The Big Arch vs. The Whopper—This Is The Better Burger, According To Someone Who Eats For A Living

• I sampled two burgers that figured prominently in the viral fast-food CEO battle: McDonald’s Big Arch and Burger King’s Whopper.

• The Big Arch offers more interesting components, but its size and ingredient balance feel a bit uneven.

• The Whopper, on the other hand, is better constructed and easier to imagine eating regularly.

At this point, almost everyone on the Internet has witnessed the fast food CEO war in 2026. A viral LinkedIn video of a McDonald’s CEO clumsily eating a burger quickly became the fast-food version of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Since then, one executive after another has demonstrated their burger-eating prowess and attempted to outdo the rest, creating a full-blown social media spectacle.

The internet is now dissecting every clip to test each fast food CEO’s loyalty to his or her product (IYKYK). The trend has racked up millions of views, cemented brand loyalty, and sparked plenty of controversy. But the question remains: which burger is actually Better?

I wanted to take a look back at the moments and discussions playing out on social media to see which burger was worthy of a bite. To get to the bottom of things, I put two of the biggest contenders together: McDonald’s and Burger King. Here’s how they stack up.

McDonald’s

As soon as Big Arch came out, I rushed to the nearest McDonald’s to try it. There is too much hype to ignore. When the chain calls it “The Gateway Arch,” they’re not kidding. Each burger comes with two (!) quarter-pound patties, three slices of white cheddar cheese, crispy onions, raw onions, lettuce, pickles and the all-new Big Arch Sauce.

Compared to the classic Big Mac sauce, this one relies more on ketchup and replaces the sweetness with mustard. On one hand, I don’t discriminate against burger sauce. As long as someone puts in the effort and doesn’t just throw some condiments on bread, I’m on board. This is an interesting twist on Big Mac Sauce. Is it particularly unique? Not really.

White cheddar cheese tastes like American cheese’s slightly sharper cousin, while crispy onions add welcome texture and saltiness. That said, I do have some notes. The lettuce was finely chopped and became soggy almost immediately. Frankly, the large amount of meat ruined the balance of each bite. My biggest complaint is the size and quantity of raw onions. It’s an overwhelming flavor that’s unforgettable.

Still, there’s a reason why the Gateway Arch remains internationally popular. I can assure you that I was far less hesitant to eat this burger than the CEO of McDonald’s was. (I didn’t call it a product, either.) The large arches are by no means a bad thing, but I could barely get halfway through it before reaching for the mouthwash.

burger king

The product featured in Burger King’s viral video is also new to fast food, but the changes are much more subtle. Instead of tasting the full-fledged new menu, the chain’s president sampled the new and improved Whopper. After receiving feedback from fans, Burger King modified the recipe to include premium buns, higher quality mayonnaise and sturdier packaging.

Even with these upgrades, this Whopper isn’t all that different from the original. McDonald’s might win points for novelty, but honestly? The Whopper is the burger I will always eat. First, it doesn’t have half a pound of flesh, which makes it more accessible than the Gateway Arch. (I’m obsessed with protein, but two quarter-pound burgers are a little nutty in my opinion.) And, with a lower patty-to-ingredient ratio, each bite of the Whopper feels more balanced.

I do miss that delicious, tangy Arches sauce. The mayonnaise and ketchup combo on the Whopper still works, even if I’m not too keen on it. I could also do without the tomato slices (I don’t think burgers need tomatoes, sue me). But the rest of the toppings are a bit above the Golden Arches.

The raw onions are much thinner and less plentiful than those bad-mouthed onions on the Grand Arch. Lettuce is chopped coarser and has less moisture. Burger King did it too no Eat less pickles, which wins brownie points in my book.

There’s a reason the Gateway Arch is a limited-time menu, while the Whopper is available year-round. The former is fun to try once or twice, but the latter is the quintessential fast food burger.

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