11 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Ordering At Burger King

Burger King has been around since 1954. Today, it's the world's second-largest fast food hamburger chain, serving delicious flame-grilled Whoppers in over 100 countries and United States territories. It has 19,000 worldwide locations, approximately 6,000 of which are located in the U.S. Considering its wide presence in the country, chances are that you've been to a Burger King location at least once, and likely tried some of its amazing menu items.

But have you ever been in a situation where you've ordered yourself a meal and later wondered if you could've done something better? Perhaps, having a look at the nutritional information would have helped make a better selection. Or maybe, using the Burger King app would have come in handy for saving some extra money. Turns out that making mistakes when ordering at Burger King is a lot more common than you may think. However, the good news is that you can easily avoid these mistakes for a more seamless dining experience.

Let's face it, getting a good deal is bound to make any Burger King fan's day. However, if you don't download the Burger King app or have a look at the chain's website, you'll miss out on savings. These digital tools open up a world of exclusive deals that can help you save some extra money when ordering.

Both the Burger King app and website have lovely digital exclusive deals, like Melt for Me, as well as the Melts and More for 4 (which are available at the time of writing). The Melt for Me deal lets you choose your favorite Melt (from the Classic, Bacon, and Shroom 'n Swiss Melts). That's then served with four pieces of Cheesy Tots, a small fry, and a small beverage. This deal will save you money, as ordering all these menu items separately would cost around $1 extra. Similarly, the Melts and More for 4 option gives you the choice to pick two of your favorite Burger King melts, alongside two Original Chicken Sandwiches, 16 pieces of Chicken Nuggets, and four small beverages — all while saving around $4. 

Although these digital exclusive deals are great, some of them (like the Melts deals) are only offered only for a limited time on the Burger King app and website. But luckily, Burger King comes up with new digital exclusive deals quite frequently. So, if you have missed out on any limited-time digital exclusives, you can always keep an eye out for newer ones.

Since Burger King has so many limited-time offers, if you don't have a look at them before placing an order, you may miss out on discounted prices. At the time of writing, the $5 Duo and $7 Trio are a part of BK's limited-time offers. Both will let you pick from your favorites and make some delicious combinations.

With these limited-time deals, there are no rules. Fancy an entire meal? You can get a burger and a beverage to take advantage of the Duo deal, and add a side if you want to expand to the Trio offering. Or, for one of those days where only hearty mains could satiate your appetite, you could get any two with the Duo. Options include items like the Whopper Jr., the Original Chicken Sandwich, and the Bacon Cheeseburger. On the other hand, getting all three choices would make your Trio order extra filling and flavorful.

Along with these offers, Burger King also has a limited-time $5 Drinks Bundle at the time of writing. This lets you select any four small beverages from a few options. All limited-time offers are available online and at participating Burger King locations across the U.S. However, they may not be valid at certain locations or for delivery. Hence, asking your nearest location for clarification before placing an order is advised.

Think about it: how many times have you ordered just a burger at Burger King? Probably not that many times. When it comes to ordering a satisfying meal, most of us would also consider getting a side, beverage, dipping sauce, and a dessert. However, something we all tend to forget is that all these menu items pack excess calories. Add all that to a burger, and you could be consuming many more calories than you need per day. That's why it's important to consider the nutritional menu when ordering at Burger King.

The average adult needs around 1,600 to 3,000 calories a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Considering this, certain Burger King menu items that have over 1,000 calories, like the Triple Whopper, can easily exceed the recommended calorie intake for a single meal. Moreover, by overlooking the nutritional information, you may even end up ordering a single burger packed with excess sodium, along with calories. 

The Bacon King, for example — which is made with a sesame-seeded bun, two flame-grilled beef patties, crispy bacon, mayonnaise, American cheese, and ketchup — has a whopping 2,270 milligrams of sodium and 1,200 calories. Given the recommended maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and the daily calorie recommendation, the sodium and calories in this single burger are alarming. So, it is always ideal to check the nutritional information of each menu item on the Burger King website before placing your order to prevent a blunder in your daily requirements.

