17:39
    +37

    Admittedly it's not great, but it's a hell of a lot better than your standard MAcDonalds range EG:
    *Junior Burger
    *Cheese Burger
    *Big Mac
    *1/4 pounder
    *McChicken
    *Fillet of Fish
    The Bacon Deluxe is much better, especially when it was 2 for $5.95
    I found the Whopper tastes better, if you order without Onion and Pickle(Same as the BigMac).

    Like most fastfood Outlets, some staff/management take more care than others. I notice this with the KFC near my work, compared to the one near home.

    • ATTS on 28/10/2020 - 17:46
      +1

      just wondering what happen for HJ to be more expensive than maccas now?

      for example maccas promotion in novermber 2 Small Quarter Pounder Meals $8

      https://www.frugalfeeds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Hu…
      ^ hj 2 small whopper meal = $13.95

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 28/10/2020 - 18:00
        +1

        Too many franchisees complaining? We've had a few close over the last decade in Newcastle.

      • Miss B on 29/10/2020 - 16:15
        +6

        HJs vouchers are pretty much continuous, McDonald's is an occasional special. Can't really compare.

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 28/10/2020 - 18:29
      +27

      Onion and Pickle

      Wut. That's essential parts of a burger.

      • Analytical Therapist on 29/10/2020 - 19:30
        +2

        I'm always asking for extra of both :/

        • 4agte on 30/10/2020 - 00:23
          -2

          Right on. My kids would complain every time I put onion in something. Now they both smash raw onion in homemade burgers. Youngest gets a health dose of Fehlbergs chiptole cucumbers too.

    • SlickMick on 29/10/2020 - 09:50
      +2

      I guess it all comes down to personal taste. I totally agree with the OP that the whopper is really bland. I disagree regarding the sauce - the HJ sauce is the worst part - sloppy, milky, tasteless. ugg I'm feeling gross just thinking about a whopper.
      The only thing I like about the whopper is raw onion, and getting onion rings as a change from fries.

      I'm actually getting hungry thinking about maccas burgers, though I do admit once is enough. I quickly get sick of them.
      I think I could eat fillet of fish every day, but you'd have to buy it for me, the price per gram means I never get it.

      I don't think HJ or maccas price advantage is enough anymore to choose them over other fast food, so I haven't used them in months - maybe years now.

      • zealmax on 30/10/2020 - 11:20
        +1

        The Whopper patty has become very thin. Also have become too expensive. Get better burgers at your local takeaways and support small business.

      • stanstho on 30/10/2020 - 12:01

        The whopped in my mind is still decent within the "chain burger" category. The sauce I suspect is a taste thing because I actually enjoy the flavour of the whopper's sauces ever if it can sometimes be a little too much depending on the store.

        In general the whopper is imperfect at best but it's competition (the big mac) is somehow even more plain again so I let it slide.

      • TheAccountant on 31/10/2020 - 04:53

        I hate how much sauce there is HJ burgers. Sloppy, wet buns with BBQ sauce oozing out of it = Yuck.

      • [Deactivated] on 31/10/2020 - 18:20
        +1

        true, haven't had any this year. local fishie has a lot burger for $7-8 and it's an actual burger not some rubbish.

    • BankstownMoeyDW on 29/10/2020 - 23:43

      if you order without Onion and Pickle

      You might not be enjoying it because you're only getting one of each.

    • aboogee on 30/10/2020 - 10:59
      +2

      yeah i feel like HJ sells tastier burgers than MD

  • zonra on 28/10/2020 - 17:40
    +39

    That’s, like, your opinion though.
    I personally prefer a Whopper to a BigMac (more lettuce and onion so feels fresher).
    What’s the purpose of this post?

    • pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 17:43
      -2

      Exactly, it's my opinion and I made this to see what others opinions were.
      For the record, the Big Mac isn't exactly all that great either.

      I feel like the McChicken or the Quarter Pounder is probably the only burgers I've 'enjoyed' from either fast food place but they're nothing to write home about.

      • Ghost47 on 28/10/2020 - 18:39

        So what is a burger that you like? Grill’d?

        • pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 19:29
          -1

          I feel you've not even read my reply

          • Broke-Ken on 30/10/2020 - 17:02

            @pennypincher98: I'd say Ghost47 has a valid question, we need a base line as to what you consider a great burger.

            You say that the whooper and big mac aren't great, then you mention mcchicken and quarter pounder are just alright.

            Then what is a burger that you would write home about and recommend to others.

            • BatmanBeer on 01/11/2020 - 13:57

              @Broke-Ken: But he did provide a baseline in his OP, not sure why people are negging and ignoring him.

      • Miss B on 29/10/2020 - 16:20

        It doesn't get much more bland than a quarter pounder or a McChicken. I'd definitely argue the Whopper is far less bland than either. These are fast food outlets not quality food outlets though.

      • gromit on 29/10/2020 - 21:26
        +3

        You are buying from a mass market fast food outlet that produces products that have to be bland and generic enough for the majority, what the heck do you expect? Hungry Jacks is better than Maccas, but both are appalling compared to any decent burger joint.

