McDonald’s Vs. Burger King: Who Is Better?

By Phillip Adcock
Last updated: Apr 11, 2023
McDonald's versus Burger King

Burger lovers have a plethora of fast food selections. Two of the industry’s biggest names have been used for decades, attempting to overpower others.

McDonald’s vs. Burger King is known to be two arch-rivals in the fast-food industry. Although “born late”, Burger King shows a formidable opponent of “senior” McDonald’s.

Keep reading to learn about the differences between the two restaurants!

Overview

The fast-food rivalry between McDonald’s versus Burger King has raged for decades.

Both these restaurants were founded in the mid-twentieth century, but McDonald’s was the first to gain a reputation as the Big M. This multinational corporation holds the “global” in “global organization.”

Since then, Burger King has primarily focused on catching up to and surpassing the burger behemoth.

The “burger wars” between the two intensified within the 1970s when Burger King publicly declared that McDonald’s had tinier burgers. Burger King gained an advantage for a short time due to the attack ads, but towards the 1980s, they came back to keep close to the gap with Mcdoals as before.

When it speaks to McDonald’s vs. Burger King, as of 2023, McDonald’s provides healthier choices and has greater Coke, fries, and nuggets. 

Burger King is known for its superior burgers, client service, and innovative advertising. However, Burger King has about half the number of stores as McDonald’s. This failure to outperform McDonald’s is not due to a lack of effort.

Burger King Vs. McDonald’s

There isn’t much of a price difference between these two brands, but McDonald’s is frequently less expensive in the long run. 

To better understand Mcdonald’s and Burger King, pay close attention to specific details we discovered below.

Burger

Burger Mcdonald

Burger King comes out on top in the burger field, which is important for reasons other than health.

In terms of ingredients-to-burger proportion, Burger King has fresh and healthy ingredients, a much stiffer bun, and a far more equalized hamburger than McDonald’s.

Moreover, the flame-grilled product at Burger King has a flavor that McDonald’s could not match or come even near to, and it makes tastes mostly like a true beef burger.

Furthermore, continuity in the quality of hamburgers, like the Whopper, from one Burger King to another is another reason Burger King outperforms McDonald’s in the burger fight.

The calorie content of Burger King’s burger is less than the calorie content of McDonald’s; it’s about 220 calories, making it a better option for lunch if you want to eat something lighter.

Sandwich

Even when users compare various chicken sandwiches, Burger King beats the chicken sandwich struggle.

Besides, Burger King provides a relatively thick piece of chicken, and the dishes taste more delicious when the sandwich is topped with sauce and garnishes.

In addition, Burger King uses a tangy sauce, whereas McDonald’s only has a splatter of mayo on their sandwiches.

Fries

McDonald’s fries are unquestionably superior to Burger King’s. McDonald’s knows how to fry better potatoes than almost anyone. 

One of the reasons McDonald’s fries are so tasty is that they use natural beef flavors, which produce flavor enhancer MSG as the potatoes touch the hot oil. 

The fries also are flawlessly cut to maintain a sustainable fry that is crunchy from the outside but has the fluffiness of a baked potato on the inside.

Burger King has attempted and failed numerous times to produce a fry that would give them a competitive advantage over McDonald’s. 

McDonald’s buys more potatoes than anyone else in the world, ordering approximately 3.4 million tons per year because this company sells nine thousand tons of fries per day.

Tasting Coke

McDonald’s and Burger King are both loyal Coca-Cola customers. McDonald’s has an advantage over Burger King, just like it does with French fries when it comes to soft drinks.

Coke company does not have a special recipe for McDonald’s. This brand improved the process of delivering the beverage to your mouth; even straws are a little wider. 

Most fast-food chains get their soft drink in bags. McDonald’s has chosen to grab attention by insisting on getting its product in steel tanks to ensure maximum soda quality. 

Before hitting the soda fountain, both the syrup and the filtered water mixed are pre-chilled to near-freezing temperatures. This step ensures that your McDonald’s Coke is cold from the beginning.

Breakfast Innovation

Keeping a competitive edge in the breakfast battle necessitates innovation, and this is a spot where Burger King has lagged behind McDonald’s for ages.

McDonald’s breakfast began in 1970, and Micky D’s hit the ground running in 1971 with the legendary Egg McMuffin. 

Burger King made the mistake of delaying the introduction of a domestic breakfast menu until 1983. 

The Egg McMuffin is far from the only novel breakfast item introduced by McDonald’s. 

The release of the syrup-infused pancake mixture McGriddle was highly successful, accounting for 40% of the company’s same-store revenue growth, as shown in the Wall Street Journal.

Although Burger King’s Croissant is a deserving rival to the Egg McMuffin, it is where Burger King’s breakfast achievement is over. 

While the French Toast and Maple Waffle Sandwich are yummy, they’re further McGriddle rip-offs than true breakfast innovations.

