Burger King Thailand Launches a ‘Real Cheeseburger’ With No Meat, Just 20 Slices of Cheese on a Bun
Fast-food launches appear constantly, but this one managed to cut through the noise and hold people’s attention. It was strange, straightforward, and oddly hard to ignore.
In July 2023, Burger King Thailand introduced a menu item that took its name literally. The “Real Cheeseburger” featured a sesame bun filled with 20 slices of American cheese, with nothing else added. No meat, no sauce, no extras. The simplicity was intentional, and that unapologetic approach quickly sparked reactions well beyond Thailand.
What’s Actually in the Real Cheeseburger
The Real Cheeseburger matched its name without any surprises. It was a regular Burger King bun filled with a tall stack of American cheese slices and nothing else. Photos and videos from customers showed the cheese layered cleanly, often barely melted, staying neatly stacked from the first bite to the last.
At 109 Thai baht, roughly $3.10 at the time, it was cheaper than many standard burgers on the menu, which caught people off guard given how much cheese was involved. Burger King Thailand was clear in its messaging too. The brand stressed on social media that this was not a prank or a novelty mock-up, but a real item sold to customers for a limited time
Why It Spread So Quickly Online
The Real Cheeseburger arrived with perfect internet timing. TikTok creators filmed first-bite reactions. Instagram users shared cross-sections highlighting the towering cheese stack.
Some customers went further by ordering custom versions with far more than twenty slices and creating exaggerated versions that pushed the cheese count into extreme territory.
At least one Burger King location in Bangkok temporarily paused delivery orders to ensure staff had enough stock for walk-in customers. Several diners told reporters they decided to try the sandwich after seeing it online.
Reactions were mixed. A few people enjoyed the novelty and the price, even though some found it overwhelming and stopped partway through. Many described the experience as more intense than indulgent.
The Health Reality Behind That Much Cheese
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Twenty slices of American cheese may look bold on camera, but they add up quickly in terms of nutrition. Guidance from groups like the British Heart Foundation suggests a typical daily portion of hard cheese is around 30 grams, which already provides protein and calcium, along with a noticeable amount of saturated fat and salt. A sandwich built almost entirely from cheese pushes far past what most people are used to eating in one sitting.
That context helps explain many of the reactions. Diners often said the burger felt heavy and difficult to finish, even if they genuinely liked cheese. The issue was rarely tasted. It was the volume. Bite after bite of dense, unmelted slices became more of a test than a treat.
Burger King Thailand never framed the Real Cheeseburger as a balanced or better-for-you option. It was sold for a short time as a conversation starter, and on that front, it worked exactly as intended.
A Familiar Playbook for Fast Food Chains
The Real Cheeseburger fits into a long-standing fast food tradition. Brands regularly test unusual menu items to break through the noise and generate attention online. Earlier in 2023, Burger King Thailand had already experimented with a chocolate bun burger topped with fries and chocolate sauce.
Other chains have used similar tactics over the years. Burger King Thailand initially described the Real Cheeseburger as a short-run item. While some locations continued selling it slightly longer than first announced, the company later confirmed it would not expand beyond Thailand.
For a brief window, a bun and a towering stack of cheese became one of the most talked-about fast food items of the year.