    • SlickMick on 29/10/2020 - 09:52
      +3

      is there onion on a big mac? is it the tiny diced cooked stuff like the cheeseburger? I like the real onion on the whopper - put that on the big mac and I might be interested.

      • Christopher Scott on 30/10/2020 - 19:51

        You can just get the onion they use on a quarter on a big mac its a different type.

    • capslock janitor on 30/10/2020 - 14:00

      u forgot sliced TOMATO 💯

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 28/10/2020 - 17:41
    +12

    Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?

    ps idk about you but the big jack was a HUGE let down.
    If I want a big mac I'll just get it from maccas.
    If i want a good burger, I'll get Hj's whopper (cheese is NOT optional).

    • pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 17:50

      I'm not sure if it's just because I used to have such great burgers from HJs but I just was left disappointed. Maybe it's worth a trip to another store but not many around really.

      PS: haven't tried Big Jack

      • rompastompa on 28/10/2020 - 18:02

        I feel Big Jack is just a marketing ploy. To me, it was basically the same as a whopper (actually tasted blander, so prefer a whopper over it).

        • Optamizm on 28/10/2020 - 20:00

          I agree. The Big Jack is honestly crap.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 28/10/2020 - 18:15
        +1

        Yes agree nothing as good as it was before.
        I’m personally more hurt about never being able to have 90s standard Pizza Hut again.

        • SlickMick on 29/10/2020 - 10:01
          +1

          I haven't had HJ in years and am really concerned at the thought that they could be worse.

          Pizza Hut made a huge fail in trying to compete in the $5 pizza market. Opened the door for quality pizza companies to get a foothold, let their reputation plummet, and made the brand worthless. If the damage could be undone, I still reckon the original pizza hut would be a great dine-in option.

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 29/10/2020 - 11:30

            @SlickMick: I remember going to pizza hut restaurant buffet about 10 yrs ago (I think it was browns Plains) it was a pretty good experience.

            • SlickMick on 29/10/2020 - 12:01
              +1

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: My memory is before that, when it was a relatively fancy (well seemed like it to a kid like me) restaurant with high-quality food. I'm sure they used to have a jingle "I know a place" and promoted it as a classy family restaurant.

            • NatoTomato on 29/10/2020 - 13:42
              +1

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: Haha, I also remember going to that exact same place for my birthday one time. It smelt weird, but the pizza and chips was aight. Haven't really been back to a Pizza Hut again.

              • Jimothy Wongingtons on 29/10/2020 - 14:00

                @NatoTomato: Same actually. There's one kinda near my work and I always think yep one of these days im gonna have pizza hut for dinner after work.

                I usually end up getting dominos tho coz its closer and way better value haha

        • pilchard on 30/10/2020 - 12:58

          Pizza Hut in Asia is pretty much 90s standard. Just a shame there's no 'The Works'.

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 30/10/2020 - 13:08

            @pilchard: Maybe 3-4 years ago now , I excitedly got Pizza hut at Taipei, Taiwan.
            Was really let down as the cheese there..is ..like a sweet cheese. Not the standard savoury.

            Unless I ordered wrong :c

    • Kikkoman56 on 29/10/2020 - 17:42

      +1
      Big Jack sucked, I had mild food poisoning from it too…

      • capslock janitor on 30/10/2020 - 14:02

        why people in the HJ thread said they did it better than Micky? or was it Mega Jack.. i forget

    • AustriaBargain on 30/10/2020 - 05:15

      The big Jack puts a heel in the middle of the burger instead of an actual middle bit of bread. And you can feel the texture of it when eating it, too spongey.

    • Nereosis on 30/10/2020 - 13:19

      DAE find the Big Jack ads just really embarrassing?

      Can't you just be your own brand HJ instead of being McDonald's but not McDonald's?

      "Maccas is trying to sue us cause we obviously decided to make a burger as close as possible to the Big Mac, aren't we just wacky and cool!"
      No, you're embarrassing yourself.

    • gfunk zero on 31/10/2020 - 18:04

      cheese is a whole dollar extra and its that plastic stuff, bit cheeky if you ask me

  • FW190 on 28/10/2020 - 17:50
    +8

    HJ used to be good, and a lot better then Maccas (mind you that was 10+ years ago)

    But in recent years, it has been on a downward spiral, the beef patties these days are dry and tasteless, it doesn't even have that flame grilled aroma anymore, the buns are usually very dry, and their chips are covered in a thick coat of salt, although burgers at the cheaper end of Maccas ain't that much better either.

    I used to drive 30 mins to the nearest HJ couple of times a month, these days, there is one just down the road from me and I rarely go there anymore (not that I frequent Maccas much either).

    • Loopenip on 29/10/2020 - 17:07
      +1

      Yeah I remember them being better (for me it's more like ~5 years ago vs your 10) but I feel in the last few years it's been really meh…
      Could just be me not liking them anymore though

      • capslock janitor on 30/10/2020 - 14:03

        the flame grilled aroma was what made is special

    • Imitation on 30/10/2020 - 23:53

      When Grill Masters first came out I was kinda impressed. The burgers seemed distinctly different with different ingrdients. Presentation was a plus with the special box. Now if I have Grill Masters I just feel like I ate a whole bunch of bad stuff. I mean it's pleasurable in some way and fills a need but… it's just a bunch of meat with more meat with salt and sauce. The whole range looks and tastes almost the same.

