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In recent months, fans of Burger King appear to have fallen out of love with the chains signature sandwich, the Whopper. Social media has been full of complaints about the quality of ingredients and even completely deformed burgers. In response, the burger chain said this week that it is rolling out a revamped Whopper. Heres whats changing, and where and when you can get yours. Why is Burger King revamping the Whopper? In short, customers became unhappy with the quality of the chains flagship burger in recent years. Criticisms range from the lackluster quality of ingredients in the burger to soggy buns to even smashed burgers (no, not in a good way). That last complaintburgers that were physically deformed when they reached the customers handsis something even the companys U.S. and Canadian president, Tom Curtis, admitted to. So the Whopper being smushed, literally, Ive heard it . . . and weve seen it, Curtis told CNN. And while no one expects a fast food burger to be the gold standard for hamburgers around the world, lately, customers seem to have lost patience with the Whoppers problemsespecially as prices have risen in recent years and once affordable fast food has become increasingly out of reach for many Americans. That growing unhappiness is something the burger chain has taken seriously. This week, it announced that, based on customer complaints and feedback, it was making the first changes to the Whopper in nearly a decade. What are the Burger King Whopper changes? On Thursday, Burger King announced it was revamping the Whopperbut it wasnt starting over from scratch. The Whopper is an icon, so we didnt set out to reinvent it, Curtis said in a statement announcing the move. Instead, we elevated it based on direct Guest feedback. That elevated Whopper consists of three new elements, according to the company: a more premium, better-tasting bun better-tasting mayo served in a box to protect the burger from getting smashed Other elements of the burger will remain the same, including its beef patty, and topping of onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles. When and where will the revamped Whopper be available? Burger King says the new Whopper will be available this week, where it will roll out across the chains 7,000 locations, according to CNN. Will the new Whopper cost more? That depends on whos paying the bill. Curtis told CNN that the revamped Whopper is estimated to increase costs for Burger King franchisees by about $4,000 per year per store. But Burger King is recommending to franchisees that they do not pass these increased costs onto customers, who are already reducing their discretionary spending due to inflationary pressures. The price of a Whopper can vary by location. In New York City, a standard Whopper currently costs around $6.99. In the Midwest, Whoppers go for around $6.19, and in San Francisco they can go for as high as around $8.19, according to data from the companys online ordering system. If franchisees abide by Burger Kings advice, customers should not see any price increase when ordering the revamped Whopper.
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E-Commerce
Productivity, and alleged lost productivity, has driven most of the conversation around traffic congestion and sprawl in the United States. While “time is money” is true in some contexts, it’s a terrible starting point for planning transportation systems. Traffic congestion is a pervasive issue, whether it’s the destination (a downtown, a stadium, a new development) or the streets connecting to the destinations. In economic terms, congestion occurs when demand exceeds supply: not enough lanes for everyone trying to get somewhere at once. Your time is valuable and there are sometimes real consequences you experience when roads are clogged with cars. But it’s a serious mistake to overplay the economic claims. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Doom and gloom Researchers tend to analyze traffic with the assumption that the “time is money” framework is completely valid. News outlets love it too because it produces reliable doom and gloom for clicks and views: Traffic congestion cost the US economy $74 billion in lost time last year. Drivers lost 102 hours stuck in traffic last year. The average American driver lost $771 in productivity sitting in traffic last year. Of course, an industry that plans, engineers, and builds roads is eager to argue we need more roads. But the impulse to attach dollar values to time isn’t just self-serving industry spin. The World Economic Forum uses the same standard economic framework to justify transit lanes and bike lanes. Residents of cities and suburbs do benefit from multimodal infrastructure, but the economic framing around productivity is weak. Productivity pressure Economists treat humans as if we’re rational creatures who make decisions that can be predicted with basic math. An economist won’t calculate time with family, the choice to spend an extra hour at trivia night, homemade bread, journaling, or band practice. There isn’t a formula for why we make certain choices that lead to a higher quality of life. The productivity pressure that results creates fertile ground for anxiety, depression, and burnout. There’s a constant expectation to be “on,” connected, producing. Admitting you need a break reads as weakness. Too much productivity, paradoxically, undermines everything productivity promises. It’s not my musical genre, but I’m sure there’s a country song about a guy who tried so hard that he died too soon. Corporate HR departments tend to understand that a “machine” running without maintenance breaks down. They track the turnover, the disengagement, and the burnout. The human body and mind require regular maintenance: socializing, resting, walking with no particular destination, writing music, taking pictures, shooting hoops, and so on. Public agencies are perpetually strapped for cash, but they continue spending depleted budgets on congestion relief that doesn’t work. Be deeply skeptical of any report on the economic costs of congestion because those studies reliably reduce humans to soulless economic units. The same principle that makes road expansions failinduced demandexplains why building for people works. Design for human flourishing and you’ll induce more of it. Build more lanes to make car travel easy, and you’ll get more car trips. Redesign a street network to make cycling easy, and you’ll get more bike trips. Building a human-scale city means working towards outcomes that dont show up on a productivity dashboard. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. 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E-Commerce
