Hardee's new "Monster Thickburger"

[HotCanary]

They showed the Monster Thickburger on the Letterman show last night. At the bottom of the picture, it said,

"WARNING:DO NOT EAT."

[Al_Dente]

www.monsterthickburger.com

Hardee's Nutrition Calculator

The calculator claims the burger is a mere 1,244 calories and a svelte 90 grams of fat. Want fries and a coke with that? 2,110 calories and 118 grams of fat.

[Mabelline]

elswinger, somehow I am on Red Robin's opinion-maker's poll, and although I get all kinds of free coupons from them, I've never sent their polls back, and in Billings, at least, it's just a new millenium fern joint for people too stupid to go to the good pubs (Pug Mahon's, Crystal Lounge).

[iamthestretch]

That Web site makes my tum-tum hurt just looking at it.

What I really don't get is the mayo. Do hamburgers and mayo generally go together? Do bacon and mayo generally go together? Do cheese and mayo generally go together? Then which demented research chemist decided it was the crucial missing ingredient in this tasty treat?

(Full disclosure: Netflix sent over "Supersize Me" yesterday and I still can't get the color of that regurgitated Bacon Double Cheese out of my head.)

[hwilson41]

I'll add my two cents to the Laissez Faire side. Hardee's job is to make money, period. That's why they're in business. Your job is to protect your health (among other things). If you fail to do your job, you have nobody but yourself to blame. I'm ceaselessly amazed at how facile we as a society have become at finding somebody else to blame for problems that are basically results of our own actions.

THW

[NulloModo]

What I really don't get is the mayo. Do hamburgers and mayo generally go together? Do bacon and mayo generally go together? Do cheese and mayo generally go together?

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I'd answer a hearty yes, yes, and yes (well, maybe not just mayo and cheese, but mayo and cheese in the context of a burger, definately).

[iamthestretch]

What I really don't get is the mayo. Do hamburgers and mayo generally go together? Do bacon and mayo generally go together? Do cheese and mayo generally go together?

←

I'd answer a hearty yes, yes, and yes (well, maybe not just mayo and cheese, but mayo and cheese in the context of a burger, definately).

←

Suggested new sig line. "Don't hold the mayo. Ever."

Whatever your take on the personal responsibility issue, one undeniable consequence of the fast food arms race is the inevitable escalation of the metaphors necessary to both market and critique these monsters. For example, a quick Google search finds this: "'If the old Thickburger was food porn, the new Monster Thickburger is the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film,' said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest."

I'm not quite sure where you go from there, rhetorically. "This is Taco Bell's 'Triumph of the Will!'" "If you eat this pizza, the terrorists will have won!" "It's Klu-Klux-Kandy!"

Peripherally, for those championing the 'nobody's making you eat it' position, that same Google search turned up these 2004 media spend numbers for the big fast food firms:

McDonalds -- $629 million. BK -- $296 million. Wendy's -- $231 million. Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/KFC -- $550 million. It's not coercion, but that's a lot of persuasion.

[elswinger]

That's OK Mabeline, whenever a chain originates out of Seattle (Red Robin, Starbuck's, Nordstrom, Microsoft) the rest of the country hates them, but someone must be buying because they are all still in business.

Some of my best friend's don't like Red Robin either, but they also don't usually eat hamburgers and fries because, IMO, they are food snobs.

There are better (and cheaper) burgers in Seattle than Red Robin, bit it's the closest "above average" burger joint close to my work.

[Mabelline]

Yeah, in my limited region, Fuddrucker's is the best we've got, although it gets plenty trashed. But I like them cuz I've watched them cutting up the meat in the front window meat shop, and I'll eat stuff if I know it has at least a reputable beginning.

[Susan G]

You know what would really keep me educated about the consequences of eating the Monster Thickburger?

1400 calories = three hellish hours on the elliptical trainer!

