As American tastes change, fast food chains are suffering. More than half of all diners nowadays prefer a burger at a specialty restaurant or a burger restaurant than any other burger. Burger King has struggled with a harsh decline since 2008, and recently lost its number two spot at the top to Wendy’s. McDonald’s, which still sits on the fast food throne, isn’t doing so well either, reporting a more severe sales decline than expected in the first three months of 2015.
Now, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have devised a new burger to draw summer crazed consumers away from the gourmet and foodie spots: The Most American Thickburger.
For just $5.79, hungry patrons can get a burger made with a one-third pound patty of Black Angus beef, a grilled hot dog split in two, American cheese, lettuce, red onion, pickle, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and a layer of Lay’s Kettle Cooked Potato chips. For $8.29, patrons can make it a combo.
Though it’s the priciest item on the menu, it’s not a bad deal, as Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for the two sister chains, explains that “It’s like two sandwiches in one — and your side.”
Of course, many a hungry consumer prefers quality over quantity, even at the expense of passing up such a unique novelty. To that extent, Haley argues “The hot dog is like a smoked meat product, so it’s not unlike bacon.”
To be fair, this is by no means the first bizarre piece of fast food wizardry to be introduced to the masses. Last year, Wendy’s offered a cheeseburger topped with pulled pork and other ingredients. And who could forget KFC’s Double Down Hot Dog, which was a sausage wrapped with two pieces of chicken and topped with mayo, cheese and ketchup?
In fact, this isn’t even the first time CKE Restaurants, which owns the sister chains, has offered something as monstrous as this. It previously sold a burger topped with pastrami at Carl’s Jr., and a burger smothered with thinly sliced steak, called the Philly Cheesesteak Thickburger, at Hardee’s.
Chances are it won’t be the last specimen of fast food science, either. As previously mentioned, Burger King and McDonald’s aren’t doing so well. Perhaps it’s time they start defying the laws of food nature, and produce something as horrifyingly magnificent as Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr..