http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/06/19/expensive-burger-king-face-markets-cx_je_0626autofacescan01.html
The World's Priciest Burger: Sold Out
LONDON - Money can't buy you good taste, but it has bought about 100 hungry people the most expensive hamburger in the world.
Named simply, The Burger, it was being sold for 95 pounds ($185.00) at none other than a branch of Burger King in the exclusive London district of South Kensington.
The limited edition burger, which sold out after two days of availability--June 18 and 26--is now challenging the current Guinness World Record for the most expensive burger, currently held by the American Double Truffle Burger, which cost 65 pounds ($127), in 1994.
Some argue that a restaurant in Las Vegas sells the most expensive burger: the $777 Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster Burger, which is served with a bottle of Rose Dom Perignon champagne. But the use of lobster, not to mention the bubbly, seems to remove that offering from the realm of true burgers.
Because of its success, organizers are now considering opening a hotline dedicated to selling The Burger for several more days.
Mark Dowding, a chef with Burger King and the creator of the burger, told Forbes.com the location of London had been chosen because there were "different pockets for different tastes. And we are sure this is an area of a lot of burger aficionados."
And the secret to the meat's delectable taste? "Its massaged Japanese Wagyu beef," Dowding said.
The burger, which looks similar to a regular whopper, is made out of ingredients from seven countries, from Japan to France.
Some restaurateurs dismissed the burger, spiced with organic white wine and pink Himalayan rock salt, as a "marketing stunt," comparing it with similar products launched by department stores like Selfridges and its 85 pound ($168.84) sandwich and Peter Jones's 50 pound ($99.31) cup of coffee, pre-digested by a Civet cat.
But David Kisilevsky, vice president of marketing at Burger King, said "the burger is aimed at aficionados looking for the ultimate burger taste experience."
The result of a taste test of slivers of The Burger at the Forbes.com London office: overwhemingly positive.
All proceeds from the sale of the burger will be donated to the charity, Help a London Child.