[Daniel]

What I really don't get is the mayo. Do hamburgers and mayo generally go together? Do bacon and mayo generally go together? Do cheese and mayo generally go together?

←

I'd answer a hearty yes, yes, and yes (well, maybe not just mayo and cheese, but mayo and cheese in the context of a burger, definately).

←

Suggested new sig line. "Don't hold the mayo. Ever."

Whatever your take on the personal responsibility issue, one undeniable consequence of the fast food arms race is the inevitable escalation of the metaphors necessary to both market and critique these monsters. For example, a quick Google search finds this: "'If the old Thickburger was food porn, the new Monster Thickburger is the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film,' said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest."

I'm not quite sure where you go from there, rhetorically. "This is Taco Bell's 'Triumph of the Will!'" "If you eat this pizza, the terrorists will have won!" "It's Klu-Klux-Kandy!"

Peripherally, for those championing the 'nobody's making you eat it' position, that same Google search turned up these 2004 media spend numbers for the big fast food firms:

McDonalds -- $629 million. BK -- $296 million. Wendy's -- $231 million. Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/KFC -- $550 million. It's not coercion, but that's a lot of persuasion.

←

I think that's such a testimate to our country, that while people are starving in other countries, we spend 1.7 billion just to persuade people to eat at certain establishments.

Edited November 19, 2004 by Daniel (log)

[NulloModo]

You know what would really keep me educated about the consequences of eating the Monster Thickburger?

1400 calories = three hellish hours on the elliptical trainer!

←

Ah, but let's say you are on a typical 2000 calorie a day diet (is that what is typical now?).... If you eat a light breakfast, maybe some coffee and a piece of toast, you can indulge in the thickburger for lunch, and then, well, you probably won't be that hungry for dinner so you can get bye with maybe some fruit or a salad.

When you look at it that way, it isn't that awful, but then again, if you indulge in the thickburger with an already loaded up daily caloric intake, maybe it becomes issue-ridden.

[Daniel]

You know what would really keep me educated about the consequences of eating the Monster Thickburger?

1400 calories = three hellish hours on the elliptical trainer!

←

Ah, but let's say you are on a typical 2000 calorie a day diet (is that what is typical now?).... If you eat a light breakfast, maybe some coffee and a piece of toast, you can indulge in the thickburger for lunch, and then, well, you probably won't be that hungry for dinner so you can get bye with maybe some fruit or a salad.

When you look at it that way, it isn't that awful, but then again, if you indulge in the thickburger with an already loaded up daily caloric intake, maybe it becomes issue-ridden.

←

So technically you can have a 250 calorie per slice of pizza for breakfast, one for lunch and then a thickburger for dinner, and have a hundred calories to play around with... That sounds reasonable.

[NulloModo]

You know what would really keep me educated about the consequences of eating the Monster Thickburger?

1400 calories = three hellish hours on the elliptical trainer!

←

Ah, but let's say you are on a typical 2000 calorie a day diet (is that what is typical now?).... If you eat a light breakfast, maybe some coffee and a piece of toast, you can indulge in the thickburger for lunch, and then, well, you probably won't be that hungry for dinner so you can get bye with maybe some fruit or a salad.

When you look at it that way, it isn't that awful, but then again, if you indulge in the thickburger with an already loaded up daily caloric intake, maybe it becomes issue-ridden.

←

So technically you can have a 250 calorie per slice of pizza for breakfast, one for lunch and then a thickburger for dinner, and have a hundred calories to play around with... That sounds reasonable.

←

You'd probably be better off moving the thickburger further up in the day though, so as to night sleep with all those calories suddenly inside. Then again, I am afraid of the breakfast implications of such a dish, it brings to mind Simpsons references with the 'Good Morning Burger' (which I believe was a half or full pound of beef, five or six pieces of bacon, cheese, fried ham, and who knows what else).

[joiei]

the part that I am having trouble with is the 107 grams of fat. Would that be comparable to eating an entire tub of chunky monkey? I don't know because I gave up B?&G a while back and have not read the label in the last few years.

