Tech

Burger King asks Swedish customers to guess if their burger is made of meat or not

Key Points
  • Burger King in Sweden recently launched two plant-based burgers. 
  • To prove they taste like the real thing, they've launched a "50/50 menu" that will randomly serve customers either a plant-based or real meat burger. 
  • Customers can guess what they've received, then can scan their box to see which one they got.
Burger King's new 50/50 menu in Sweden
Handout

Burger King is so confident its new plant-based burgers in Sweden taste like real meat that it is asking customers to order off a random menu and guess whether they're eating real meat or an imitation.

The burger chain recently launched two plant-based burgers in Sweden. They're meatless versions of the classic Whopper and of a "Crispy Chicken" sandwich called the "Rebel Whopper" and "Rebel Chicken King." The new products will soon be launching in other countries in Europe, Burger King said in a statement. Burger King has more than 16,000 restaurants in the world, with 135 in Sweden, the chain said.

To get consumers to believe the new sandwiches "taste so similar to real meat that you won't notice any difference," the restaurant has launched a "50/50 menu." If customers order off that menu, they'll be randomly served a plant-based or regular meat patty. Then they'll have to guess which one they're eating.

Curious customers can then scan their box in the Burger King app to find out. Data from the guesses will be collected and used for ads that will run later this summer (regardless of how many guesses were correct or incorrect, the chain said). Burger King is working with creative agency Ingo Stockholm for the campaign.

The campaign comes as meat substitutes are becoming popular with consumers. Earlier this year, Burger King announced it was testing Impossible Burgers, which are known to "bleed" just like real burger patties. It then said it would launch the product nationwide this year.

But the rollout has come with some trouble. Eater recently reported that a location in New York City had been advertising and serving plant-based "Impossible Whoppers" that actually contained meat patties.

In a statement, Burger King said the product error was "due to a technology error."

"The issue has been corrected and the item is no longer listed as an option until we officially bring the Impossible Whopper to New York," it said. "We apologize for any confusion this has caused."

If Burger King is testing meatless burgers, everyone should: Research analyst
VIDEO3:5503:55
If Burger King is testing meatless burgers, everyone should: Research analyst