The big arch vs. the Whopper—this is the better burger, according to someone who eats for a living

• I tasted two of the burgers featured 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 lopsided.
• The Whopper, on the other hand, is better constructed and easier to imagine eating regularly.

At this point, nearly everyone on the internet has witnessed the Great Fast Food CEO War of 2026. A viral LinkedIn video of the McDonald’s CEO awkwardly eating a burger quickly became the fast-food equivalent of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination. Since then, executive after executive has flexed their burger-eating prowess and tried to one-up the others, creating a full-fledged social media spectacle.

The internet is now dissecting every clip to test each fast-food CEO’s allegiance to their own product (IYKYK). The trend has racked up millions of views, solidified brand loyalty, and stirred up plenty of controversy. But the question still stands: Which burger is actually better?

I wanted to look past the staged social media moments and the discourse to see which burger deserves a big bite. To get to the bottom of it, I put the two biggest contenders head-to-head: McDonald’s and Burger King. Here’s how they stack up.

McDonald’s

takeout burger box with a sesame seed bun visible

I rushed to my nearest McDonald’s to try the Big Arch as soon as it launched. The hype was too much to ignore. And when the chain calls it the Big Arch, they’re not kidding. Each burger comes with two (!) Quarter Pounder patties, three slices of white cheddar, crispy onions, raw onions, lettuce, pickles, and the brand-new Big Arch sauce.

Compared with classic Big Mac sauce, this one leans more heavily on ketchup and swaps the sweet relish for mustard. I, for one, don’t discriminate against burger sauces. As long as someone made an effort and didn’t just slap a few condiments on a bun, I’m in. It’s a fun switch-up from Big Mac Sauce. Is it especially unique? Not really.

hand holding a burger with a takeout bag in the background

The white cheddar tastes like American cheese’s slightly sharper cousin, and the crispy onions add welcome texture and savory flavor. That said, I do have some notes. The lettuce is shredded so finely that it turns soggy almost instantly. The frankly massive amount of meat throws off the balance of each bite. And my biggest gripe is the size—and quantity—of the raw onions. It’s an overpowering flavor, and it lingers.

Still, the Big Arch was a popular international offering for a reason. I can reassure you that I was far less tentative eating this burger than the McDonald’s CEO was. (And I’m not calling it a product either.) The Big Arch is by no means bad, but I could barely get through half of it before reaching for mouthwash.

Burger King

whopper

The product featured in Burger King’s viral video is also a fast-food newcomer, but the changes are much more subtle. Instead of a full-fledged new menu item, the chain’s president tasted the new-and-improved Whopper. After receiving fan feedback, Burger King revamped the recipe to include a premium bun, higher-quality mayonnaise, and sturdier packaging.

Even with those upgrades, this Whopper isn’t all that different from the original. McDonald’s may win points for novelty, but honestly? The Whopper is the burger I’d keep eating. For one, it doesn’t come with a half pound of meat, which makes it much more approachable than the Big Arch. (I get our fixation with protein, but two Quarter Pounders is kind of nuts, IMO.) And with a lower patty-to-toppings ratio, each bite of a Whopper feels more balanced.

whopper

I did miss the savory, tangy Big Arch Sauce. The mayo-ketchup combo on the Whopper still works, even if I’m less enthusiastic about it. I could also live without the tomato slice (I don’t think burgers need tomato, sue me). But the rest of the toppings are a cut above the Golden Arches.

The raw onions are much thinner and less abundant than the bad-breath-inducing pieces on the Big Arch. The lettuce is more roughly chopped and less waterlogged. And Burger King does not skimp on the pickles, which earns bonus points in my book.

There’s a reason the Big Arch is a limited-time menu item 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.