Big King

Big King is a signature hamburger product associated with Burger King, the international fast-food restaurant chain. The sandwich was developed in the mid-1990s as a direct competitive response to McDonald's Big Mac. During testing in 1996 and 1997, Burger King called the product the Double Supreme. Its earliest test configuration closely resembled the Big Mac, including two beef patties, a middle bread layer, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and a proprietary sauce. Burger King subsequently removed the middle slice of bread and settled on a more conventional double-cheeseburger format before the product reached the national menu. The sandwich received the Big King name when it was formally introduced in 1997. Its composition used two flame-grilled beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, sesame-seed bun sections, and Burger King's King Sauce. Advertising emphasized the sandwich's larger beef content relative to the Big Mac and positioned it as a substantial alternative to McDonald's leading signature burger. The initial United States launch was offered at a low introductory price, which generated demand strong enough that some restaurants reportedly exhausted their available burger patties. The launch also occurred during a period when Burger King was dealing with public attention surrounding a beef recall involving supplier Hudson Foods, creating criticism that the product campaign could distract from the recall. Big King remained part of Burger King's menu for more than two decades, although its identity and availability changed over time. In 2001, Burger King renamed and slightly reformulated it as the King Supreme during a broader menu restructuring. The King Supreme was later displaced by the BK Stacker family, a range of bacon-and-cheese burgers designed around Burger King's strategy of targeting frequent young adult fast-food customers. After the Stacker line and other heavily indulgent products were removed during a later restructuring, Big King returned to the United States as a permanent menu item in November 2013. The reintroduced version initially used two smaller hamburger patties, but Burger King changed the formulation after consumers objected to the perceived size. The sandwich was then prepared with two larger Whopper Jr.-style patties. A chicken variant was tested and introduced nationally in 2014, replacing the beef patties with chicken patties and adding sauce to address moisture and texture. Burger King treated the return as part of a broader product strategy based on nostalgia, operational familiarity, and a smaller number of menu launches with wider potential appeal. The company also connected the relaunch with social-media activity aimed at younger consumers. Outside the United States, related versions appeared under different names and formulations. A larger European version was marketed as Big King XXL and associated with Burger King's BK XXL line of larger double cheeseburgers. In Australia, Burger King franchise operator Hungry Jack's introduced a related sandwich called Big Jack in 2020. Its recipe and marketing were sufficiently similar to McDonald's Big Mac positioning that McDonald's brought trademark-infringement litigation. The resulting controversy made Big Jack a notable legal and marketing episode in the product's international history. Big King is therefore best understood as a product brand rather than an independent company. Its commercial identity has depended on Burger King's broader menu architecture, ownership changes, competitive positioning, and periodic use of limited-time or nostalgia-based offerings. Availability, recipe, naming, and size have varied by country and period, while the enduring concept has remained a large Burger King double burger marketed as a rival to the Big Mac.

Big King's development began with Burger King's attempt to challenge McDonald's Big Mac in the United States. The initial test product, called the Double Supreme, appeared in 1996 during a period when McDonald's was experiencing market difficulties. The early version deliberately adopted several visual and structural features associated with the Big Mac: two beef patties, a three-part sesame bun, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and a special sauce. Burger King's patties were flame-grilled and the sauce was distinct from McDonald's formulation. After testing, Burger King removed the middle bread section, creating a more conventional double hamburger while retaining the competitive concept. The product was renamed Big King and added to the national menu in 1997. Burger King's advertising highlighted a claim that the sandwich contained substantially more beef and less bread than the Big Mac. Its low introductory price helped produce demand above the company's expectations. The launch was complicated by Burger King's simultaneous handling of a highly publicized beef recall involving supplier Hudson Foods, leading to accusations that the sandwich campaign might divert attention from the recall. Nevertheless, the introduction became part of a wider Burger King product-development push and coincided with an improvement in the chain's reported United States market position during 1997. In 2001, amid declining chain sales and a menu overhaul, Burger King changed the sandwich's name to King Supreme and made a modest recipe adjustment. The reformulation was presented as an effort to make the sauce complement the flavor of Burger King's grilled beef more effectively. The product was later displaced by the BK Stacker line, which emphasized bacon, cheese, multiple patties, and a sauce derived from Thousand Island-style flavors. The Stacker range reflected an ownership and marketing strategy focused heavily on young male frequent fast-food customers. When that strategy weakened during the 2008–2009 recession, and after subsequent ownership changes, Burger King removed the Stacker line and other calorie-heavy offerings. Burger King returned to Big King in November 2013 after 3G Capital acquired the chain and management sought to broaden the customer base. The return was part of a product program that favored recognizable items, limited operational complexity, and menu offerings with broad consumer appeal. The first version used two smaller patties, but negative consumer reaction led Burger King to substitute two larger Whopper Jr.-style patties. A chicken version followed in 2014 after regional testing. Burger King used the relaunch to appeal to consumers familiar with the earlier product and to support social-media-oriented marketing directed at younger customers. The product continued to have different regional expressions. European Burger King operations sold a larger Big King XXL linked to the BK XXL range. These large burgers generated controversy in Spain concerning nutrition standards and advertising when the range was introduced. In Australia, Hungry Jack's introduced Big Jack in 2020. The product and its advertising directly evoked the Big Mac, and McDonald's filed a trademark-infringement case. Across these changes, Big King has remained a Burger King product identity rather than a separately incorporated brand, with availability and formulation dependent on market, ownership period, and menu strategy.

• 2020

  Big Jack launches in Australia

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Hungry Jack's introduced a related Australian product whose advertising led to litigation from McDonald's.

• 2014

  Chicken variant launches

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Burger King introduced a chicken version nationally after regional testing.

