This International Burger King Has Removed Everything But The Beef, And We Have Questions

Fast food can be, and this is a massive understatement, a little quirky at times. And Japanese fast food is arguably some of the quirkiest of the bunch. This year, the Japanese menus of Western fast food franchises have delivered some pretty out-there stuff: Pizza Hut delivered a drinkable pizza in May, and followed it up with a noodle pizza a few weeks ago, while Burger King dropped a pair of sandwiches with 11 pickles each. Yes. Eleven. Sour flavor haters need not apply here. 

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Turns out that Burger King Japan’s not done, though. For its most recent move, it’s taken a very minimalist approach to its sandwiches – and it’s left us wondering whether we needed that pesky bun in the first place. Or that cheese. Or anything, really. Allow us to explain. 

Burger King Japan: On The Beef

Last week, Burger King Japan announced a very limited-time menu (it was literally only available for six days, and wrapped up on October 22), wherein it decided to remove everything from its burgers. No, really: Everything. The On The Beef menu offered a single Burger King beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper, as well as two burger patties, and either one or two patties crowned with spicy, teriyaki, or BBQ sauce. And that was it. No bread, no cheese, no lettuce, no tomatoes, no onions, no nothing. The patties came on a piece of parchment paper. 

They were also a little more expensive than you might think. As Dexerto pointed out, its single On The Beef beef patty was priced at 450 yen, or roughly $2.85 USD – which was more expensive than a standard cheeseburger at the Japanese wing of the chain. Maybe the parchment paper was just really, really expensive? 

And…Why Did It Do This?

It’s hard to get a clear handle on that one. For its own part, Burger King Japan said in a press release that the menu “allows you to enjoy the authentic taste of Burger King’s burgers” (please note that quote was translated from the Japanese press release – you may have to do the same if you want to read it in full). And we guess there’s some joy in taking away everything and allowing Burger King’s beef to shine through, which would also serve to remind its customers of the centerpiece in every one of its sandwiches and the work that goes into it. This could also be BK Japan jumping on the high-protein trend that’s been sweeping much of the world.

But…do you just pick it up with your bare hands? Is it satisfying? Call me old-fashioned, but I like my burgers to have stuff in and on them. It’s a pass from me, although I see how this could appeal to all those protein lovers out there.