Philly Burger King Will Not Offer Cheesesteak Out of Respect for Original

You have to respect the Philadelphia cheesesteak. It’s something that a lot of other food trucks and restaurants around the country try to replicate, but the results are inevitably poor copies of the original. There are some things in life that should just be left to the experts, and cheesesteaks are one of them. Many an eyebrow was raised in Philadelphia when fast-food chain Burger King announced the Philly Cheese King, a jumbo-sized hamburger that is (very, very loosely) inspired by Philadelphia’s best-known sandwich.

The Burger King website touts the burger as having “that Philly flavor!” and describes it further, thusly:

The PHILLY CHEESE KING™ Sandwich features two savory flame-grilled beef patties totaling more than 1/2 lb. of beef, layered with melted sliced American cheese, caramelized onions and creamy American cheese sauce all assembled on our toasted sesame seed bun.

A news release said that the burger was meant to correct a “fundamental flaw” with the original sandwich. A FUNDAMENTAL FLAW in a genuine Philadelphia cheesesteak?!

Basically: I can’t even. (Apparently, neither can BK, since they didn’t name the supposed flaw.)

Thankfully, a Center City Burger King franchise has announced that it will not serve the Philly Cheese King, out of respect for the city’s far-superior traditional cheesesteak. Burger King, undoubtedly grudgingly, made the announcement:

“Despite taste test approvals from Philadelphians, one restaurant in Philadelphia opted out of selling [the Philly Cheese King] completely to honor the traditional recipe,” the release said. “So, on October 25, the Philly Cheese King will not be sold at the BK restaurant located at 15 S 8th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 until otherwise overturned by the Burger King brand.”

Cheers to that particular Burger King for giving the traditional dish of the Philadelphia human the respect it deserves. I mean, seriously. A double burger with cheese and onions is now called something akin to a cheesesteak? The NERVE. That’s like an art student painting a portrait of a dark-haired lady and calling it the Mona Lisa.