• 2013

  Big King returns

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Burger King restored Big King as a permanent United States menu item after a broader menu restructuring.

• 2006

  BK Stacker line displaces the product

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Burger King's multi-patty Stacker family became the more prominent large-burger platform.

• 2001

  Product becomes King Supreme

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Burger King renamed and slightly reformulated the sandwich during a menu restructuring.

• 1997

  Big King launches nationally

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  The reformulated sandwich, without the Big Mac-style middle bread layer, received the Big King name and entered the United States national menu.

• 1996

  Double Supreme enters testing

  [1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Burger King tested a Big Mac-inspired sandwich under the Double Supreme name.

A substantial, flame-grilled double burger positioned as Burger King's answer to the McDonald's Big Mac, with emphasis on beef quantity, competitive value, and nostalgic menu recognition.

• Double hamburger · 1997

  Big King

  The core sandwich consists of two flame-grilled beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, sesame-seed bun sections, and Burger King's King Sauce. It was developed as a direct competitor to the Big Mac but ultimately used a conventional double-burger structure without a middle bread slice.

• Large-format hamburger

  Big King XL

  Big King XL is the larger United States formulation associated with the product's later menu history. It extends the Big King concept into a more substantial double burger format.

• Large-format hamburger

  Big King XXL

  Big King XXL is a larger international version sold in connection with Burger King's BK XXL range. It was based more closely on the chain's Whopper-style format than the standard United States Big King.

• Chicken sandwich · 2014

  Chicken Big King

  The Chicken Big King replaces the beef patties with two chicken patties used in Burger King's value-menu chicken sandwiches. The formulation included an additional layer of sauce to improve moisture and was introduced nationally after testing.

• Australian double hamburger · 2020

  Big Jack

  Big Jack was introduced by Hungry Jack's in Australia as a related, slightly altered version of the Big King concept. Its marketing emphasized its similarity to McDonald's Big Mac and became the subject of trademark litigation.

• 2020

  Big Jack trademark litigation

  Hungry Jack's Big Jack campaign highlighted similarities to McDonald's Big Mac. McDonald's responded by filing a trademark-infringement lawsuit.

  Source

• 1997

  Big King launch amid Hudson Foods beef recall

  The product was introduced while Burger King faced public scrutiny over a major beef recall involving supplier Hudson Foods. Critics questioned whether the heavily promoted launch could distract from the recall.

  Source

Read more

• 2020Big Jack similarity campaign

  Australia

  Hungry Jack's promoted Big Jack by drawing attention to its resemblance to McDonald's Big Mac, turning product comparison into a central feature of the campaign.

  Outcome. McDonald's filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit, making the campaign a significant legal and marketing controversy.

  Source
• 2013Big King nostalgia and social-media relaunch

  United States

  Burger King used the product's former recognition and social-media activity aimed at younger consumers to support its return to the permanent menu.

  Outcome. The reintroduction became part of Burger King's effort to regain broad customer appeal while limiting menu complexity.

  Source
• 1997Big King comparative launch campaign

  United States

  Burger King's launch advertising directly contrasted Big King with the Big Mac, emphasizing the former's claimed beef quantity and reduced bread content. The campaign was supported by an introductory 99-cent price.

  Outcome. The launch generated demand well above expectations and contributed to a broader period of improved Burger King market performance.

  Source

• 2014

  Add Chicken Big KingProduct launch

  Background

  Burger King identified increased demand for chicken products and tested a chicken form of the relaunched sandwich.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a chicken version nationally after testing in Indiana and added another layer of sauce.

  Aftermath

  The variant extended the Big King name into Burger King's chicken-sandwich portfolio.

  Source

• 2013

  Reintroduce Big King as a permanent productStrategy

  Background

  After ownership and management changes, Burger King pursued a broader customer strategy and favored recognizable products that could be restored without creating extensive operational complexity.

  Action taken

  Burger King returned Big King to the United States permanent menu in November 2013.

  Aftermath

  The first version was adjusted to use larger patties after consumer criticism about its size.

  Source

• 2001

  Rename Big King as King SupremeGeneration change

  Background

  Burger King was restructuring its menu during a period of weak chain sales and sought to refresh products against McDonald's expanded menu.

  Action taken

  The company changed the name and reformulated the sauce to produce the King Supreme.

  Aftermath

  The renamed product was later removed in favor of the BK Stacker family.

  Source

• 1997

  Launch Big King without a middle bread layerProduct launch

  Background

  The Double Supreme test version closely followed the Big Mac's three-part bun structure, but Burger King sought a more conventional double-burger configuration for the national launch.

  Action taken

  Burger King removed the interior bread piece, renamed the product Big King, and introduced it nationally.

  Aftermath

  The product achieved stronger-than-expected initial demand and became a recurring Burger King menu identity.

  • McDonald's — McDonald's publicly minimized the competitive threat and maintained that the authentic Big Mac was available only at McDonald's.

  Source

• 2014

  Chicken Big King is introduced nationally[1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  Burger King added a chicken version after testing it in Indiana, replacing the beef patties with chicken patties and modifying the sauce configuration.

• 2013

  Big King returns as a permanent United States menu item[1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Following the removal of the BK Stacker range and a change in Burger King's product strategy, the company brought Big King back to the United States.

• 2001

  Big King is renamed King Supreme[1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  Burger King changed the product's name and adjusted its formulation during a broad menu restructuring intended to improve declining chain performance.

• 1997

  Big King enters the United States national menu[1]Big Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Campaign · Pricing

  Burger King formally introduced the sandwich after testing it as the Double Supreme. The launch used aggressive comparative advertising and a low introductory price.

1. 1Big Kingen.wikipedia.org