Before The Whopper, Burger King's Original 1953 Menu Only Had 3 Main Items

These days, it would be difficult to separate the concept of Burger King from its signature burger, the Whopper. In the collective mind, the Whopper is Burger King, and Burger King is the Whopper. But there was a time — back when this fast food chain first came into existence — when the menu was much, much smaller and also lacked that most iconic burger. Back in 1954, when the first Burger King restaurants (originally called Insta-Burger King) were getting off the ground, the three top-billed items were broiled beef burgers, broiled beef cheeseburgers, and thick shakes

The success of McDonald's led directly to the creation of Burger King, with the latter fast food chain built around franchising as the center of its business model. At the heart of the Insta-Burger King restaurant concept were two different "Insta Machines," as they were called — one for broiling burgers and another for making milkshakes.

Back when these restaurants first got started, thick shakes and broiled beef burgers could be purchased for just $0.18 each, with cheeseburgers costing just a nickel more. While the idea of buying a burger for less than a quarter might seem like madness these days, it's important to note that 18 cents in 1953 is equivalent to about $2.18 today. The $0.23 cheeseburger at the start of Burger King would be worth about $2.79 today, only about 7% less than the current $2.99 price of a Burger King cheeseburger.

Back when these restaurants first got started, those thick shakes and broiled beef hamburgers could be purchased for just $0.18 each, with the cheeseburgers costing a nickel more. While the concept of buying a burger for less than a quarter might seem like madness these days, it's important to note that those 18 cents in 1953 are equivalent to about $2.18 in modern money. The $0.23 of a cheeseburger back at the start of Burger King would be worth about $2.79, only about 7% less than the $2.99 cost of a Burger King cheeseburger today.

While those were the big three items on the menu at the time, there were a few other options on offer — items that round out the traditional fast food burger joint lineup, like french fries and soft drinks. Interestingly, on some of those original promotional materials, sodas and fries were listed in much smaller print beneath the burgers and shakes.

That exceptionally short menu didn't last very long. Just a few years later, in 1957, Burger King's Whopper made its arrival. It came at a higher price, but as the name of the Whopper implies, it was also a bigger burger. At $0.37 in 1957 — equivalent to about $4.38 today — it cost about the same as two Insta-Burger King burgers just a few years prior. The Whopper quickly became a signature of Burger King restaurants, so much so that the chain immediately began calling itself "The Home of the Whopper," and remains so nearly 70 years after its introduction. And while McDonald's may have inspired the start of Burger King, the Whopper became a signature burger a full 10 years before the Big Mac was invented.

Decades later, Burger King's menu has changed just as dramatically as its fortunes. It is now the second largest fast-food burger chain in the world, with more than 19,000 restaurants globally — including a few very unique Burger King locations. Patrons of that very first Insta-Burger King restaurant might not have known what to do with a Texas Double Whopper or Bacon Swiss Royal Crispy Chicken, but not everything is different. The burgers, at least, are still broiled, and the shakes are still thick.