Burger King Unveils Black and Pink Valentine’s Day Burgers, and People Are Not OK With it

Burger King is celebrating Valentine’s Day with its new Black and Pink Burgers, but social media is not impressed. The fast-food chain created new buns with food coloring and filled them with thematic ingredients for the season. While they make an interesting sight, many customers said they would not be in a hurry to try one.

Burger King’s Black and Pink Burgers are available only in Thailand, so customers elsewhere do not need to decide whether to try one. That has not stopped them from commenting, however, especially as the two culinary creations make the rounds on social media. The Black Double Grilled Onion Burger comes with two beef patties topped with cheese, grilled onion and a special barbecue sauce. Meanwhile, the Pink Salmon Burger features a deep-fried salmon fillet breaded and topped with melted cheese, as well as a special sauce of its own.

The two burgers will be available in Thailand from Feb. 2 to Feb. 28 in celebration of Valentine’s Day, though for some customers that are not the first thing they think of when they see these burgers. Many commenters referenced SpongeBob SquarePants Season 2, Episode 25 “Patty Hype,” when SpongeBob created a palette of brightly-colored Krabby Patties.

Many, many others took these burgers as a reference to the K-pop group Blackpink, an all-girl band that has been taking the world by storm since 2016. Some even assumed that Burger King was counting on this association, and was using the band’s aesthetic for advertising without actually paying any licensing fees.

Of course, there are plenty of other conclusions to take away from Burger King’s new brightly-colored burger spectrum, and not all of them were favorable comparisons. Here is a look at what Twitter had to say about the Black and Pink Burgers.

Firsthand Experience

Some customers from Thailand shared their real-world experience with the Black Pink Burgers, reporting that they are are not especially exciting beyond their appearance.

Worse Ideas

To put things in perspective, some users shared their memories of other obscure fast-food promotions, often hinting that they were worse ideas than the Black and Pink Burgers. A few sparked arguments from fast food enthusiasts.

Blackpink

Of course, K-pop fans commented with jokes, memes, photos and videos of Blackpink, assuming that the band was somehow associated with these novelty burgers. So far, there is nothing to indicate that they are.

SpongeBob

Users were quick to relate the Black and Pink Burgers to SpongeBob SquarePants‘ “Pretty Patties” storyline. As some pointed out, the promotion actually worked out well for SpongeBob himself, but not for Mr. Krabs. They couldn’t decide what this would mean for Burger King.

New Fans

Some of Blackpink’s most dedicated fans decided to enfold Burger King into their fandom, perceiving this promotion as a tribute of sorts to the band. Others were angry at the fast food chain for not tagging the band in the promotion.

Food Coloring Side Effects

Some users remembered distinct side effects from past fast food promotions using excessive food coloring. They wondered if this time would be similar.

Disgusted

Finally, a fair number of commenters were simply disgusted by the Black and Pink Burgers on sight, and were offended by their very creation. The burgers are available only in Thailand until Feb. 28, 2021.