Burger King often expands its menu with limited-time items, like Cini Minis that you shouldn't miss. BK's limited-time menu items may also include seasonal offerings like Wednesday's Whopper and Gomez's Churro Fries which were released for Halloween in 2024. Some of these items get so popular that oftentimes, they return to the menu. 

For instance, Burger King brought back its BK Melts in December 2024 as a limited-time offering, although they were first released in 2022, and had a short stint in 2023. BK Melts are made with two flame-grilled Whopper Jr. patties, onions, Stacker sauce, and American cheese, nestled between two slices of toasted bread. These melts are available in three amazing flavors: Classic, Bacon, and Shroom N' Swiss. 

Burger King's limited-time menu, which is frequently updated, also features Churro Fries as a limited-time offering at the time of writing. Gomez's Churro Fries received some good reviews when they originally released, and they are now back, now as Churro Fries and without the chocolate sauce. However, although these options have returned to the menu, not all limited-time menu items do, even when they appear to be popular. The Fire-Grilled Ribs Meal from Burger King is a prime example of a menu item that never returned after its limited-time release in May 2010, despite being loved by many American customers. Considering that, if you love some of BK'S limited-time menu items, it is best to check the menu regularly to see if they are available while placing an order.

You are possibly making an inadvertent mistake if you have allergies or specific dietary needs, but aren't using the Burger King menu to customize your order to suit them. In fact, a lot of Burger King customers have also mentioned online that most menu items at the fast food chain can be customized to take care of dietary needs and have a better experience. 

Consider the fact that Burger King uses sesame-seeded buns for many of its burgers as an example. Although sesame-seeded buns are delicious, many Americans are allergic to sesame seeds. Luckily, even if you have a sesame seed allergy, you won't need to give up any of those hearty burgers. You can just ask the staff at Burger King to swap your sesame-seeded bun with other buns off the menu, like a potato bun, or a brioche bun. Along with allergies, you can also adjust the menu to better suit different diets. 

A great example of this is enjoying a keto meal at Burger King by asking for burgers and sandwiches without buns. For those of you who aren't too sure about which menu item has ingredients you may be allergic to, or would prefer adjusting certain ingredients in the menu items to suit different diets, taking a look at Burger King's allergen information guide also comes in handy.

It isn't really a secret that plenty of chain restaurants have a secret menu, and Burger King is no exception. But, if you haven't ordered from Burger King's secret menu so far, that's one mistake you should correct when placing your next order. The fast food chain has close to 10 delicious secret menu items that shouldn't be missed.

One of these secret menu items is the Big Whopp, which customers often describe as Burger King's counterpart to a Big Mac. For this enormous burger, you'll have to get a Double Whopper with cheese and a bun on the side. To assemble, place one of those extra bun halves between the two burger patties. The extra piece of bun in between the patties adds a soft, pillowy texture, and also soaks up extra sauce, making it perfect for anyone who prefers a more balanced meat-to-bun ratio in their burger. 

Another Burger King secret menu creation that you might want to consider getting is the BK BLT, which consists of extra crispy bacon added to a Whopper or Whopper Jr. burger. Those who love chicken can consider getting a BK Club, made up of an Original Chicken Sandwich topped with crispy bacon, tomato, and cheese. This secret menu has items that suit different palates and is the perfect chance to try new flavor combinations.

Who would've thought there's a wrong time to order fast food? At Burger King though, there is a wrong time to order, and if you make that mistake, you may end up with a cold, or not-so-fresh meal. 

A former Burger King employee has mentioned on Reddit that most BK locations have fresh food 99% of the time. However, despite the claim, there have been instances where people have received orders that didn't live up to Burger King's standards. In fact, people have complained about receiving stale food. One Reddit user said: "Yea I usually get my BK late at night and almost always the fries are old/stale and the burger looks reheated too." Another Reddit user wrote: "Lately at my BK the breakfast sandwiches have been old, really old, (one even had bits of rotten lettuce and made me sick) and hash browns tasted re-fried."

While it's unfortunate, this usually happens if you order at a time when the restaurant has barely any customers. At such times, some employees may give away menu items that were made earlier in the day. Hence, for a fresh meal at Burger King, it's always ideal to order when the restaurant has the most customers, around the lunch and dinner rushes, as the employees will constantly be making new orders to cater to everyone's needs. 

