Burger King did something unusual to fix the Whopper

Most fast-food executives amended their flagship burger by convening absorption groups, commissioning marketplace research, oregon bringing successful a nutrient scientist. Tom Curtis did it differently.

The president of Burger King published his telephone fig and waited for the calls to travel in. What happened adjacent shows up successful the chain's latest net report.

"We've been listening to our guests a batch lately," Curtis told Jim Cramer connected CNBC's Mad Money connected May 8. "I've personally taken 1,800 calls from guests, and we got implicit 70,000 incoming calls."

The calls were not a selling stunt that stayed successful the selling department. They fed straight into merchandise decisions.

Customers told Curtis what they thought of the Whopper, what was missing, and what needed to change.

The effect is what CNBC describes arsenic the "Elevated Whopper," a caller glazed bun, creamier mayo, and clamshell packaging that CEO Joshua Kobza said is "driving affirmative impermanent feedback and the highest Whopper mean portion volumes successful implicit 3 years."

Curtis took truthful galore calls that connected weekends his woman banned him from taking them wrong the house. "My woman wouldn't fto maine successful the location and instrumentality calls for hours connected end," helium said. He took them connected the structure instead.

Burger King's same-store income maturation and Q1 net beat

The strategy is showing up successful the numbers. Restaurant Brands International, Burger King's genitor company, reported better-than-expected Q1 2026 results. Burger King U.S. posted 5.8% same-store income growth, according to CNBC.

The lawsuit feedback effort besides extended to restaurants and operations. When a caller from Great Falls, Montana told Curtis astir a breached motion astatine his section Burger King, the institution utilized AI to scan its full U.S. web and identified 81 restaurants with breached oregon missing signs, galore of which person since been fixed, according to Entrepreneur.

Beyond the Whopper, the lawsuit absorption is helping the concatenation pull families.

After launching King Junior meals and SpongeBob-themed promotions, kids repast income roseate astir 40% implicit the past six months.

Curtis said families are a halfway portion of the turnaround due to the fact that they necessitate some merchandise prime and a edifice situation worthy trusting.

Why the Elevated Whopper changes substance for Burger King's brand

The Whopper is not conscionable a paper item. It is Burger King's identity. When the flagship merchandise underperforms, each different effort astatine the chain, marketing, promotions, worth offers, edifice upgrades, faces a higher barrier. Fixing the sandwich archetypal gives everything other a stronger foundation.

The changes are subtle but deliberate. The caller glazed bun gives the burger a much finished appearance. The creamier mayo improves texture and taste. The clamshell packaging keeps the sandwich intact and presents it much cleanly.