Burger King Japan’s all-you-can-eat challenge knocks us out of the ring

How many one-pounders can one man handle?

In recent years, Burger King has been challenging its customers in Japan to consume more calories than usual, with mammoth “Super One Pound” burgers containing everything from cheese to beef buns.

Sometimes the chain goes even further with its monstrous meals, by allowing customers to order as many of the one-pounders as they can consume. We took part in one of these all-you-can-eat challenges two years ago, and failed miserably as our reporter Yuuichiro Wasai consumed only one burger during the 45-minute feeding frenzy.

So when the chain announced it would be holding another all-you-can-eat challenge at select chains on July 9, 10, 16, and 17, our reporter P.K. Sanjun decided to see if he could beat our former record, booking in a timeslot on the website as required, and heading down to the Roppongi branch on the first day of the challenge.

Tickets to take part in the challenge are priced at 2,900 yen (US$21.15) each, which is a great deal, considering you get a Maximum Super One-Pound Beef Burger, a medium order of French fries, and a medium drink to start. On its own, this set is priced at 2,400 yen, so it costs an extra 500 yen to gorge on as many burgers as you like.

The Maximum Super One Pound Beef Burger, or the Maximum Cho One Pound Beef Burger, as it’s known in Japanese, is an ultra-heavyweight hamburger with four patties, and it’s said to be about the size of two regular burgers.

For the all-you-can-eat challenge, last orders need to be made by the 30-minute mark, and you can only reorder once you’ve polished off your burger. With those rules for the challenge clear in his head, P.K. sat down with his first burger, aiming to clear at least two to get his money’s worth.

P.K. knew the burger was going to be big, but he didn’t realise just how big it was until it was sitting in front of him. Not only was it big — it was heavy, but it was too late to turn back now, especially as he had his fighting gear on, in the form of the commemorative Cho One-Pound Beef Burger The Challenge T-shirt, which is given free to every participant.

Biting into the beast, P.K.’s mouth was flooded with delicious, meaty juices, accompanied by deliciously moreish mayonnaise, soft and tender buns, and the refreshing taste of tomato, pickles and onion.

With four slices of cheddar cheese and four strips of crispy bacon included in the four-patty burger, this was an absolute taste sensation! It was utterly delicious, and P.K. is proud to say he polished off his first burger in just eight minutes.

At this point, a staff member who was taking reorders from participants approached P.K. and asked if he would like a second burger. With his stomach heavy from the one-pound burger, which actually weighs 608 grams (1.3 pounds), P.K. found himself declining the request.

P.K. felt as if he were committing a taboo by not ordering another burger, but he just couldn’t imagine himself being able to down another one. However, after multiple offers from staff, P.K. finally acquiesced, ordering another burger about 20 minutes after he’d finished his first one.

P.K.’s once-smiley face had certainly changed from his first bite. The burger which had once looked so delicious now looked like an intimidating wall of meat, and his bites were now small and peckish, making this seem like an impossible challenge to complete.

As P.K. began to understand why his colleague had only consumed one burger in the previous challenge, he mustered up as much strength as he could to at least improve on our first attempt.

So he picked out the four beef patties and slowly but surely chomped his way through them.

With his stomach now truly bursting at the seams, P.K. weighed what was left of the burger — yes, he takes his food reporting that seriously — with a set of scales he’d brought with him.

As a result of the weigh-in, P.K.’s total burger consumption amounted to a whopping 868 grams. That’s a lot of burger in one sitting, so P.K. wrapped up what was left and took it home with him.

After enquiring with staff to see how his achievement compared to other diners, P.K. was surprised to learn that the highest record at the branch he visited that day was five burgers. At the Omiya branch, there was an even bigger achievement, with one diner downing seven burgers!

According to staff, diners who set the highest record at each store will be invited to an exclusive event due to be held in August. Needless to say, P.K.’s result won’t net him an invitation to that event, but it’s not all bad — at least he was able to achieve his aim of eating 100 bowls of wanko soba!

Reference: Burger King Japan
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