The Truth About Burger King's $1 Cheeseburger

Fast food restaurants are popular for many reasons, but one of the biggest draws is how cheap they are to eat at. To appeal more to this savings-focused market, many companies offer value menus which help consumers pinpoint the cheapest options available. According to QSR Web, fast food chain Burger King began offering their value menu in 1998 in the United States. A Burger King spokesperson, Lauren Kuzniar, told the outlet that the value menu represents a key component of what they call the barbell menu strategy, which is offering a variety of items at different values for guests to choose from.

One hugely important item on the Burger King value menu is the $1 cheeseburger. On the Burger King website, the chain describes this menu item as a flame-grilled beef patty, topped with melted cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a toasted sesame seed bun. Wide Open Eats states that while this $1 cheeseburger might not be as filling as the company's signature Whopper, it is an amazing deal for the price.

In a taste test comparing the Burger King value menu against McDonald's, Spoon University says that they were pleasantly surprised by the chain's cheeseburger. They loved that the company chose to use their signature flame-grilled beef patty, which made it stand out as a Burger King burger. They also appreciated that the cheese melted nicely to create a simple, but ultimately satiating meal.

On the flip side, Insider was less than impressed with the $1 cheeseburger. The outlet ranked 15 of Burger King's burgers and stated that they found the value menu cheeseburger to be slightly disappointing. They felt that the beef patty simply did not have enough meat to hold its own against the bun, and suggested just spending the extra money on the value menu double cheeseburger for a better meat-to-bread ratio.

Which review has the correct take when it comes to the Burger King $1 cheeseburger? Well, it depends on what you're looking for. If you prioritize value over flavor, the value menu item will likely satisfy. If you are more concerned with having a well-balanced but simple cheeseburger, you might want to look someplace else, or consider spending slightly more on an upgraded menu item.