Burger King and the famous Whopper - Life in America 

This was back in the “Good Ol’ Days”, when eating out wasn’t an every day occurrence….it was a treat!

I remember going to Burger King in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a rare treat to get fast food back then . I always enjoyed the taste of BK burgers because they remind me of a charcoal grilled patty.

Original Whopper was truly big! About 8" diameter, it did take two hands to handle those Whoppers!

When I was a kid, the BK near my house was always packed. Now, the locations rarely have more than a few cars at a time. One closed not long ago. I was surprised to see that, but it wasn’t unexpected. They’re just not the same.

I recall the flame broiler behind the counter and the original Whopper tasting so much better years ago. Even the buns were better.

I've been a chef 4 almost 30 years now...my first restaurant job was at a Burger King at the Sacramento bus station in 1984...

It used to take two hands to handle a Whopper. I remember my Dad and I eating at Burger King and my Dad holding his Burger with two hands. I stopped in at our local Burger King last week. After I got my "Whopper" I though to myself, "What? are you trying to compete with White Castle?"

In the early 80's in Jacksonville, they had a promotion for a good while where they would give you a free Whopper if you told them "Whopper beats the Big Mac." I have always preferred Burger King over McDonalds, but they always seem to struggle.

Thanks for this. Everyone knows about Dave Thomas and Ray Kroc, but no History of Burger King documentaries are ever made.

I remember the Star Wars glasses when I was a kid. No one gives out good things like that anymore.

I'm old enough to remember how big the Whopper used to be. It's now half the size and even though I still prefer them, they don't deserve the title Whopper anymore.

Does anyone remember Burger Chef too? Burger Chef and Jeff was their motto. 10 cent burgers.

I'm ashamed to say, but I was the Whopper eating champ for my 1983 high school fundraiser, semi-finals and all. Winning time to consume two Whoppers, two large fries, and two large Cokes... 2 minutes 18 seconds. As a prize, I and my whole family were invited back for a free meal on the house. God, still LOVE BK to this day!!!

Now I'm hungry. Thanks a lot.

I remember the king with white hair sitting on a hamburger. I always like Burger King better than Mcdonalds

Back when I was a kid ('70s-'80s) I remember how sloppy their Whoppers were, when you bit into it the mayo and ketchup would squirt out.

Thank you for this presentation. I worked for Burger King as a manager for 12 years while going to school. On Wednesday in the Akron Ohio area, you could get a Whopper, Fry, and a medium Coke for 49 cents. We had lines out the doors and literally down the street. It was a great place. We also had a Yumbo sandwich which was a hot ham and cheese sandwich. It was great too.

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce special order don't upset us... 🎼🎶 🎶 🎶...Have it your way at Burger King!"

Burger King is one of my earliest memories of my Great great childhood.

It's interesting to notice that in less than a decade, Lea Thompson and Elisabeth Shue would each have starring roles in the Back to the Future sequels.

I prefer a whopper to a 1/4 pounder myself.

BK still hanging in there after all these years... 👍 thank you RR!

I love Burger King. Such fond memories over the decades.

Sandy's Hamburgers back in the late 60's couldn't be beat. I've eaten almost every double decker hamburger ever sold and Sandy's was tops!

Fact: in Australia Burger King is called 'Hungry Jacks'. When Burger King got to Australia in 1971, it discovered there was already a local restaurant there called Burger King. So they choose the name Hungry Jacks. Over the years, Hungry Jack's tried to purchase the trademark from the local Burger King, but failed. Then, in the mid-90s, the Burger King trademark in Australia expired. Burger King's international head office immediately opened up dozens of locations in Australia. Hungry Jack's - aka Burger King - suddenly found itself competing with Burger King. Then Burger King tried to terminate its deal with Hungry Jack's. As a result, the two brands had a contentious relationship for more than a decade. It all ended up in court in 2001, where Hungry Jack's finally won the Burger King rights to all of Australia. But after all those years and all those attempts to acquire the name, the fast-food company made a surprising decision. Hungry Jack's decided to keep the Hungry Jack's name even though it finally had the right to name the entire Australian chain Burger King. While Hungry Jack's had been trying for 40 years to get the Burger King name, it was building brand value in the Hungry Jack's name. The name was local, it was firmly established and it was purely Australian. To switch after all that time would have been bad business.

