$200 Burger: Delectable Or Despicable?

From The Fast-Food Chain Who Made The Whopper - A Whopper Of A Pricetag On A Burger

(CBS)  It may be the most exotic, the most expensive and the most controversial burger ever flipped in a fast-food joint.

"This is not just ordinary beef, this is special?" CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips asked.

Burger King's Chef Mark Dowding said: "Absolutely; this is Wagyu."

Premium, prohibitively priced, Japanese-style Wagyu, flame-grilled, garnished with Italian truffles, Spanish cured ham, aged balsamic vinegar, Champagne onions and popped onto a saffron- and truffle-dusted bun.

Isn't it all a little elaborate for a hamburger?

"Absolutely not," Dowding said. "Absolutely not."

Total cost of ingredients, the chain says, about $80 a throw.

By the time it gets to the counter, it sells for just shy of $200. For a burger!

So is it worth it?

"Orgasmic," one customer says.

Which is a lot to ask of a burger.

To some this is a burger - a high-end burger. It would have to be at $200 a pop. To others, though, it isn't a burger. It's grotesque on a bun.

"Outrageous," said Dave Tucker, with the anti-poverty group "War on Want."

To food crisis campaigners trying to draw attention to the millions of poor around the world, who are struggling to survive at a time of shortages and rising prices for basic commodities, this is the wrong burger, and the wrong message, at the wrong time.

"To come out with this kind of hugely expensive and over-the-top burger and to have 80 million people going to bed hungry every night is just to shoot yourself in the foot," Tucker said.

The chain, which is donating the proceeds from this promotion to charity, calls it "deliciously decadent." Delicious is a matter of taste.

Nobody's arguing with decadent.

[voxpopulus]

If fools will pay the money, why not? It takes few of the world''s resources and keeps the economy circulating. Reagan''s trickle-down voodoo. I got fooled into paying $45 for a burger once. It won''t happen again.

[enlightenu]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm two hundred dollar burger, grrrrrrrr

[guadalcanal3]

Think this is bad?...It won''t be long before gasoline is 3 times as much.

[paulydel-2009]

Who cares how much it cost? If you can afford it have a ball. I wouldn''t mind tasting myself, but personally I don''t think any hamburger is worth $200.00. Bona Petit.

[gmond]

The carnivore in me is growling hungrily...starting to slaver...must close browser to retain semblance of humanity

[haoli25]

Can you get a certificate for a gallon of gas with that? Hold the fries.

[smurfcrusher]

I think the boss should give me a raise instead, so I can afford to buy the regular variety.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Is $200 Burger Decadent Or Despicable?"

Sounds expensolicious to me, but I would steer clear of one from Burger King, with the mad-cow situation, and all.

[feelfree4u]

Check out CBS getting all outraged about a stinking hamburger!

[cyinzl8r]

This is all Bush''s fault. If he hadn''t let New Orleans be destroyed by a hurricane then the roads from Texas would not have been blocked by trees. This caused the price of cow to be driven up by speculators thereby forcing buyers to look elsewhere for beef. Stumbling upon the Japanese beef while looking for alternative sources they saw a chance to make a huge profit and took it like the greedy neocon corporation they are. Of course haliburton is in on this as they are in the back pocket of the Bushites. We can only hope for change to take care of this greed. Change is the only thing that can save us. Change is what we need.

[nirak2-2009]

Anyone paying that kind of money for a Hamburger needs to see a SHRINK

[giddy2000]

"This is all Bush''''s fault. If he hadn''''t let New Orleans be destroyed by a hurricane then the roads from Texas would not have been blocked by trees. This caused the price of cow to be driven up by speculators thereby forcing buyers to look elsewhere for beef. Stumbling upon the Japanese beef while looking for alternative sources they saw a chance to make a huge profit and took it like the greedy neocon corporation they are. Of course haliburton is in on this as they are in the back pocket of the Bushites. We can only hope for change to take care of this greed. Change is the only thing that can save us. Change is what we need. "

OMG. Are you serious?

Like there wasn''t decadence before Bush. Get real. The lavishness, greed and lack of moral standards in this country has been deteriorating for decades. YOUR thinking is one of the things this country should be ashamed of. Call it lack of common sense.

[Bob Fitz]

Isn''t this akin to the big bucks that ex NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer spent at his hotel last winter?

It''s still beef on a bun no matter the price.

[ubrew12]

I don''t know if its decadent OR despicable, but it seems symptomatic of a society that is good at feeding its pie hole but not its spiritual hunger.

Although a $200 burger doesn''t cause mass hunger and starvation, they are both symptoms of the same disease in modern society.

[mythoughtsr]

I wouldn''t call it decadent or despicable but I would call it stupid. However, the money is going to charity to eat up!