That is a lot of fat grams by any book. One should just eat butter by the spoonful.

ugh.

[jhlurie]

My reaction to this... thing... is kind of a "so what?"

Mind you, I'm one of those people who saw "SuperSize Me" and also said "so what". I saw the film as something of cautionary tale, but to be honest kind of snickered at those who saw it as a call to arms.

So Hardees is making a honking huge burger, and of course it contains lots of calories and tons of fat? I'm not all that troubled. When you sit down to eat this monstrosity I think it's apparent that it's being presented as one huge "portion", thus its perfectly clear what you are getting into. If you don't, you need adult supervision or something. I can understand the arguments that such a huge portion encourages a culture of excess, but I'm not really sure it's my place to do something about it.

My concerns have always been more about labeling than legislating availability. You know what offends me more than a 1400 calorie burger? The box of cookies sitting on my counter where the portion sizes are manipulated to make them seem tolerably low-caloric. It's the lying--the misrepresentation accompanying a lot of food--that's the most harmful, not the mere existance of or access to it.

Now for the real question... would I EAT one of these? The answer is... maybe. I'll try most things once, for the experience--even occasionally when I have reason to suspect they MIGHT suck. At the same time, I couldn't conceive of eating this more than once, as an experiment. I'm not really sure what has Hardees convinced that ANYONE would eat this more than once. Therefore, it's a stupid idea.

[NulloModo]

This isn't the first double-huge burger to hit the market though. Bennigan's, the aforementioned Red Robins, McDonalds (with the double quarter pounder), In&Out (Double Double with cheese and bacon anyone?, or even a 4x4?), and other chains all have their huge mammoth burgers.

This might be slightly bigger, but really 2/3 lbs vs. 1/2 lbs of meat is not that big of a difference. The others sell well, they have been on the menus for years. Actually, Hardees has had a 2/3 Lbs Thickburger on the menu already since the introduction of the line, it just didn't have a special name, and came with lettuce/tomato/onion instead of gobs of bacon and cheese.

[SobaAddict70]

I could see myself ordering two of them (and taking off the bacon), but that's just me.

This is one foodie who's not ashamed to put a Big Mac in his gullet and admit it.

Soba

[Al_Dente]

More news on this controversial burger...

"The fuss is all about a super-supersized burger — two 1/3-pound slabs of all-Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. The sandwich alone sells for $5.49, or $7.09 with fries and a soda. The combo packs more calories and fat than most people should get in a day."

[Moopheus]

Last but not least, and this comment is NOT AIMED AT ANYONE IN THIS THREAD, it's just in general, when are people going to figure out that it's not Hardee's job to look after your health?  It's Hardee's job to make as much money as they can selling whatever food sells best.

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So if they decided that a rat-poison burger would sell best, you'd be okay with that? Sure, Hardee's is in business to make money, but there's no sacred law that says they're totally absolved of responsibility for that product or that any action is okay as long is it makes a profit. Sure, Hardee's would like it to be that way, and the food industry spends a small fortune on lobbyists to get as close as they can to that. Hardee's management is obligated to make as much money as they can for the stockholders, but no one else is, not consumers, not the government. Consumers should do whatever they can to look out for their own interests, and if doing so makes it harder for Hardee's to sell a few more thickburgers, tough nuts for them.

[elswinger]

Speaking for myself, not all of us hope to live to be 100 years old, and frankly I'd rather have a good, delicous 45-50 years than a bland 100 years (and at the rate of the cost of living and my inability to save money, since I'll never be able to retire, I will welcome the sweet releif of death by Monster Burger.

[bergerka]

So if they decided that a rat-poison burger would sell best, you'd be okay with that?

Now, where did I say that? I'm pretty sure a rat poison burger counts as attempted murder in the eyes of the law, and you're coming pretty close to reductio ad absurdum with that kind of an extreme example, don't you think?