Burger King was always the preferred burger joint of my parents so when Mom took a break from cooking (a rarity) dinner Burger King was usually where we went. Can't say I preferred one over the other back then. Today however, if you want ice cream or a shake, BK is the only option because their machines dont break.

I always thought that the Whaler was a good sandwich also back in the day!

They need to bring back the full size burger, fries, And onion rings of the 70s if they want to be king of the burgers. Seems like every decade they get smaller.

They were great back in the 70s and 80s I remember their onion rings we're alot bigger back then too🤔 Also they need to bring back the Whaler much better than their fish sandwich now...

I remember when the Burger King near me had that big flame broiler that was visible behind the cashiers. The patties were on a conveyor belt, and you could actually see the flames of the broiler. Well, I think BK claims that they still flame broil their burgers, it's just that they have these new, compact, efficient broilers that only cook a few burgers at a time, rather than having to keep a big machine with a conveyor belt going all day. Their burgers certainly taste like they're microwaved now, though. I bought some microwave Cheeseburgers from Walmart, and they tasted just like BK.

My parents worked at Burger King when they immigrated to America. I love Burger King!

I had my first Burger King Whopper when I was 11. It was the entire size of my dinner plate! I’m 45 today, and The Whopper is still my favourite burger and always my go to! 🤤😋😊👍🏼🍔

I recently “re-discovered” Bk, and I really like their broiled burgers and Big Fish sandwiches. Burger King makes the best tasting French fries… like what McD’s used to be like in the early days… flaky soft potatoes that break apart but NOT hard and over cooked. I think you get more for your money at Burger King, comparative to the others, because the size of their sandwiches, sides, and drinks are larger for the about the same prices…or LESS. If you haven’t been to Burger King lately, give them a try. There’s always one near the McDonalds in your neighborhood.

The most important thing for me about Burger King is that when I was a young Marine in beyond perfect shape, Burger King burgers were the only burgers I could eat without getting sick or throwing up back then. Smackronalds, Wendys, etc. made me sick every time.

I remember they had the Moon walk on TV when I ordered my first whoppers

Those crown hats were quite the fashion statement back in my 0's.

I was impressed by Burger King's optical reader ordering system. It used paper order slips with ovals which were filled by in with a #2 pencil to specify items and all the "Have it Your Way" options. The paper slip was fed through an optical reader at the cash register which automatically calculated the order total. The slips were not filled in by customers, but by the staff at the order counter. When it was very busy, multiple staff members would walk down the line of waiting customers to take more orders in less time. Some places do this now with iPad-like devices, but in the 1970's Burger King's system was very advanced for its time!

Whopper Jrs !

Mid-80s when skool was over, B.K. with ya homies was da place 2 be!🍔🍟🎶

I had my first Whopper and second at the same time on vacation in Florida in 1972. To this day the Whopper is my favorite burger.

Its ashame the whopper today isn't as big.

Now a days its hard to find a burger king restaurant that cares. I often wonder if the franchisees know their place is that bad

"It takes two hands to handle a Whopper" was my favorite but maybe it had a not so subtle innuendo and that's why it went away.

Love your channel. Thank you. The Burger King in Chicago we went to when we were kids had the iconic sign of the king sitting on the burger. I still remember having my first one. Still love-’em.

In the 70’ ,as a teen , having a BK flame broiled burger was special. I don’t know, maybe I was young, but I have not had a BK burger like I remember from back then.

Awe man, at 3:02, 32 and 36 cent gas, these were the days!

I remember in the late 60's, I painted a swimming pool for some people, made a little money and bought 2 whoppers, ate one (back when they were good) and put the other one in the wire baskets that my bike had over the back wheel. My house was 5 miles away. The second whopper was gone before I could make it home!🤗

Burger King truly was a treat. It was when Dad's paycheck came and he took us for some "good eats." I miss the Italian cheese sandwich of the 1990s. Boy was that good! As a kid, I love the paper crowns. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So many good memories! Best wishes from Northern California.

When the Whopper was first introduced it was as good or better than any fast-food burger around. It was, in fact, mouth watering good. Sadly, like much of American fast food, it doesn’t seem to be as dynamic as it once was. Oddly enough, I find the best American fast food overseas. Those folks take pride in their work and hold tight to meeting food quality standards. Still, every once in a while, I hit on a really good Whopper.

"It takes two hands to handle a Whopper." And it did, too. My cousin had a job at a Burger King in the 60's. He used to slip us free Whoppers.

We had a BK just off base in 68 when the burger was Flame Broiled and we could watch the patties as they rolled through the flames. The flavor was beyond anything they have today? The price went way up and the the burgers are total crap today. We have a local BK in my small town but the food is crap and the prices are the same as a nice meal in a restaurant. BK is only a tourist spot.

Many good memories of my childhood surrounding Burger King. I remember my older sister would take me there and treat me to a Whopper and hang out with me. It was fun!

I'm hungry for a Whopper now, with Fries and a Coke!

I miss the Whaler….. I can still taste it!

The closest Burger King (and McDonalds) when I was a kid was 20 miles away and that was a million miles away in kid miles! An extremely special treat to go to Burger King!

I love whoppers, though I think that they might've shrunk a bit since my teen years. And BK is my favorite of the two ( BK vs. mcdonalds, I mean). Thank you for this!!

" ♬ Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us, ♫ ♪ All we ask is that you let us have it your way ♪ ♪♬ ♫♩ Have it your way, have it your way... ♪♫

In the late 80's when i was in the Navy, we visited Australia and their version of Burger King is called Hungry Jacks.

In the early 70's mom would take my brother and I to Burger King. I can still remember the price for each meal. You could get a Whopper, fries and drink for $1.01. All 3 of us could eat for $3.03. Now you can't even get just the Whopper sandwich by itself anywhere close to that price. 1 Whopper meal now will almost kill a $10 bill. Ridiculous!

My first part-time afterschool job was at the local Burger King in 1986. We actually served Pepsi products at the time.

Pretty glad that BK rebranded back to their original glory with a twist this year. Makes me feel like I'm in the 90's for real

Baby you've come a long ways since I had my first Whopper in about 1963 or so for a whopping $0.37 cents or there about. The most I had ever paid for a hamburger along those times. I was more used to paying about $0.25 for a cheeseburger for years leading up to the BK Whopper. The cost for a slice of cheese to be added cost a whole $0.02 a slice. The cheapest I ever bought a (not a BK) cheeseburger for was a whole thin dime with or without cheese in about 1957 or '58. So at $0.37 for a Whopper in early to mid 60's took a little getting used to as everyone else felt they had to raise their prices to compete with the BK Whopper. By the time I went to Nam in 1970 I seem to recall that they were up to about $0.40 to $0.47 a piece. Wow what a ride since. Those were the days indeed.

The "Have it your way" burger stand? LOL you get what ever they give you.

The BK in my area (Pico Rivera Ca) is across the street from In-n-Out. There is always a LONG line of cars for In-n-Out, and MAYBE one car for BK, occasionally two. For a long time, I wondered how long it would last. Recently, saw a construction fence around the BK, thought for sure they were closed for good, but instead, they are doing a total remodel. Pleasant surprise. Good for them, and hope they do well.

I'm old enough to remember the Burger King of the 60's and early 70's. It's not nearly as good as it used to be. It's sad.

Back in the early '70s when I was a kid there was a joke going around.. "How did dairy Queen get pregnant?.. Burger King couldn't handle his Whopper"..

My First Whopper was in 1966 and there still my hands down Favorite.

A BK opened on 259 St. In queens NY in about 1972. BK ran an ad in the local Penny Saver circular bring in this coupon and get a free Whopper. So me and my two brothers marched down to the BK and got ourselves free Whoopers. They were huge! We could not finish them. Our mom carefully wrapped them up and heated them up for lunch the next day. To a 10 year old the Whopper was indeed the King of Burgers!