[brianp55]

I can get a burger at either Carls Jr. near my house or Bill Thomas Halo Burger in Flint, MI for $5.00 that would be far superior.

[bseagul]

This is all Bush''''s fault. If he hadn''''t let New Orleans be destroyed by a hurricane then the roads from Texas would not have been blocked by trees. This caused the price of cow to be driven up by speculators thereby forcing buyers to look elsewhere for beef. Stumbling upon the Japanese beef while looking for alternative sources they saw a chance to make a huge profit and took it like the greedy neocon corporation they are. Of course haliburton is in on this as they are in the back pocket of the Bushites. We can only hope for change to take care of this greed. Change is the only thing that can save us. Change is what we need.

You sir... are an idiot. If you had the slightest bit of education, which I am sure you again will blame on Bush somehow, you realize its a marketing publicity stunt to get people into BK. While typing this, I also came to the conclusion that the democrats need people like you to be stupid and ignorant because you are the only type of people that follow blindly into the night. Good luck.

[republic1776]

Liberals will feast on the $200 burger, while they up our taxes for food stamps!

[bseagul]

This is all Bush''''s fault. If he hadn''''t let New Orleans be destroyed by a hurricane then the roads from Texas would not have been blocked by trees. This caused the price of cow to be driven up by speculators thereby forcing buyers to look elsewhere for beef. Stumbling upon the Japanese beef while looking for alternative sources they saw a chance to make a huge profit and took it like the greedy neocon corporation they are. Of course haliburton is in on this as they are in the back pocket of the Bushites. We can only hope for change to take care of this greed. Change is the only thing that can save us. Change is what we need.

You sir... are an idiot. If you had the slightest bit of education, which I am sure you again will blame on Bush somehow, you realize its a marketing publicity stunt to get people into BK. While typing this, I also came to the conclusion that the democrats need people like you to be stupid and ignorant because you are the only type of people that follow blindly into the night. Good luck.

[rferrall]

cyinzl8r - you come across as a nut.

I think the price is a bit steep for a BK, but hey, it''s getting them attention.

As far as the ''food crisis campaigners'' who are raising a ruckus - in my opinion it''s nothing more than a ploy to ride the wave of BKs marketing. And hey - that''s ok with me, there are a lot of hungry people out there.

[timdgrim]

"Orgasmic," one customer says.
****************************
If I''m going to pay $200 for orgasmic.....
$20 at Chili''s...then $180 left over for the hooker and the Holiday Inn!

[xraytwonine]

that''s not why the burger was invented, but one can do just about anything to whatsoever he or she desired to... let''s try to make a *** taco just as extravagant...what meaninglessness

[rwsmith29456]

Too many people with too much money will spend $200 for a burger or $15 for a cup of coffee because they can. In this country, expensive = best, and many want nothing but the best because it makes THEM seem ''best''. Establishments that cater to the well off have know this for a long time. They put extravagant prices on their products and people will beat down their door to be a part of it.

[midwestsky]

I look at this as a funny publicity joke. Is it worth 2 bills? Perhaps. On a recent short vacaation my wife & I were walking distance from a well-known restaurant. We got our "government bribe check" so we went for an elegant evening snack to keep the tab down from a full dinner. A couple appetizers, salads, 1 dessert & a couple trips to the bar ran $100. Worth it? Absolutely. Will we do it again any time soon? I don''t think so. On the way home we stopped at Lambert''s "throwed rolls" & contrasted our experiences. "For our "gravy service" we have our signature white or a classic kitchen-bouquet-based brown. And would you like some pepper on that? Let me know when I''ve opened enough packs." You do get what you pay for but that doesn''t mean you need to spend a wad to have a good time.

[p-syrus]

One Word: Vegetarian.

[nikisaletta]

This is horrific! Consumer habits leading to the World''s instability. In all aspects: consumer waste/ emissions, extravagant credit debt, global warming. Ridiculous "wars of terror". I would stop buying into all the bull s#@$!!!!

[luvcomments]

How about just plain idiotic.

[apprxam]

That''s right. When hungry poor people start burning down anything related to authority and images of waste, and see how people like these continue to laugh during times of duress.

When under attack, I wonder if they''ll remember this kind of sh*t when they ask themselve why do they hate us?

CBS, Burger and the losers who think that this cr*p during a time of war, climbing consumer prices and bleek economic out-looks. The irony is lost on most rich people, even when they''ll be calling BlackWater to protect them from the angry masses in 6 to 12 months.

[apprxam]

The real isssue is this: WHY IS THIS ON TV; IN PUBLIC VIEW?

[aztecdakota]

On social security. DO THEY DELIVER? 6 PLUS 6 FRENCH FRIES. Give them to the old man at the door. He will go get the guy that will pay for them.

