Burger King recently offered rival McDonald’s to come up with a new burger called “McWhopper.” However, McDonald’s allegedly declined.
Burger King made a full-page open letter advertisement in the New York Times.
“Good morning, McDonald’s. We come in peace. In fact, we come in honor of peace. We know we’ve had our petty differences, but how about we call a ceasefire on these so-called ‘burger wars’?”
Burger King proposed that their fast food chains collaborate by mixing the tastiest parts of the famous Big Mac and Whopper to create “one delicious, peace-loving burger”. Burger King added that they would sell the new burger on Peace Day, September 21, 2015 and that the proceeds would be donated to Peace One Day, a nonprofit organization that provides educational resources to thousands of schools in 131 countries.
However, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook responded on Facebook, “We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference. We commit to raise awareness worldwide, perhaps you'll join us in a meaningful global effort?"
The proposal would involve creating a pop-up shop in a parking lot between a McDonald’s and Burger King in Atlanta. Employees from both companies would wear special uniforms on Peace Day.
Easterbrook told Burger King that they are simply in a friendly business competition and not in real pain and war. He added that McDonald’s will be in touch and that a simple phone call would suffice the next time. McDonald’s did not directly turn down the proposal but said that it might be better if they worked together on a bigger project that would make a real difference.
CNN described The Whopper as a quarter pound of savory flame-grilled beef with tomatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce, sliced onions and pickles on a sesame seed bun. The Big Mac is a double layer of sear-sizzled 100% pure beef mingled with special sauce with American cheese, pickles, lettuce, minced onions on a sesame seed bun. The planned burger might include the Big Mac’s top bun and sauce and the Whopper’s 4-ounce meat patty and tomato slices, among other things.
New York Times wrote that Burger King is now part of Restaurant Brands International, a Canadian-based company created by 3G Capital. The company is currently the No. 3 burger chain in the world. McDonald’s is at the top, while Wendy’s is second. Burger King has since recovered and enjoyed a 6.7 percent gain in sales.