The Actual Difference Between Burger King's Whopper And Whopper Jr.

In terms of naming, Burger King's Whopper Jr. seems like a culinary oxymoron akin to "jumbo shrimp" or "bittersweet chocolate." The burger itself has an interesting history: when Burger King opened its first Puerto Rican outlet in 1963, the restaurant didn't have the requisite Whopper buns ready to go. Necessity was the mother of invention when local exec Luis Arenas Pérez decided to put a smaller Whopper together using locally baked buns. The Whopper Jr., affectionately called the "Junito" by the Spanish-speaking local community, was born.

Unlike the old-school Burger King Yumbo, which lived and died in the '70s, the Whopper and Whopper Jr. are still cornerstones of the chain's daily menu. You know, of course, that a Whopper Jr. is a smaller burger, regardless of whether you consider a burger to be a sandwich. But, mathematically, what is the size difference between the two burgers? Looking at Burger King's own menu, you can see that the Whopper Jr., at 330 calories, packs just about half the punch of a regular Whopper, which has 670 calories. 

Those who have investigated the matter further seem to agree with the rough figures: YouTuber BeatTheBush actually weighed out the components of both burgers and determined that, while every individual burger served will vary some in weight, a Whopper Jr. weighs approximately half of a Whopper. In other terms, this means that it takes two Whopper Jr. sandwiches to equal one meaty Whopper.

If a Whopper Jr. is only half a Whopper, where does this leave you? When Burger King's breakfast hours are over and you want to grab a flame-broiled hunk o'beef with all the toppings, which option should you choose? The answer is a big, fat "it depends." As of this writing, a Whopper burger costs around $8.99, although that can vary widely by location. A Whopper Jr. goes for $5.69, which is a good bit more than half the price. Going directly off the menu, a Whopper Jr. is a bad deal. 

But wait! Burger King is always running sales and promotions, and sometimes Whopper Jr. burgers are included in "Duo" or "Trio" deals for $5 and $7, respectively, which include other menu items and which bring the price down considerably. Armed with your knowledge of the burger sizes, you will have to run the calculations on which is a better bargain, at least if your criteria is solely financial.

There is also the fact that some people can't eat a whole Whopper, and therefore the Whopper Jr. is less wasteful. Social media is rife with rumors that a Whopper Jr. is just a regular hamburger patty with Whopper fixings, which was seemingly confirmed by alleged employees on Reddit. Basically, there's no right answer to which Whopper you should order, so "have it your way," as Burger King says, and make the decision that works for you.