[patriot12436]

I am retired, financially secure, and out of debt, so the economy is having little effect on me. I thik this is absurd and the next time bruger king wants to raise its prices i think they shouyld remember what they spent for this idiotic idea. People are starving all over the world. I don''t think the rich are going to waste their time going to burger king. They should have stayed with the working class people.

[crapdetector]

This is absurd. People are so vacuous and materialistic that they will fall for this ***.

[crapdetector]

There are cheaper ways to clog your arteries. Burger King should abdicate the throne and ...off for pulling a stupid stunt like this rather than donating food to starving kids around the world.

[jackie0428]

If you whiners can''t afford it, don''t buy it.
The same goes for Ferraris, Dom Perignon, 90" TVs, and a home in Malibu.
But, anytime you complain about something like this, you appear 100% as jealous. And petty. And a loser.

[patriot12436]

republic1776
Why does everyone blame the liberals for everything. I consider my self a liberal because i don''t support the democrats or republicans. They have both had their chances and that is why the country is in the mess it is in. I would rather have bill clinton back, at least he left us with a good economy. Now i am looking at independent parties because i don''t likle either candidate we have.

[patriot12436]

And to think most of these commentors here are free walking the streets. I think this is scary.

[patriot12436]

jackie0428
So only the rich should be able to splurge on anything ?

[jackie0428]

Patriot12436 , yes, only the rich can AFFORD to splurge. That''s the very definition of splurge. What, did you not graduate from the 6th grade?
Or, are you one of those socialists who thinks the rich should just give YOU free money so you can splurge also?
Some of you people simply don''t "get" capitalism. If this business wants to charge even a MILLION DOLLARS for a hamburger, and someone else is silly and rich enough to buy it, then who are you or I to stop him or the business? Both the business and the customer have a perfect right to make this transaction, and all of you who complain of the appearance of this come across as jealous, poor, self-entitled, and pathetic. End of story.

[offtheback]

people that follow blindly into the night. Good luck.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Bseagul

Or into war. ******

[mommakat64]

Total cost of the ingredients was $80, but the burger cost $200???

[oneworldusa]

Geez, how can a hamburger become a political discussion? Oh, well.

BK trying to get some of that economic stimulus? Anyone who would pay $200 for one meal much less, one single burger, then 6, 12, 24 months from now can''t pay their mortgage, I have no sympathy for you.

Honestly, IMHO, sometimes the most expensive stuff tastes like C R A P.

[oneworldusa]

Posted by MommaKat64 at 03:05 AM : Jun 19, 2008

-Yeah, its the cost of paying 16 year-olds minimum wage to cook this burger....

[oneworldusa]

Posted by MommaKat64 at 03:05 AM : Jun 19, 2008

-I hope you realize I was just being facetious, not dishonoring your post. It''s just a ridiculous option that BK is putting this out now. Like a slap in the face to those who are struggling in difficult economic times.

[j_flood]

Living here in Ireland - many restaurants charge about 12 - 14 Euros for a burger (of course not Mickie D''s)--- that works out to about $21 - so my money is on a Big Mac for those prices.

[patriot12436]

jackie0428
I addressed you in a civil tone. Now you come back with a subservient attitude of holier than thou. I always say those who call names do so because they cannot denfed their position with facts or knowledge, or are uneducated and do not have the ability to speak in civil and rational terms. Yes i am a colleege graduate, retired, financially secure, no debts and the economy doesn''t effect me much at this point. I do what i like and travel the world. I like learning about different cultures. As for this subject anyone who pays $200 for a hamburger, is stupid, filthy rich, or mentally retarded. Which category do you fit into ?

[dsr57]

Just seems like bad timing to me. Here we are on the verge of a recession, food and gas prices are through the roof and someone at burger king says %u201CHmmm. Lets drop a $200 burger on the market%u201D. I just don%u2019t see where the pat off is and why a fast food joint that usually sales itself on low prices would think it would be a good idea.

Personally, I could think of a bunch of other places or things I would spend $200 on, and I%u2019m so sure that people that could afford to spend $200 on a Burger go to Burger King that much anyway. But that%u2019s just me

[patriot12436]

I guess jackie0428 went to buy a $200 burger so he can splurge and look down on the working class.

[honestabe8]

Not only does $200 for a burger seem outrageous, but it seems particularly so coming from Burger King. I could buy a few months supply of food for that. On the other hand, if people want to spend their money on it, it doesn''t impact me in the least.

[blackbug99]

It''s just a freaking hamburger. One $200 burger is not going to solve world hunger, nor will it blur the message that there are hungry people in the world. This whole story belongs in the food/entertainment catagory.

[nicj1970]

Can I get fries with it?