As a very occasional McDonald’s customer, I appreciated when the chain offered its all-day breakfast menu. I’m not a big fan of their burgers, and while I do like Chicken McNuggets, I would eat a Sausage McMuffin over anything else on the chain’s menu.

All-day breakfast, however, was dropped during the Covid pandemic when the chain (and many others) made efforts to simplify their menus in order to facilitate takeout and delivery.

Some, however, think the pandemic was just cover for McDonald’s making a move many franchise operators supported. Former McDonald’s Corporate Chef Mike Haracz believes that the change was not really Covid-related.

“Splitting kitchen and appliance space between breakfast items and foods for lunch and dinner meant an increased workload for McD’s crew members, who had to cook food more often to restock the restaurant’s universal holding cabinets (those warming ovens that keep McDonald’s cooked-ahead foods hot and ready). Juggling both breakfast foods and the other items was also confusing for workers and overly taxing in already congested and bustling kitchens, putting a strain on speedy service,” he shared with Food Republic.

Now, while Burger King isn’t adding a full breakfast-all-day menu, the chain is bringing a breakfast favorite to its lunch and dinner menus as part of a new Whopper offering.

Burger King tests new Whopper

“Burger King just created a Whopper featuring breakfast favorites, which also brings all-day hash browns,” according to the Snackolator Instagram page.

The new sandwich is being tested in select markets.”This new Bacon Cheddar Hash Whopper is currently being tested in select markets (so far Raleigh, NC and Portland, OR are confirmed to have it) and features a creamy hollandaise sauce, hash browns, bacon, egg, and a cheddar cheese sauce,” the social media page reported.

The new Whopper also delivers something many Burger King customers will want.

“And because you need hash browns to make it, you can get hash browns ALLDAY where this is being sold,” Snackolator added.

Burger King has big plans for the Whopper

Restaurant Brands International CEO Josh Kobza has been leading a multi-year “Reclaim the Flame” plan to revive Burger King’s sales. He shared his plans for the chain for 2026 during its third-quarter earnings call.

“As I look forward over the rest of this year, we’re going to stick to the same things that we talked about at the beginning of the year. I think I laid out a couple of different focus areas. We said we wanted to focus on the Whopper and flame-grilling. We want to bring families back in the restaurants, and we wanted to have consistency in our value offerings through the year,” he shared.

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He also talked more about the chain’s signature sandwich and Burger King’s efforts to involve its customers in creating new Whopper variants.

“We’re leaning into the Whopper, providing everyday value that guests can trust and reigniting Burger King’s connection with families through innovation and fun partnerships. Our Whopper By You platform is delivering strong results, engaging our guests through personalized takes on their favorite flame-grilled burger,” he added.

Burger King has sold dozens of different Whoppers all over the world.

Burger King Japan/TheStreet

Is the Whopper bigger than Burger King?

When former Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle joined RBI, he talked about “celebrating and reigniting America’s love affair with the Whopper.”

Doyle grabbed headlines in February when he began listing McDonald’s strengths on an introductory call with investors, QSR Magazine reported.

“They’ve done a great job of reimaging their units. Their units look terrific today. I think their loyalty program has been working very well for them. There is a lot that has gone right over there,” he said.

And then Doyle added, “they do not sell the Whopper.”

He even suggested The Whopper “may actually be a better brand than Burger King.”

Food industry experts agree that the Whopper is a differentiator for the chain.

“The ‘flame-grilled’ cooking method is a powerful and unique selling proposition. It gives the Whopper and other burgers a distinct taste that McDonald’s cannot easily replicate. This is BK’s single most important point of differentiation,” Eat Healthy 365 shared.

There is, however, a downside to the strength of the Whopper brand.

“Over-reliance on the Whopper: While a strength, the focus on the Whopper can sometimes overshadow other menu innovations, making it difficult to establish a new hero product,” the site added.

Burger King is investing in its stores

Reclaim the Flame includes an investment in remodeling Burger King locations, but only about 800 higher-performing stores.

Not everyone sees the remodel plan as purely a growth strategy.

“Senior management may see a Darwinian outcome,” Tim Powell, the managing principal at the consultancy Foodservice IP, told Business Insider.

“It seems what will happen now is the stores that already are high performers will be rewarded with new stores, while others in low-income and sketchy areas — where safety and labor are scarce — will be forced to shutter. Perhaps the latter is the ultimate goal,” he added.

How “Reclaim the Flame” remodels work (Burger King)

• Modern “Sizzle” image: Many remodels feature a new “Sizzle” restaurant design emphasizing modern aesthetics, improved drive-thru and digital ordering capabilities, and a refreshed dining environment to better attract customers, the company shared in a press release.
• Royal Reset remodel program: A core component is the Royal Reset remodel program, which allocates significant funding (about $200 milllion initially) to remodel around 800 restaurants with updated equipment, design, and customer-friendly layouts, with more projects added through 2025, according to the Burger King Newsroom.

Remodel investments like these are designed to boost same-store sales and drive-thru throughput, two areas Burger King has struggled with as traffic shifted toward faster, more digital-first competitors.

Related: Fast-food burger pioneer chain closes all remaining restaurants