Mac V King (you know you're curious)

Sure, it happened.  But does it really mean anything?

Bear with me, folks.  Remember, there is some catching up to do.  After all, Fat Mike has been comprehensively analyzing the snack (and fast) food market for some time before he decided to burn up on reentry into the blogosphere.  So, I'm getting you all caught up on some of the more epic discoveries that were made, before we start diving into new material.  Thanks for the patience.  Back to the topic at hand...

Before the close of 2013, I started seeing an ad campaign that was launched by Burger King touting the release of their new sandwich... The "Big King".  This astounded me a little bit because after 46-years, why would Burger King decide to compete with the Mac? After all, it was the Big Mac? I later found out that this wasn't the first time the sandwich had been introduced, but that's neither here nor there. Granted, when I have a craving for fast food, I rarely turn to Ronald for comfort (I can call him that because we're boys, but you call him Mr. McDonald). Nevertheless, I respect the Mac, what it stands for, why it exists, and why it's a cornerstone of the fast food market.  For example, I danced with the devil that is the Big Mac on February 22nd of 2013 when I got it in my head that I could eat 5 Big Macs in one sitting (see timeline below)

Arrival at home (post a rockin' good time out with dudes) - 11:23:15

2 Down - 11:28:05

3 Down and still feeling good, but vividly aware of circumstances and threshold - 11:33:13

Ten Minutes to get to get that last one down, breathing heavy.  Extremely happy, but the cord is pulled - 11:43:45

I felt good about this attempt to replace the blood that flowed in my veins with delicious Big Mac "special sauce."  However, when I saw that the BK was rolling out a competitor, I knew that I had to revisit this time and make sure that they hadn't come up with a better sandwich to rule all (as a King rightfully should).  To my surprise, I was not the only one who felt that this was an essential experience to be had.  Thankfully, I work with a cool bunch of folks who embraced my initiative to taste the two sandwiches side by side... and so this epic afternoon was underway.  Myself and 9 of my coworkers decided to get together and commit to a comprehensive analysis geared toward discovering who the true champion of the "special sandwich" is in the fast food world.  Lunch on the afternoon of December 13th consisted of:

10 eaters

20 sandwiches (10 Macs, and 10 Kings)

Enthusiasm

Conversation

Analysis

Judgment

It was glorious.  While I will be fair in sharing the overall results, I will only speak about experience for myself and how it cut me to my core.  I went into this thinking that it would be a clear and decisive choice once the first bite was taken of each sandwich.  For those who don't know me, I'm not wishy washy on food.  I like everything, yes, but for their unique qualities and deliverables.  If someone says, "This is the best pulled pork ever" and it's not (either because I've had better, or just have a blind confidence that there's better out there) I'll say so.  Little did I know that this decision would be much more difficult than I expected because proper judgment came down to the absolute smallest details.

  We measured the overall weight of both (factoring in the box for the Mac, of course)

Finally, we took a good hard look and drank in the splendor. (as you can see... this is a "post bite" pic)

As it turned out, the vote was pretty close.  All of the eaters that participated were Mac loyalists and virgins to the King (not the BK, but the Big King).  :-)  6 of ten eaters chose the Big Mac, including myself.  Those that defected to the King did so for the primary reason that the burger itself tasted better, the bread was a better consistency, and the overall ingredients tasted more natural... like a "real burger".
As for myself, I stuck with the Mac for one reason.  Loyalty.  Sure, BK tastes like a burger.  After all, that's what you get with the "flame-broiled" goodness that comes from the King.  The bread was actually a turn off for me because, believe it or not, with the more high quality burger the bread brought an additional density that was unappealing.  It was heavier, and burdensome.  The Mac melts in your mouth like a warm, moist, flavorful blanket.  I felt like a baby getting bottle-fed with special sauce, and processed meat.  Similarly, there were eaters who commented that the higher quality onions on the BK had a similar affect.  A specific difference between all BK vs McD burgers is that McD chops the onions, and BK serves whole slices.  To some, this was the difference between a pleasurable eating experience, and a lunchtime failure.

What it came down to was the plain truth that I don't eat McDonald's every day, but when I do... and I'm having a "Mac Attack"... would the Big King serve as a reasonable substitute? The answer is, no.  If BK had made an effort to distinguish themselves with a different sauce, assembly, or some type of individuality that could tempt me from the Mac, then the story may have turned out differently.  However, if I'm craving a Mac, then a Mac is what I'm gonna get.  In the end, they were TOO similar, and I stuck with the guys who have been entertaining me with this magic trick since 1967. It was a close race, but the King ended up being deemed the "ugly friend" of the Big Mac.  Sure, if the Mac isn't available, the King will serve as a reasonable substitute, but if the Mac gives you a friendly wink, and a head nod, you'll go home with HER every time.