The strange case of the missing Whopper

I was stubbornly determined to get a 37-cent hamburger today….

I am generally quite comfortable with the various fast food chain mobile apps and loyalty programs, and have quite a number of them on my phone. I like the convenience of ordering in advance, taking my time to look at the menu and specials, and then basically just picking up my food at the restaurant. It’s especially helpful at Subway, because it saves you having to stand in that line and tell them what you want on your sandwich.

Today and tomorrow, Burger King is running a special on its flagship product, the Whopper, selling it for its original price of 37 cents — but only if order it through their app or website and are a member of its rewards program, Royal Perks.

It sounded like a great idea for a Friday lunch. Right before lunchtime, I fired up the app. Not surprisingly, the first thing I saw was a graphic advertising the promotion. I clicked on the ad and started customizing my Whopper. Then, I added fries and a drink. When I went to check out, it told me I had enough Royal Perks points to cover the cost of either my fries or my drink, and so I happily used points on my fries. I placed the order, got in my car, and headed to the restaurant.