Burger King to sell 37-cent Whoppers to celebrate birthday

Burger King is taking the cost of the Whopper way back to its original 1957 price tag of just 37 cents this weekend.

The deal is in honor of Burger King’s 64th birthday, as well as a new members program called Burger King Royal Perks.

The old-school-priced Whopper is available in a two-day deal this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4, for burger buyers who register for a Perks account. One discount Whopper is allowed per Perks account and must be bought through the fast-food chain’s app or website. Also, don’t forget to add the coupon — which cannot be combined with other offers — before placing your order.

“In 1957, Burger King changed the game with the introduction of the Whopper sandwich – an iconic, flame-grilled burger prepared YOUR way (with 1,024 potential combinations, to be exact),” Burger King North America head of marketing communications Zahra Nurani wrote in a statement. “And now, 64 years later, we’re excited to celebrate our beloved burger by offering The Whopper for its original price of 37 cents exclusively to Royal Perks members.”

Without the discount, the 667-calorie flame-grilled beef sandwich generally runs customers in the $4 range.

The Perks program was started by the chain earlier this year and offers members free or heavily discounted food in a style similar to Starbucks’ Rewards program.

The heavily-discounted lunch announcement follows Burger King’s revelation earlier this week that in order to speed up its drive-thru lanes, it will cut a number of menu items. The decision follows drive-thru times at the chain steadily increasing over the past year, CNBC reported.

“Given the volume increases in drive-thru, it’s a really easy win in terms of driving additional volume in our business,” Jose Cil, CEO of the chain’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International, said at a Tuesday conference. “We got too slow, and we need to address that.”