The Whopper Melt Ain't Whopping

We recently tried Burger King's new Whopper Melt, and our taste-tester, Lillian Stone, loved it. BK's newest burger features two small patties dressed with Stacker Sauce, caramelized onions, and American cheese. The goods are sandwiched not in a bun, but between two slices of toast. Lillian had this to say:

The Whopper Melt had everything I was looking for. The cheese was gooey but not overbearing. The caramelized onions paired beautifully with the Stacker Sauce. Even the meat patties seemed fresher, juicier, and meatier than their standard Whopper counterparts. And though I made short work of the melt, it left me feeling satisfied—arguably more satisfied than many a fast food burger.

But it turns out that not everyone is as big a fan as us. Eat This, Not That explains that many are unhappy with the Whopper Melt's diminutive size and think that the small burger is, well, a ripoff.

Shouldn't these be called Whopper Jr melts? These are tiny and awful, but at least they're expensive! @BurgerKing pic.twitter.com/9h8rEX6FTJ

— Lucas (@Nintendbro) March 12, 2022

A tweet from user @Nintendbro says, "Shouldn't these be called Whopper Jr melts? These are tiny and awful, but at least they're expensive!"

Another complaint about the Whopper Melt reads, "The BK Whopper Melt is the saddest use of the Whopper branding. It was tiny. $8 for a tarted up McDouble. Ridiculous."

Burger King has tried to get behind the issue by describing the burger as a "one-hander," but that hasn't prevented people from being upset about the fact that the actual product seems smaller than it should.

In Burger King's defense, the marketing surrounding the release of the Whopper Melt went so far as to place the new sandwich beside a Whopper, and the two are distinctly different sizes. It's not something BK is shying away from. The size of the Whopper Melt feels, for whatever reason, intentional. See for yourself:

Many are also unhappy with the appearance of the bread. In the promotional image above, the toast is a deep golden brown. The sample Lillian Stone received, pictured at the top, looked pretty pale by comparison—but she insisted that it tasted much toastier than it looked. Pale white toast isn't something you want in a patty-melt-like burger, you know?

For those who observe a plant-based diet, there's another reason to be disappointed: There's also no way to swap in the Impossible burger patties for the regular. Burger King's Impossible patties only come in one size, built for its flagship burger, the Whopper. They're too large to be substituted on the Whopper Melt.

Have any of you tried the new Whopper Melt yet? If so, do you agree with the complaints that customers have brought up so far, or do you choose to defend the small but mighty sandwich?