Takeaway Truth is an occasional Lifehacker feature where we compare marketing images against what you actually get served. Today: Hungry Jack’s Ultimate Double Whopper and Deluxe Country Burger.
Fast food restaurants have been known to gild the lily when it comes to accurate depictions of their menu items. Far too often, the mouth-watering feast on the poster turns out to be a limp and oily morsel. In a bid to keep the fry-jockey overlords honest, we’ve decided to document the reality of fast food — it was either that, or go postal like Michael Douglas in Falling Down.
[related title=”More Takeaway Truth” tag=”takeaway-truth” items=”5″]When we started the Takeaway Truth series a few months ago, we purposely held off on featuring Hungry Jack’s. The reason for this was simple: we knew it was going to be awful and anything that followed was sure to be anti-climactic.
Of all the fast food brands operating in Australia, Hungry Jack’s is probably the guiltiest of using “poetic license” to sell its products. Their food doesn’t look especially worse than the competition, but the images used to sell it are farcically inaccurate — it’s the fast food equivalent of showing a Ferrari to sell a Goggomobil.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the Ultimate Double Whopper and Deluxe Country Burger as they appear in reality and on the Hungry Jack’s website.
(We feel compelled to point out that we did not manipulate these burgers in any way: this is exactly how they appeared when we pulled them out of the box.)
Ultimate Double Whopper
Wow. Just… wow. We don’t feel a critique is necessary here. Just look at it. The only ‘whopper’ in that photo is the big fat lie Hungry Jack’s is selling us. Terrible.
Deluxe Country Burger
We suppose the Deluxe Country burger isn’t too bad — if you ignore the almost complete lack of salad and the fact that the meat patty looks like a dog poo. (These are difficult things to ignore, admittedly.)
On a side-note, the meat looks considerably thinner in the marketing image, which is contrary to most fast food adverts. While most customers would probably be pleased by this, it still counts as a marketing inaccuracy. (There’s simply no way that’s the same style patty in both images.)
We didn’t think anything would top KFC’s Grilled Taster Box but Hungry Jack’s has somehow managed to do it. The poop-patty tipped it over the edge.
Truth Rating: 2/10
Which fast food franchise or menu item would you like us to tackle next? Let us know in the comments section below.
Comments
29 responses to “Takeaway Truth: Hungry Jack’s Ultimate Double Whopper And Deluxe Country Burger”
I think you should also be including which particular store you’re at when you do these comparisons. While on one hand it’s fair enough that any given franchisee reflects upon the reputation of the franchise as a whole, it’s also unfair to judge one store based on the shortfalls of another.
Even though there are a couple Hungry Jacks stores I simply wouldn’t go back to – your ‘dog poo’ call is enough said – overall they’re usually one of the better fast food outlets for consistency.
It was the Penrith store on Mulgoa Rd.
just a comment to say i agree with naming the store these are being brought from, both good and bad, with any luck someone in a power position will see it…and in this case fire someone but perhaps give praise when we finally see a 10/10
I think hungry jacks is awful when that say on there adds ” the burgers are better at hungry jacks” I went there today and there was food all over the work place and there was a bit of hair in my food? HUNGRY JACKS could be shout down. BUT at the same time mcdolans is perfect food perfect time and perfect please ” the burgers are BETTER at mc Donald’s 🙂
Does that mean the KFC Grilled Taster Box from a few weeks back from the KFC out the front of Panthers? My experience is to avoid that particular KFC at all costs.
That one was from Penrith Plaza (AKA Westfield).
Bit of a tip with Hungries – if you want it to look like at picture ask for heavy heavy lettuce heavy heavy tomato, insist that they record it as not just heavy, and you should get a great burger. I think part of the problem is a lot of people dont like much lettuce etc. They probably should ask ‘ on the pic or easy on the salad’ when they serve.
At least it is fixable at Hugries, all you can do at Maccas is complain that you dont care what their regs say you want it like the picture.
If that’s the food your getting, it’s the fault of the store. I’ve never had any food from HJ’s look that awful ever. At any store. Definitely something funny going on there.
I agree. HJ’s is hardly a bastion of burger beauty, but I can’t remember getting a burger that looked quite a lousy as those two before.
Thirded. I don’t eat HJ all that often but never have I had anything that looked that bad, then again I’d say that of almost all of this series.
It looks as if the “real” Ultimate Double Whopper was deliberately angled so that it looks as if there aren’t many sesame seeds on the bun. Not that I’m trying to defend that mess HJ are trying to pass off as a burger. Just sayin’
Nope. Both burgers were shot side on to match the advertising image. (You can see the sesame seeds anyway)
Well, that’s lunch sorted. Who’s with me? I’ll be at Willian st, Perth store at 12.
I usually prefer HJ’s over Macca’s, but HJ burgers are just sloppier in general. A well made Whopper is awesome.
Just wow, thats pretty horrid. I’d never go back to that store.
On the other hand though, I got to 3 different Hungry jacks semi-regularly, and they all make very decent looking burgers. Not even close to being as bad as what you go above.
Perhaps add a reader comparison section to these Takeaway Truths where we can submit our own photos. Quality control of the photo compared to the ad isn’t there but it should give a quick indication of the range of quality that different states/stores provide.
How about some ‘unboxing’ videos? We could start a YouTube channel 😉
A great idea, I know the HJ’s I visit would without a doubt improve the average that these photos in this series have been showing…
I’m totally getting HJs for tea tonight.
what do you expect when you have 12 year olds making them and people who dress in tracksuits eating them, these people couldn’t care less if looks like the photo in the advert they are like fast food junkies who will devour anything as long as they get their fast food hit.
HJ’s is the closest fast food to my work. The staff there know me by name. They have a large cappuccino waiting for me at 10am every day. My waist size isn’t what it used to be 🙁
Still… The burgers are pretty good, and look better than your photos. Definitely not as good as the marketing shots though.
These comparisons are hilarious!! I’d be gutted to get a burger that bad. I used to be a (shameful) regular at the HJ in Moore Park, opposite the Supa Centre, and theirs were better than this (at the time).
Fact: The burgers are getting smaller too!
Quite obviously a mistake, surely those are pictures of the burgers after they’ve been eaten on top of 12 beers and spewed back up? Oh, they’re not……..
Hope the HJ’s marketing guys enjoy this article.
When ever I have bought both burgers, they were very close to the adds for them. I have never seen one that bad.
Agreed, It seems like they have found the worst possible example you can find and put it as the norm. I’ve been having HJs for many years and have never had anything close to as bad as those photos.
wow
I have to say I’m not surprised by the pictures. I’ve always known HJ’s to be a sloppy, bland tasting burger that melts in your hands and not in your mouth. I honestly don’t understand what the appeal is. When people tell me they prefer HJ’s over other fast food, I consider unfriending them on Facebook.
FAKE!