I remember when the first Burger King near us opened. Me and my buddies could ride up on our bikes and get a Whopper, fries, and a drink for $1.25. I've always preferred the Whopper over the Big Mac. But McDonalds, until they were forced to change their oil, always had the better fries.

Being Second is just fine when your Burgers are the best.....still.I will drive across town to Burger King.There are others I like but between the top two?Its Burger King.

Well done! No pun intended! Your stuff is short, informative, and a pleasant place to camp for a few minutes. All of things that made America great...A fading glory....

My mother would never take us to McDonald's, "it's greasy and fried on a flat grill", she said. She was right.

In the 1980s, classic Burger King commercials featured Elisabeth Shue and Lea Thompson, before their film stardoms.

When I buy Whoppers, I add my own cheese (pepperjack), add Montreal steak seasoning, and/or A-1 sauce. This kicks up the flavor several notches. And is on par with what you would get at other restaurants serving different styles and combinations of burgers.

Miss those days when going out to BK and other fast foods was a huge treat. Carls JR too.

I can't wait till a RR story discusses Whataburger.

I remember going to Burger King when I was a kid, they've used to have great food and many fond memories and tons of fun times. Tragically, those times are now gone and now, it's only a matter of time before Burger King bites the dust.

Back when a whopper was a whopper

I ate 7 Whoppers in a challenge in 1973. Whoppers were big back then too!

SOOOOOOO MANY MEMORIES!!!! I LOVE THIS CHANNEL.

I liked the old original logo better. With the “home of the Whopper”

“Flame grilled” is pretty much a gimmick at Burger King now. You used to be able to taste the char in on the meat now it looks like the grill marks are drawn on.

Who remembers the Burger King steak sandwich? The last time I had one, was way back in 1979 when I was 8 years old!!

I remember my brother being a comedian would grab the order mic.from the counter & tell the grill he wanted a Big Mac..🤪😂🤣😁

37g of fat , $1 Whoppers in the 80's-90's , I'd get 2 no tom xtra onions, so a Triple bypass last year . Watching this video gave me chest pains lol

Thanks for this video, I never knew the beginnings of Burger King, all I knew was that BK was a private company that was bought out by a large corporation and that corporation made BK into a giant. Your story put the facts right. I used to like Burger King slightly better than McDonald's, but recently I noticed that Burger King is slipping in quality and sales. Several BK's in my area seem to be empty during the lunch hour rush and the quality of food isn't all that great. It appears that BK is slowly slipping into oblivion. Is the end of BK near?

I didnt eat Burger King till 1971 . At that time I only ate fast foods at Hot Shoppe Jrand sometimes at McDonalds. Food at these places tasted so much better then . As a kid we had Burger Chef with 15 cent burgers in my area .

I remember when my grandfather in Puerto Rico included some Burger King pencils and a couple of the paper crowns in the "care package" of goodies he often sent to us. At that point, we had never heard of Burger King but loved the crowns. Not long afterward, Burger King moved into the old Burger Chef in our town in Michigan, and the rest is history.

Imagine if they went back to fresh flame broiled whopper, they could save the franchise.

LOL!!! Back in the early 70's, they were good burgers. Now you can't keep them down, that includes McDonald's, too.

It’s sad. All the young people will never know how good the whopper was back in the day . They were do good. Nothing like they are today. So sad

I loved Burger King when they broiled to orders. Now there just a stem table burger. The whopper is now the slopper.

Nothing beats a whopper

Burger King in my town was dismantled years ago because it sat right across the street from McDonald's!

These videos are soo informative i really enjoy them with the exception of the sad memorial type music

My dad was the store manager of 2 different BKs. As soon as he left one, within 6 months it closed. I've always went to Mcds more, but Burgerking is always a treat.

I wish that my town that I live in had a Burger King because we're simply stuck with a Sonic that is owned by Arby's Corp 🤯

BK definitely tops. Remember those little 'Burger Bundles' late 80's ?

Thank You For The Time Machine. I Always Come Back More Of Person. After A Trip Back To 2021

Thank you for giving us these flashbacks , THERES nothing better to give someone than memories!