Steveats: Burger King "Homestyle" rips off McDonald’s Quarter Pounder

Debuting a new, semi-regular feature! I tryout questionable food items so that you don’t have to in… Steveats. (Note: Title developed in about 10 seconds of brainstorming.)

Lou: You know, I went to the McDonald's in Shelbyville on Friday night.
Wiggum: The McWhat?
Lou: Uh, the McDonald's restaurant. I've never heard of it either, but they have over 2,000 locations in this state alone.
Eddie: Must've sprung up overnight.
Lou: You know, the funniest thing though, it's the little differences.
Wiggum: Example.
Lou: Well, at McDonald's you can buy a Krusty Burger with cheese, right? But they don't call it a Krusty Burger with cheese.
Wiggum: Get out! Well, what do they call it?
Lou: A Quarter Pounder with cheese.
Wiggum: Quarter Pounder with cheese? Well, I can picture the cheese, but, uh, do they have Krusty partially gelatinated non-dairy gum-based beverages?
Lou: Mm-hm. They call 'em, "shakes."
Eddie: Huh, shakes. You don't know what you're gettin'

It appears that like Krusty Burger, Burger King has realized that this “quarter pounder” item at McDonald’s is a popular burger, and as a result, they need to produce their own version. Their version is called the Burger King Homestyle, and I can confidently report that it is edible.

Now, I’m unwilling to give it any other praise except edible. It’s certainly not creative, since it’s basically McDonald’s quarter-pounder, but with even less toppings. You get cheese, mustard, ketchup and pickles, with no distinctive taste.

It’s not being offered at a severe discount – I paid around $3 to $4 for it – which I would have expected, since they’re taking shots at McDonald’s with this burger. (And, by the way, McDonald’s almost constantly runs 2-for-1 or 2-for-$5 specials on their “premium” sandwiches, so the OG quarter-pounder is also cheaper.) The existing Burger King double cheeseburger is a better deal, since it’s usually $1.50 and offers more meat. (Heh heh, more meat.)

I’m at a loss to explain who this burger appeals to. I guess if you’re at a Burger King, and craving a quarter-pounder, but you can’t get to a McDonald’s, this is like a 50 to 75 percent substitute, depending on your taste buds. Now, since this is Murrica, I can’t think of a Burger King location that does not have a McDonald’s location within five minutes. So basically, what I’m saying is that you shouldn’t ever have a Homestyle.

Note: Simpsons dialogue is from this site, which also has a helpful scene-by-scene comparison of that episode with Pulp Fiction.

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