Burger King Is Letting You Decide Its Next Ghost Pepper Menu Item
Customers are calling the shots on fast food menus these days. More and more, franchises are asking fans to help them decide on which experimental new items and old favorites to usher into rotation. This year alone, Taco Bell has asked customers to vote on which fan-favorite item to bring back (the Beefy Crunch Burrito took the gold) and chime in on the next hot sauce flavor.
Now, Burger King is following suit by asking customers to choose between two fiery items that feature one of the spiciest peppers in the world – the ghost pepper. The first is the Ghost Pepper Whopper, and the second is the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries. Royal Perks members can cast their votes in the Burger King App starting Wednesday, August 23.
The winning item — which, based on previous years, will likely be announced on social media around Halloween — will return to Burger King menus nationwide for a limited time. Need a refresher? Here's the lowdown on both options.
Which ghost do you believe in?
If the two ghost pepper menu items on the Burger King ballot sound familiar, you've probably seen or tasted them in the past couple of years. The Ghost Pepper Whopper made its limited-time debut in October 2022 — while the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries popped up for a test run at select Burger King locations in 2021.
Like the standard Whopper, the burger features a flame-grilled beef patty. But instead of the usual condiments, it's topped with spicy queso, bacon, jalapeños, and ghost pepper cheese on toasted orange buns with black sesame seeds. Back when it debuted, Thrillist's Joe Erbentraut wrote that the queso was the burger's spiciest component. The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries, which are made from white-meat chicken strips coated in ghost pepper spice blend and fried until golden brown and crispy, pack in a similar amount of heat.
If Burger King's spicy re-release is met with a positive response from fans, perhaps Wendy's will bring back its Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich. Meanwhile, go forth and vote on the BK app.