There can be arguments made - and in real life I frequently make them - that the education of US citizens in terms of nutrition could and should be greatly improved, but I'm afraid anyone who doesn't realize that a) fast food is bad for you; b) that new Hardee's burger has got to be so bad for you as to be ridiculous and c) Hardee's is an establishment devoted to selling food that is so bad for you it is ridiculous has been living in a cave, or on a distant planet. Whether I am "ok" with it is hardly relevant - I am not, and I demonstrate my antipathy to Hardee's by refusing to patronize them and by decrying their food (which is nasty) far and wide, but look - I wouldn't deny their RIGHT to sell disgusting food, nor would I deny anyone's right to eat it. Pity them, yes, but deny them? Naah. Yanno?

And the picture of that burger still makes me want to barf.

K (who is not decrying Quarter Pounders, which are too delicious to be disgusting, and yes, I know they're bad for me).

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from the Herald-Sun

Dec 20, 2004 : 5:01 pm ET ST. LOUIS -- A month after debuting its Monster Thickburger, Hardee's is offering customers a new sandwich with 1,050 fewer calories and 103 fewer grams of fat.

The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich weighs in at 370 calories and just four grams of fat. That's a far cry from the Monster Thickburger ...  Leno joked the sandwich -- two 1/3-pound slabs of meat, three slices of cheese, bacon and mayonnaise in a buttered bun -- comes in a coffin-shaped box.

"The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich is the yin to the Monster Thickburger's yang," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Hardee's.

Everything that's old is new again??

The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich is the yin to the Monster Thickburger's yang ... a low fat chicken sandwich?? who would have thunk it possible?

[Daniel]

article from the  Herald-Sun

Dec 20, 2004 : 5:01 pm ET ST. LOUIS -- A month after debuting its Monster Thickburger, Hardee's is offering customers a new sandwich with 1,050 fewer calories and 103 fewer grams of fat.

The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich weighs in at 370 calories and just four grams of fat. That's a far cry from the Monster Thickburger ...  Leno joked the sandwich -- two 1/3-pound slabs of meat, three slices of cheese, bacon and mayonnaise in a buttered bun -- comes in a coffin-shaped box.

"The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich is the yin to the Monster Thickburger's yang," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Hardee's.

Everything that's old is new again??

The Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich is the yin to the Monster Thickburger's yang ... a low fat chicken sandwich?? who would have thunk it possible?

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Do people now think that the caloric contents of this sandwich should be posted, just incase people are on a special high calorie diets. I would be very upset if i found out that the sandwich I got at Hardees was a weak 370 "joy points".. I would be way behind in the game.

[MarketStEl]

Judging from the comments on this thread, I'm guessing that few people clicked on the Snopes.com link early on that confirmed the "urban legend" about a SIX POUND hamburger, complete with photos and history.

It's served at an independent restaurant called Denny's (no relation to the national chain) somewhere in the good ol' Keystone State. Probably Western Pennsylvania--it sounds like the sort of sandwich that would play well there.

The 2/3-pound Monster Thickburger "obscene"? Next to this baby, the Monster is a mere tadpole.

And where's the opprobrium for the owner of this establishment for this obvious exercise in excess?

Though the owner apparently understands that this is more a form of wish fulfillment than something actually meant to be consumed: he has a standing challenge in which he pays for the burger ($23.95), gives you a T-shirt and cash if you can down all six pounds within three hours. Needless to say, nobody's done it yet.

In any case, it seems to me that if we're going to get all righteous about corporate responsibility when it comes to marketing single-serve heart attacks, we need to be uniform in our outrage.

While I'm at it: I think Fuddrucker's -- to which I've been once -- has a 12-ounce (3/4-pound) burger on its menu. But it's a large single patty on an oversize bun, so it doesn't appear as out of proportion as the Monster Thickburger. Once again, appearance is everything.