Burger King Ghost Whopper — more trick than treat

With the fast-food wars burning hot, companies like Burger King are stepping up their menu games.

For this Halloween season, Burger King rolled out the Ghost Whopper, which hit 10 select U.S. stores on October 24 for a limited time. It contains the standard Whopper toppings — onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and mayonnaise — but unlike the classic Whopper, the spooky version features a white–cheddar cheese flavored sesame seed bun.

(Courtesy of Burger King)

Yahoo Finance got its hands on the Ghost Whopper for a taste test. There was broad consensus that the promotional photo (juicy and appetizing) and the actual product (flat and dry) looked extremely different.

Upon tasting the burger, we found the Ghost Whopper much less impressive than Burger King’s other new menu item, the meatless Impossible Whopper. “I’m just not sure this is as amazing as the Impossible Whopper, which tasted very good,” YFi PM host Zack Guzman said.

In addition, not everyone who tasted the Ghost burger noticed the cheddar flavor in the bun, and we all agreed that the original Whopper and Impossible Whopper are far superior in taste and appeal. The suggested retail price for the Ghost Whopper is $4.59.

Innovation

Burger King has been focused on innovation over recent quarters, and its efforts appear to be paying off, as seen in parent company Restaurant Brands International’s (QSR) third quarter financial results. Monday morning, Restaurant Brands reported that same-store sales, a key metric for restaurants, far exceeded Wall Street expectations.

Burger King’s nationwide rollout of the Impossible Whopper in August boosted food traffic significantly for the burger chain during the last quarter, and Restaurant Brands CEO Jose Cil boasted 15% international sales growth and 5% comp sales domestically — the company’s best since 2015.

Shares of Restaurant Brands have soared 26% in 2019, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 23% in the same time period.

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Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung.

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