On the Beef is back, but in a sense it never really left.
Burger King Japan has made a linguistically confusing addition to its menu, and it’s one that’s culinarily puzzling too. Yes, even more so than the Pickleball Burgers we looked at earlier this month.
The just-added item is called On the Beef. As we’ve previously discussed, though, you can’t eat a grammatical preposition, and while the name “On the Beef” would have one expecting some undetermined additional element being placed on beef, the On the Beef is just beef.
I suppose you could argue that because it’s prepared with a dash of salt and pepper, there technically are some granulated seasonings on the On the Beef. That still doesn’t change the fact, though, that Burger King is selling a hamburger patty for 450 yen (US$2.85), leaving out the bun, lettuce, and anything else that would be included in a burger, the very thing that Burger King claims royal dominion over. This isn’t a special, high-grade patty made of a premium breed of wagyu beef, either. It’s the same patty that Burger King uses for its actual sandwiches, with the chain saying the point of the On the Beef is to be a way for customers to get a taste of the all-beef patties that go into the chain’s sandwiches.
So spartan is the On the Beef that the regular version doesn’t include ketchup or any other sort of sauce. You can ask for a squirt of spicy tomato jalapeno, smokey barbecue, or teriyaki sauce, but there’s an additional fee, since the Sauce on the Beef, as it’s called, will cost you 550 yen.
Alternatively, the Beef on the Beef, two patties with salt and pepper, can be yours for 900 yen…
…and finally there’s the top-of-the-line Sauce on the Double Beef (which seems like it should be called the Sauce on the Beef on the Beef), two patties with sauce, for 1,000 yen.
The On the Beef has become a sort of irregular autumn tradition at Burger King Japan, and while the concept seems baffling for a burger joint, it makes a little more sense within the broader context of the Japanese food industry. Hamburger steaks are popular in Japan. People eat them with assorted vegetables and rice or bread on the side, as part of bento boxed lunches, or as a topping for curry rice. Because of that, the idea of “Hey, a patty should have a bun!” isn’t as entrenched in Japan as it is iin the U.S., and you can find pre-made, ready-to-eat hamburger steaks for sale at grocery stores.
That being said, there’s a difference between shopping at a supermarket, where people buy ingredients, and walking into a fast food restaurant, where most people are looking for a whole meal, especially since Burger King doesn’t sell rice, curry, or any of the other things one might use to build a meal around a hamburger steak, so you’ll have to prepare any desired accompaniments on your own, like we did.
In terms of price, the On the Beef is actually more expensive than the most affordable hamburger that Burger King Japan offers, its 360-yen cheeseburger. However, the On the Beef looks to use the same patty as the larger Whopper, which starts at 690 yen, so you’re saving 240 yen by jettisoning everything from the sandwich but the meat.
▼ And you get a sticker for ordering the On the Beef (while supplies last).
The On the Beef made its return on October 16, and will be on sale until October 22, though you could make the argument that really it’ll still be available after that date as long as you’re willing to pull the patty out of a Burger King hamburger yourself.
Source: PR Times, Burger King Japan
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