Coffee

As stated by Mintel, 66% of millennials consume ice coffees, and fast food companies have taken full advantage. 

With the coffee chain thriving, both McDonald’s and Burger King are leveraging this beverage’s attraction to entice customers into purchasing fries and possibly a burger to go along with their coffee.

According to QSR, McDonald’s started up its McCafé in 2009, and it achieved a huge success, attracting customers who come purely for a daily coffee.

Burger King didn’t take the coffee market seriously and began providing high-end coffee drinks after McDonald’s ten years.

Moreover, the brand’s $5 monthly coffee subscription may be enticing. This brand’s coffee may be tasty if you need a pick-me-up, yet if you want a great cuppa, you never should choose a Burger King latte.

McDonald’s vs. Burger King Taste Test | FOOD FEUDS

Marketing

McDonald’s and Burger King has made some questionable marketing choices. 

McDonald’s does seem to make lower numbers of them, or maybe the ones they make aren’t as terrible as Burger King’s. In any case, they’ve been beating Burger King at advertisements for centuries.

The McDonald’s logo does not necessitate the name to communicate with fans. The Golden Arches, like the Nike Swoosh, are instantly recognizable. 

The Burger King logo isn’t terrible, but the company’s name is indeed an important part of it. According to Orchard, McDonald’s can get away with only displaying half of the Golden Arches in an advertisement, and clients can still recognize its reputation.

McDonald’s shows itself as a forerunner in marketing compared to Burger King when this brand has launched many cooperation policies with international celebrities.

For a far more current instance, the collaboration with the most famous BTS band in the world at the moment is one of the most profitable advertising campaigns in the first half of 2021.

The meal set ‘The BTS Meal’ was first released on May 26 and covered nearly 50 countries worldwide. The number of customers to McDonald’s has increased by 12% in just one week since the launch of this meal set with BTS’s ‘sold-out’ power. 

This figure far exceeds the 9% increase during the period when McDonald’s opened the meal set in partnership with Travis Scott in the US.

The success increased McDonald’s sales and contributed to the brand’s continuous attraction to today’s youth, even a target group of families, and children.

Whereas Burger King attempted an outdated Whopper in 2020.

Social Media Audience

The company that gets its advertisements in from most eyes comes out on top of the marketing fight, and McDonald’s has a lot of views on it. 

McDonald’s has 3.7 million Twitter followers, 3.9 million Instagram followers, and an outstanding 80.7 million Facebook followers as of January 2021. 

That’s a lot of people watching “ba da ba ba ba” videos, photos, or memes the Golden Arches posts. 

Even if only about 5% of the company’s followers on Facebook see whatever advertisement they update that day, more than 4 million people.

Those figures are difficult to catch up to, and Burger King falls far short in comparison. 

This brand has an honorable 1.8 million Twitter followers and 1.9 million Instagram followers; however, where McDonald’s truly outperforms them is always on Facebook. 

With 8.4 million Facebook followers, Burger King accounts for around 10% of McDonald’s Fb fans. 

Even the most magnificent, possibly “sadistic,” ad campaigns on Facebook won’t have been enough to support Burger King close the gap with McDonald’s at this time.

Which Is Better?

After reading all of the information below, you can answer the question: Is McDonald’s better than Burger King? 

When you particularly compare these brands, Mcdonald’s is more well-known and has a larger presence than Burger King. 

This brand gets the majority in many aspects, including costs, Coke, sales, breakfast choices, and coffee services.

When you visit a McDonald’s store, you will receive excellent service. They are more concerned with the quality of the customer experience than with the speed with which the meals have been served. 

Mcdonald’s customer service policy is summed up in the slogan, “The meal will always be hot.”

Conversely, Burger King gives clients various options and provides quick service.

However, if you want to buy a burger, Burger King is your top choice because the flame-grilled part of the burger, the bun, and the ingredients are more exceptional at McDonald’s.

Burger King may only have more burger and chicken sandwich advantages than McDonald’s. These factors actually can not help Burger King beat McDonald’s. 

Conclusion

McDonald’s vs. Burger King are two arch-opponents; there is always an invisible gap and a state of competition between these two brands.

McDonald’s easily wins the battle, especially when it comes to soft drinks quality, but can’t compete with Burger King’s burgers.

Hopefully, our article can offer many differences between these companies to help you have the best experiences at your favorite restaurant. Thanks for reading!

To know more about McDonald’s, you can also read our related articles on:

* Disclaimer: We do not buy, sell or provide service, we only share with you our trusted sources, and experience. In case of any changes in the products or services of the companies, all the information below is supposed to change at any time.

Phillip Adcock is the founder and Managing Director of the research agency Shopping Behaviour Xplained (SBXL), a shopping research organization using psychological consumer insight to explain and help consumers answer their questions about stores and services.

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