The King's Whopper

It has been a long tiring day, the usual tedium of work, tension of getting to places on time, and meeting deadlines—seems life has finally caught you in its sombre reality of being an (apparent) adult? In that moment, imagine something that can bring a smile to your face, especially when accompanied by a grumpy hungry stomach? 

Is it food? Is it a large scrumptious bun, with a nice grilled beef patty snuggly sitting with some lettuce, and onions, and mayo?  Are there some glorious looking crispy fries by the side? 

I think I know what you want. A Whopper...at Burger King!

So, as the name suggests, this flagship item on the global burger chain's menu is BIG, about five inches in diameter, its hefty meal fit to make any burger-loving foodie happy. What's more, it is easy to eat and not messy to boot, since you do not have to press down with all your might to make it biteable. Though it is a tantalising heft, as you need both your hands to eat it. 

The Whopper is delightful in its simplicity as a burger, with no claims of being anything but. A flame-grilled beef patty with some lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onion slices, and mayonnaise, siting between two parts of a sesame-seed speckled bun make a Whopper. 

At Tk 519 for the meal, which includes a small fountain cola and a medium serving of fries, it is decent meal by any standards. Of course, there is the option of cheese as an extra, and who would not want cheese, right? 

The flame grilled patty really sets it apart, and the aroma is surely enticing, the minute you unwrap your order. It's fresh out of the ovens in all senses of the expression, as there is special focus on maintaining not just freshness and quality of the produce, but also temperature templates to hold the burgers at very specific levels while both frying and up until those are served. 

As Kazi Tanvir Akhter, Head of Restaurant Operations at Tiffin Box (the local franchisee of Burger King), puts it, "This is a very time sensitive operation, as we are always ready to serve, but with optimised quantities of everything to ensure that nothing should be served short of being completely fresh.

"Our trained and certified managers make a round of the whole operation every hour, to make sure everything is running smoothly," he added.  

Maintaining international Burger King standards right here in Dhaka is a commitment Tiffin Box, make as a brand, and they seem to put a lot of effort into keeping that commitment. 

Apart from the bread, which is made here in production houses certified by the parent company, every single ingredient that goes into the items of Burger King's menu in Bangladesh is imported. And mind you, the ingredients are well travelled—the beef is often flown in from Malaysia or Dubai, the veggies, especially the potato, is from USA, and even the mayo comes packaged straight from the parent company, informed Mushroof Ahmed, Head of Commercial Operation at Tiffin Box.  

"We at Burger King here aim to make this everyone's go to place for burgers," he added. With that in mind, there is quite a variety in the menu, of which the surprisingly popular is the fish burger", he said. They also have chicken nuggets and deliciously attractive ice cream at the outlets. 

If you were to get a sneak peak into the kitchens at Burger King, the modern machineries with a streamlined production process will surely amaze you. The other remarkable thing is the staff's acute attention to cleanliness and hygiene, with spotless floors and countertops. 

The staff are polite and friendly, which is always a plus point for a food joint.  

If some of your fondest memories consist of scrumptious meals, be sure to give the Whopper a chance to be your next best go-to comfort food. If you are already a fan, be it from a recent visit or one from your childhood tours abroad, it's a good time to revisit. 

So when are you meeting the King of Burgers? 

By Sania Aiman

Photo courtesy: Burger King