McDonald's and Burger King, the eternal rivals of the U.S. hamburger market, have clashed again over new products they say are make-or-break. This time, the two companies' chief executive officers stood in front of the camera themselves and traded overt barbs aimed at each other.
On the 4th (local time), other fast-food franchises such as Wendy's and Hardee's joined in, triggering a free-for-all reminiscent of the past chicken sandwich war.
The one who started the war first was McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski. Last month, he posted a video on Instagram tasting a newly introduced burger, the Big Arch. In the video, Kempczinski sits in a neat space like an office, dressed in a crisp white shirt. Holding the burger in his hand, he inspects it carefully as if handling precision machinery. Then he takes a very small bite, like a bird pecking at feed, and flashes an awkward smile.
The public reaction to the video was largely cold. In particular, the fact that he referred to the burger as a product rather than food became the spark. Social media users mocked him, saying things like "He looks like someone being forced to eat poison," and "That's the most contrived first bite I've ever seen." Fox News said, "The McDonald's chief tried to promote the product, but the robotic demeanor drew ridicule."
Burger King seized on the opening and launched an immediate counterattack. Just hours after the McDonald's video became an online laughingstock, Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S., appeared. In the video, Curtis is lively and dynamic, in stark contrast to the static vibe Kempczinski projected.
Grabbing a hefty Whopper with both hands, he opened wide and took a hearty bite. Not even minding the sauce smearing at the corner of his mouth stood in sharp contrast to Kempczinski's timid tasting. After finishing the meal, Curtis said, "There's just one thing missing—napkins," taking a jab at McDonald's obsessively pristine staging. A Spokesperson for Burger King suggested in an NBC interview that the video was meticulously planned, stressing, "Leaders should genuinely enjoy and stand behind their own food."
As the short clips featuring the two brand chiefs drew explosive reactions, Wendy's, a third force, jumped into the brawl on the 4th. Pete Schererkan, president of Wendy's U.S., posted a video on LinkedIn that day of him so-called inhaling the chain's signature Baconator. Wendy's shared the clip on X with the caption, "When you're eating real food, you don't have to act like you enjoy it."
This melee calls to mind the chicken sandwich war that rocked the U.S. fast-food industry in 2019. Back then, chicken chain Popeyes launched a new chicken sandwich and openly targeted the industry leader Chick-fil-A, posting a short tweet, "y'all good?" It meant, "Are you satisfied with a chicken sandwich of this level from the current industry No. 1?"
As the two brands exchanged mocking posts on social media, consumer interest exploded. Lines stretching dozens of meters formed in front of both chains, and some locations even halted sales after running out of stock. According to market research firm Black Box Intelligence, Popeyes' same-store sales at the time posted a growth rate close to triple digits in a short span, becoming the industry's biggest buzz.
McDonald's and Burger King have been emblematic fast-food rivals waging comparative battles in advertising and marketing since the 1970s. In particular, the companies' signature items—McDonald's Big Mac and Burger King's Whopper—have stood at the center of the rivalry for decades. In the 1990s, Burger King provoked McDonald's with the message that "the Whopper is bigger," and McDonald's hit back with ads and promotions as the battle for the burger crown continued.
Recently, this rivalry has moved from TV ads to social media. In an online environment where short videos and memes spread instantly, directly referencing or subtly sniping at a competitor works as a powerful marketing tool. Wendy's, which declared it would join this round too, has carved out a presence on social media with witty "diss" marketing.
From a business perspective, this showdown is an advanced survival strategy to hold on to consumers fatigued by prices. Even if the McDonald's CEO drew ridicule, the three-letter name of the new product, Big Arch, is now firmly imprinted in consumers' minds worldwide. Experts said, "This kind of confrontation has a boom-up effect that injects energy into the entire market." The calculation is that being talked about, even if criticized, is better than being forgotten.