How Burger King's Whopper Got Its Iconic Name

What would you name your fast food burger if you had a restaurant chain? What would be your iconic menu item? McDonald's has the Big Mac, Wendy's has the Baconator, A&W has the Burger Family, and Burger King has had the Whopper since 1957. You have to admit it's a punchy, memorable name. Even if you're not a big fan of the burger, you know what a Whopper is. According to Burger King, the restaurant sells 2.1 billion Whoppers every year, so many other people are familiar with it as well. However, there would be no Whopper without co-founder Jim McLamore and his fateful decision to eat a burger at a different restaurant.

McLamore was visiting a brand-new Burger King with co-founder Dave Edgerton in 1957, but no customers were coming in. Instead, customers were lined up at a nearby burger joint, which McLamore described as dirty and depressing, drawn by a sign advertising a big burger. He got curious and ordered one for himself and Edgerton to see what the fuss was about. What he got was a giant, fully dressed quarter-pound burger. He loved it. On their way back to Miami, McLamore had a drink and proposed that Burger King make its own signature burger. It would be large and fully dressed, and its name would go right under the sign to help attract customers. He decided they'd call it the Whopper, a word people would instantly recognize as meaning something big.

Dave Edgerton agreed that the Burger King Whopper would be a great idea. Jim McLamore thought having "Home of the Whopper" on a sign right under the Burger King name would be brilliant marketing, and it turned out he wasn't wrong. Although McDonald's still dominates the burger landscape, the Whopper has outshone the Big Mac in many head-to-head taste tests and surveys. In fact, the Whopper is consistently ranked one of the top fast food burgers among all the chains in America. And even when it doesn't come out ahead, don't forget, Burger King still sells over 2 billion of them per year. That seems like strong support, no matter how you cut it.

Since its creation, Burger King has played with the Whopper formula extensively. The classic version is always available, with good deals on Whopper Wednesdays, but the brand has introduced numerous variations throughout the Whopper's famous history. In 2024, the chain rolled out the Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper, the Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper, and the Mexican Street Corn Whopper. In the past, Burger King offered some unusual options, such as a white bun Ghost Whopper and the black bun Halloween Whopper.

Would the Whopper have been as popular if McLamore had never come up with the name? There's no way to know for sure. However, Burger King's own website claims that the Whopper is America's favorite burger, and you can't argue with results. All it took was an inspiring burger from the competition, an impromptu cocktail on a road trip, and the legendary Whopper was born.