Burger King’s ‘basic’ burger menu has quite a few more offerings compared to McDonald’s. You have your standard “add a piece of cheese, add a piece of meat” model going on, but the King offers bacon and things like the Rodeo Burger and Whopper Jr. It’s been awhile, but I think the ‘flame-broiled’ flavor is quite tasty compared to the competition. Let’s compare.

There’s about a 200 calorie variation here, from the simple Hamburger, to the Bacon Double Cheeseburger. Adding a slice of cheese is about 50 calories, bacon adds about 40. The basic burgers all come with ketchup and mustard on a sesame seed bun. Unlike McDonald’s, there are no diced (or minced) onion. The pickles are more fresh and crunchy, and less slimy and steamy. The Rodeo Burger is simply a meat patty with barbecue sauce and onion rings, but they bring the calorie count up to that of the Bacon Cheeseburger. The Whopper Jr. is an entirely different animal, topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, (no mustard) tomato, leaf lettuce, pickles, and fresh onion. It’s 80 calories more than the Hamburger, and that’s mostly because of the mayo. This menu has the same ~250 to ~450 calorie range as the Golden Arches, but with more variety.

If you compare these with Burger King’s ‘basic’ chicken sandwiches, you’re really not doing yourself any favors in the calorie department. The Chicken Jr. and Spicy Chicken Jr. are topped with only sauce and lettuce, but have 451 and 386 calories, respectively. You read that correctly. BK’s Chicken Jr. has the same calorie count as their Bacon Double Cheeseburger, but with no cheese or bacon.

Both McDonald’s and Wendy’s offer a selection of burgers at this calorie range, but McDonald’s has less variety and less-fresh toppings.

Lessons Learned:

Burger King’s ‘basic’ burgers are very similar, but they do offer the Rodeo Burger and Whopper Jr. for variety. And the bacon option.

If you go to another major fast food restaurant, you’ll find pretty much the same thing.

Going with a non-beef option is not going to save you calories. Burger King’s chicken is packed with them for some reason.

eric’s opinion:

I’m surprised that the Bacon Double Cheeseburger has as many calories as their simple Chicken Jr. – wow. As I mentioned in the McDonald’s portion of this series, you can get a Beef ‘N Cheddar at Arby’s for the same calorie count as BK’s Bacon Double Cheeseburger. If I had my way, I’d get the Double Cheeseburger with the toppings of the Whopper Jr.