Fact Check

Did Burger King Thailand Sell Cheeseburger Consisting of 20 Cheese Slices on a Bun?

The burger also reportedly had no patty or sauce.

Published Jul 18, 2023

 (Screenshot via Burger King Thailand/Facebook)
Image Via Screenshot via Burger King Thailand/Facebook
Claim:
Burger King Thailand sold a cheeseburger consisting of 20 slices of American cheese on a bun, with no meat or other form of patty or sauce.

Whoever came up with this idea did not ponder the effects of too much dairy on a sensitive stomach. In July 2023, many online shared reports of a new "cheeseburger" offered by Burger King Thailand consisting of a sesame seed bun, 20 slices of American cheese, and nothing else. 

This was a real product called "The Real Cheeseburger," which was available for a limited time at Burger King Thailand locations in July 2023. Per a July 9, 2023, Facebook post from the company's verified account, Burger King Thailand admitted that this was "Not for fun, this is for real!" and that the bun carried "up to 20 slices of American cheese!!!" 

According to The New York Times, the company said the burger would only be available until July 13, 2023. However, the report stated that it was still available on the website on July 14, and an employee at one branch said it would be on its menu until July 20. As of this writing, the burger is no longer available on Burger King Thailand's website

Coconuts Bangkok, a Thai media company, published a review of the burger on their website. Nicky Tanskul, the brave soul who tried the burger wrote: 

How does it taste? Pretty awful. It was the driest burger I've ever tasted because there was no sauce and no meat patty. I felt a bit sick to my stomach at the amount of processed cheese I was consuming. No human should ever eat this much dyed yellow cheese at once.

I mustered for another two bites. I think I'm blind. No more please.

Customers posted videos of the cheeseburger on TikTok:

The burger cost 109 Thai baht, which amounted to 3.15 U.S. dollars. Chayoot Wana, an economist and professor, told The New York Times that the individual cheese slices in the burger amounted to 5 baht, or 14 cents, per slice. This made the burger cheaper than a cheese packet bought in a Thai store. 

"I might consider buying that burger and keeping the cheese slices," he said. "It would be a better value for the money, and I could make more dishes."

Given that The Real Cheeseburger was widely reported on, and its existence was acknowledged by Burger King Thailand, we rate this claim as True.
 

Sources

"Burger King." https://www.burgerking.co.th/home. Accessed 18 July 2023.

Holpuch, Amanda. "The Brief, Dry Life of Burger King's All-Cheese 'Burger.'" The New York Times, 13 July 2023. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/world/asia/burger-king-thailand-cheeseburger.html. Accessed 18 July 2023.

Tanskul, Nicky. "I Ate Burger King's 'Real Cheese Burger' and Now Must Warn You." Coconuts.Co, July 11, 2023. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/i-ate-burger-kings-real-cheese-burger-and-now-must-warn-you/. Accessed 18 July 2023.

Toh, Michelle and Kocha Olarn. "'Too Much': Burger King's New Offering in Thailand Has No Meat and 20 Slices of Cheese | CNN Business." CNN, 11 July 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/business/thailand-burger-king-cheeseburger-intl-hnk/index.html. Accessed 18 July 2023.
 

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.