Every big brand in the fast-food space works a little differently when it comes to how it keeps its customers coming back time and time again.
McDonald’s relies on the strengths of its classics such as the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder, making tweaks to overall quality over the years but keeping them as similar as possible, since they know customers have loved them for decades.
💵💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter💰💵
Taco Bell, however, has a very different strategy. The Tex-Mex fast-food giant operates very much at the speed of social media, offering new menu items all the time and frequently collaborating with big brands like Cheez-It to power constant interest from its devoted fanbase.
McDonald’s is very much a chain where people go decade after decade, and while it remains the most popular, Taco Bell has the edge of appealing to a Gen Z crowd due to its messaging and willingness to experiment constantly.
Related: Celebrity chef’s original eatery files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Restaurant Business International’s (QSR)  Burger King has a strategy that falls somewhere between the two. Its Whopper has remained its most popular menu item since it debuted in 1957, and as a result, Burger King reinvents it regularly, usually to positive results.
Now the famous chain is doing that again, unveiling a new take on its famous flame-broiled burger that ought to attract some eyeballs.
Burger King has released numerous Whopper variants over the past few years.
Image source: Shutterstock
Burger King menu unveils newest sandwich
In an X post shared on June 5, the Burger King Japan official account shared news of a brand new Whopper launching for a limited time: The Wild West burgers.
The first of the two new sandwiches is called the Barbecue Rodeo, which combines the chain’s famous flame-grilled beef patties with its crisp onion rings, tops it with two slices of cheese, and finishes it with a healthy dollop of Bull’s-Eye barbecue sauce.
This sandwich will retail for 1,290 yen ($8.90 U.S.), which can be purchased separately or in a set with small fries and a medium drink for 1.590 yen ($10.97 U.S.).
Related: Forget the Whopper, Burger King has a wild new burger
The second new sandwich, called the Classic Rodeo, trades the Bull’s-Eye barbecue sauce for ketchup and mustard, but keeps other ingredients the same. This one sells for the same price as the Barbecue Rodeo.
The announcement on Burger King’s website does note that the limited-edition sandwich may not be available at all locations.
While the U.S. Burger King menu sadly will not offer the same sandwich, it does feature a Rodeo Burger that is very similar. Just order it and ask to have two slices of cheese added, and the itch for a smoky, savory taste will be scratched.
QSR battles tariff headwinds
QSR reported in its earnings call on June 5 that its revenue missed analyst expectations, and same-store sales declined across several brands, including Popeyes, Burger King, and Tim Horton’s.
However, demand was stronger outside of the U.S. and Canada, which may be why Japan is getting special limited-edition items like the Wild West burgers.
QSR’s problem is not unique. McDonald’s also saw same-store sales shrink 3.5% in Q1, part of a bigger trend of customers pulling back on nonessential items in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s tariff war and the ensuing economic uncertainty.