      Whoppers and HJ burgers in general I think at least at my local are always oversauced and a bit sloppy.

      • capslock janitor on 31/10/2020 - 00:04
        +1

        oversauced

        I like it, esp when it oozes out of the BBQ cburger

  • TheBean on 28/10/2020 - 17:51
    +1

    I can see how it would be boring, a yardstick for and average fast food burger.
    It is a lot better with cheese and bacon though.

  • Willco88 on 28/10/2020 - 17:55
    +3

    Its all cheap mass produced junk food covered in MSG and ready to give heart attack it's not a restaurant at all

  • Cave Fire on 28/10/2020 - 17:55
    +1

    Simple… ask for a freshly made one. Night and day difference at Maccas. Probably don't want to do it when they are too busy though.

    • voiletmay on 28/10/2020 - 18:16

      Everything freshly made is better!! This is the key to really enjoying food.

      • capslock janitor on 30/10/2020 - 14:05

        so if these arent fresh then what?
        grilled then sat on counter til someone orders??

    • kiitos on 29/10/2020 - 13:12

      Didn't know they'd do that for you, thanks

    • dirtybigbjelke on 30/10/2020 - 08:50

      This. You can ask for your Whopper "DP" although no-one at the stores knows what that means anymore, It's cut in half and if they do it right they make you a fresh burger, wrap it and wrap it again. Somehow it makes the Whopper taste better.

  • Moneyinthebank on 28/10/2020 - 17:57
    +1

    I used to work at Hungry Jacks and they would cut their tomatoes
    It was done in a very unhygienic sink

    • superveggies on 29/10/2020 - 16:53

      Did you do something about it?

    • AustriaBargain on 30/10/2020 - 05:17
      +1

      McDonald’s does the same. No sink though, they had a mandolin. Box of tomato’s in the fridge.

      • ldt on 31/10/2020 - 16:28

        All the tomatoes in the McDonalds I worked at arrived pre-sliced in packets.

        • AustriaBargain on 31/10/2020 - 16:37

          I haven’t worked for a McDonald’s in like 16 years so might be different now.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 28/10/2020 - 18:03

    Best Big Mac, I had was about 6 months ago. The Store franchisee made it before finishing up for that day. It was even packed properly, not crushed. The sauce was in the middle etc.

    • AustriaBargain on 29/10/2020 - 21:10
      +1

      How did you get a fresh bun at the end of the day though. Unless they happened to pull that tray out and serve you at the optimum defrost time. When they defrost the buns they do get a little slightly stale over time and you can tell even after toasting them. They are defrosted an entire bread tray at a time so the first one taken from the tray will always be a bit different to the last one taken.

  • Godric on 28/10/2020 - 18:07
    +5

    That's because you forget to order a Big Whopper with Cheese

    • gfunk zero on 31/10/2020 - 18:05

      one slice of cheese is a dollar though that's a bit of a laugh

  • brendanm on 28/10/2020 - 18:07

    Ok, you are doing it wrong. To get a good whopper, you order the double whopper, no pickles, no mayo, add beetroot.

    • Ghost47 on 28/10/2020 - 18:34
      +5

      Also cheese. It’s insane it doesn’t come with cheese as a default. Bacon is also good too. Also jalapeños or angry onions. Damn it now I want a whopper.

      • brendanm on 28/10/2020 - 18:48
        +1

        Yeah I'm going to go get one tonight I think. Perhaps the op is simply a low key hjs ad.

      • AustriaBargain on 31/10/2020 - 16:38
        +1

        I buy hamburger instead of cheeburger because the chee adds a lot of calories

    • pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 19:32
      -1

      I'm actually going to try at least one of these recommendations at a different store tomorrow and report back.
      Me being a tight ass didn't want to pay for additional ingredients they always used to give for free.

      I'll try a double bacon whopper with cheese.
      Edit: nope fck that not spending $11 or so on a fast food burger lmao

      • brendanm on 28/10/2020 - 19:56

        Just got the one I described above, was good, no additional charges as far as I know. It sure is a rip off compared to what it used to be.

        • pennypincher98 on 28/10/2020 - 19:59

          Beetroot is an extra 50 cents (used to be free), but might try and see tomorrow if I can spin a $4 Whopper and then add things to it or if they'll say that's not allowed.

          I'll try what you suggest though if the above works.

          • brendanm on 28/10/2020 - 20:02
            +1

            @pennypincher98: Wow, that's very unaustralian to charge for beetroot.

            • capslock janitor on 30/10/2020 - 14:13

              @brendanm: When I was a regular luncher, there was an employee who knew I wanted it "heavy / with the lot" every visit -
              he'd punch it in or communicate with the kitchen guys and process no extra charge.

              They would charge me (for every additional condiment, including beets etc) when I had a different cashier/server :/

              Haven't seen him there for ages, hope he's doing well.

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