The other night, I heard cabinets opening in the kitchen and the shuffling of bags and containers. My husband was looking for snacks with our 9-year-old. After, he got him ready for bed, read him a book, and ordered us dinner. Then he sat down at his laptop and worked until 9 p.m. As I unloaded the dishwasher, I realized two things. First: My husband was killing it. Second: The second shift isnt womens work anymore. Its everyones burnout. The second shift, rewritten In 1989, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild introduced the second shift to describe what happened when women got home from their paid job to an unpaid one: making dinner, folding laundry, shuttling kids to sports. Thirty-plus years ago, that division was clear. Today, its more like murky. Couples expect both parents to be career-driven and active parents These days, most dual-income households assume both partners will be ambitious at work and hands-on at home. In fact, fathers are spending more time on childcare than ever before. According to Pew Research, theyve doubled their involvement since the 1960s. Parenting is the most gender-equal its ever been. The problem is, most couples I talk to feel fried. Nobodys workload has gotten lighter. Its just doubled. Moms may still do the mental load, but dads are tired, too. The mental load. Its where the second shift truly lives. And despite how equitable weve become at dividing up chores, most households still put that boss level parenting role on mom. Who needs to be reminded about soccer practice? Who picks out which days they have guitar lessons and tutoring? Who keeps track of when new sneakers are needed? Hint: Whoever has the mental load. While mothers are traditionally expected to drive carpools, recent research shows that men are experiencing more work-family conflict than previous generations. Theyre still expected to be hands-on dads who never miss a soccer game. But theyre also expected to be nothing but present at work, too. Society told dads they could be more involved. But workplace culture didnt give them the space to do it. Thats why dads everywhere are loading up on after-hours email. Remote work came with the illusion of flexibility, then drove us all insane. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/Girl-Li.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/souter.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/subscribe","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457710,"imageMobileId":91457711,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Remote work erased the finish line When COVID sent millions of people into remote and hybrid work situations, we thought flexible schedules would solve all our problems. They kind of did. But they also left us with a handful of issues we hadnt realized we needed to solve. Without a commute, theres no transition from work to home life. Theres no off-ramp. Which means work eats into bedtimes, and work follows us home and sometimes to bed. When employees left the office for good, having it all became doing it all at once. And thats when burnout started rearing its head (again). Parents wanted equality at home. Too many people wanted equality at home without discussing what equality at work would look like. We wanted to share the childcare AND be successful professionals. What we ended up with was equally divided childcare we were both responsible for and work that still demands were on 24/7. Kids still need to eat, bathe, and be nurtured. Work still treats you like you have unlimited bandwidth. So, we both started doing two jobs. And then we crashed. Gen Z is already drawing the line The second shift stopped being a womens issue and became a systemic issue. Millennial parents are burnt out. Generation Z isnt following suit. Earlier this year, CNBC reported that Gen Z employees were the happiest in the workplace. But theyre happy for one key reason: They know exactly what they wont tolerate at work. Want flexibility? Sure. Mental health resources? Of course. Clear boundaries around your personal life? Absolutely. Theyre not buying into hustle culture as identity. Theyve grown up seeing their parents work on reports during family vacations and answer client emails during soccer games. They dont think thats the version of success they want. They see it as depleting and it has made them draw a hard line in the sand when it comes to work. Which is why Gen Z will say no to policies like flexible schedules that actually require your schedule to be flexible for their business. At 9 p.m. Companies like to brag about how they offer flexible schedules. Then they email their employees at 9 p.m. Expecting them to reply. And employees are calling BS. If you want to keep employees, especially parents youll have to offer actual flexibility. That means built-in boundaries. Actual hours you expect your employees to be offline. Actual limits on how many meetings they can attend in a day. And leaders that lead by example when it comes to quitting time. Because if they dont get that flexibility from you high-performing employees will re-impose boundaries on themselves. Or theyll leave. Actually, theyre already leaving. Parents arent just burning out at work. Theyre quitting their jobs because of it. If we dont change how we approach the second shift at work, were going to have a retention crisis. Businesses are seeing masses of Millennials and Gen Xers leave because theyre burnt out juggling homework and Slack messages. But Generation Z employees arent willing to accept that trade-off. And if businesses dont start changing how they treat parents and caregivers who need to switch gears at the end of the day, theyre going to lose an entire generation of employees. Being a human who wants to recover from work is once again a must-have. And ambitious employees are about to show businesses just how valuable that flexibility is. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/Girl-Li.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/souter.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/subscribe","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff,"buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457710,"imageMobileId":91457711,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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