The argument has long been raging as to which of the fast food outlets or chains produce the best burger. Predominantly this battle for supremacy is being fought between the two global giants McDonald's and Burger King, although no doubt there are other brands that should be included within this debate. However, because of their global reach this article intends to concentrate upon the McDonald / Burger King Battle, rather than comparing those on offer from the myriad of individual fast food outlets that offer this meal product.

Of course, the decision related to which is the best fast food burger is ultimately down to personal choice and a matter of individual tastes. However, there are some external measurements that can be used to as scientific and commercial indicators in this respect.

Ingredient content

In terms of ingredients for a standard beef burger, the websites of both McDonald's and Burger King suggest that these contain 100% beef with no added artificial ingredients. In addition they also suggest that the relishes, salads and sources, as well as the buns have similar contents. Therefore, a best choice based upon the ingredient content would be difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain.

Health measurement

In terms of kilocalorie measurement, if one compares the unit of this energy produced by the two fast food products, the Big Mac contains 252 Kcal per 100 grams of the product whereas the Burger King Whopper contains 231kcals. This means that as part of a calorie controlled diet the Whopper is a better choice as it leaves more calories to be consumed on other foodstuff.

However, in terms of other ingredients, including cholesterol, fats and salt, there is little to choose between the two burger products with relation to the potential harm they can cause to health.

Quantities sold

Finally, let us look at the two protagonists in the burger war in terms of their unit sold results. In this context, the following statistics would provide a guide to their respective performances.

McDonald - over 31,000 outlets in 118 countries serving 58 million people daily (2008)

Burger King - 11,100 outlets in 65 countries serving and served 11.400 million customers daily in 2006.

This means that Macdonald's served an average of 1,870 customers per unit compared with Burger King's 1,027 customers per unit. Even allowing for the growth of Burger King during the two years of 2007 and 2008 it is highly unlikely that they have matched McDonald's figure. Therefore, simply on this criterion it could be argued that McDonald's burger is the most popular.

Conclusion

As stated in the introduction, in the view of the fast food consumer, the perception of best burger will be a subject of personal preference. Many consumers when asked this question will relate their answer to experiences in individual fast food outlets, irrespective of whether these belong to global burger chains or not. What this article has sought to do is, by use of scientific and commercial criteria, simply judge the best burger using the two major fast food chains in this sector as a focus. What then has this examination proven? In terms of best for health the result is that Burger King comes out on top. However, in terms of consumer preference, which is more important to the corporation, it would appear that McDonald's still holds a significant edge.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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