Angry Whopper

Trend Alert

Hoping to Heat Up Sales, Chains Turn to Jalapeno Burgers

Last month, we got acquainted with Burger King's Angry Whopper, a spicy take on the chain's bestselling burger.

Last month, we got acquainted with Burger King's Angry Whopper, a spicy take on the chain's bestselling burger. But as it turns out, the highly anticipated, spicy-hot sandwich available for a limited time only isn't quite as unique as it might seem. Restaurant chains across the country have enhanced their menus with jalapeno-laden specials, hoping consumers' fiery appetites will lead to sizzling sales at the cash register.

In addition to the Angry Whopper, which is available in stores through the end of March, casual chain Red Robin recently unveiled its new Burnin' Love Burger, which includes, among other things, pepper-jack cheese, salsa, and fried jalapenos. Because good things can't last forever, the spicy creation is only around through April 5. Fast-food spicy burgers are nothing new, last year Wendy's aimed for something similar with its Spicy Baconator, a twist on its highly successful Baconator sandwich that included pepper-jack cheese, chipotle ranch sauce, and — what else? — jalapenos. The Spicy Baconator was available across all Wendy's locations in the US, but only for about a month.

Have you noticed any other restaurant chains with peppery new sandwich offerings? Do you think the fact that they're all seemingly limited-edition items makes them more coveted?

taste test

Taste Test: Burger King's Angry Whopper

Most of us hoped to start 2009 on a positive note, but Burger King was seemingly in a furious state of mind: At the beginning of January, the fast food chain introduced the Angry Whopper to its US menus.

Most of us hoped to start 2009 on a positive note, but Burger King was seemingly in a furious state of mind: At the beginning of January, the fast food chain introduced the Angry Whopper to its US menus. News of the limited-edition burger, purportedly only available through the end of March, took the Internet by storm. So after hearing the incessant hype surrounding it, I decided to put the burger to the test. To find out how it tastes and see additional photos, read more