Did you know that linking your Walmart+ account with Burger King's Royal Perks program would get you an extra discount at the fast food chain? Well, it's true, and if you have both accounts but aren't using them together, or haven't created either account yet, you're missing out on extra discounts at Burger King.

To claim the discount, you will first have to make a Royal Perks account (if you don't already have one), which will also help you earn redeemable points. For that, all you need to do is download the Burger King app or go to its official website, and sign up. Yup, that's about it, and the best part is that it's completely free. The next bit would be to get a Walmart+ account, which comes with perks like discounts on groceries and free shipping. Getting your Walmart+ account ready is an even easier task once you have a Royal Perks account, as Royal Perks members get a 40% discount on a Walmart+ annual membership. This brings the total cost of the membership down to $59 from $98. 

Once you have both accounts ready, link them together on the BK app or website, and enjoy an extra 25% discount on one digital order at Burger King every day. Linking both accounts will also bring more benefits, like a free Whopper deal lined up for September 2025.

A mistake you may have made at Burger King is not trying the sides hack — which simply involves placing your side inside your burger or sandwich. Yes, the sides taste great with the burger, but this little hack adds extra flavor and texture to any burger or sandwich, taking the meal up a notch.

The best thing about this hack is that you can pretty much do it with any side. A customer suggested on Reddit that any side can be added to your favorite burger or sandwich, saying: "Put a 4 piece mozzarella fries on your burger, or add the 4 piece chicken fries to a chicken sandwich. Dump a value havsies to any sandwich." Burger King itself also highlighted the hack in a Facebook reel featuring a Whopper and Cheesy Tots.

Although the hack can be done with any side, it's particularly popular to do with onion rings. Most people may not know what's really in BK's onion rings, but that isn't stopping anyone from adding them to their favorite burgers. You too can stack up your burgers with onion rings for some extra crunch, or try creating a unique combination with your favorite burger and one of the sides. Now you know that with this hack, the sky's the limit.

Burger King's Burgers at Breakfast program was a big success when the chain announced it in 2014. Around 5,000 locations across the U.S. participated in this program and began serving burgers after 9 a.m. But, 2014 was a while ago, and over the years, the program has fizzled out. So, assuming all Burger King locations still serve burgers for breakfast when placing your order is a blunder that will lead to disappointment.  

The good news though, is that out of all the participating Burger King locations, many still offer burgers for breakfast. People have even backed this on Reddit, where one customer mentioned: "I get whoppers here for breakfast every Saturday." Another person said: "It's the only place I can get a burger at like 7 a.m. when I've just gotten off work." However, a customer also shared their disappointment, saying: "You best consider yourself lucky because as far as I know there isn't a single Burger King in my area that offers burgers at breakfast."

Considering the divide, it is best to check with your nearest Burger King to see whether or not it sells burgers at breakfast hours before placing an order, as the decision is usually made by the location's owner. An employee explained this on Reddit, writing: "My owner doesn't do it, but my friends the next city over does do burgers all day, so it really just depends." 

Are you throwing out your receipt after ordering at Burger King? If your answer is yes, that's the first mistake you're making, followed by not taking the My Burger King Experience Survey. While taking a survey may seem unrewarding, this one from Burger King gives you a chance to bag free food. 

To take this survey and enjoy free food, you can head to the Contact Us section on the Burger King website. Here's where the saved receipt will come in handy, as it will have the restaurant number mentioned on it. You'll need to enter the number, after which you will be redirected to the survey. Once done, you will get a code that will help you claim a free burger or sandwich at Burger King, like a Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich, or an Impossible Whopper.

A Burger King employee has backed this process on Quora, explaining: "Basically on the back of your receipt there is a website and QR code to scan to go to the Web page. Once there, input the store location, time and date and fill in the survey. At the end you will get a code to redeem for a free Whopper, Chicken Royal, Plant Whopper, or Plant Royal Burger for free when you buy medium fries and medium drink." Just make sure to save the code after taking the survey to redeem what you fancy at Burger King.