$1 Burger Day at Whataburger Creates a Crazy Frenzy

Whataburger can raise passions higher than even the raciest Spanish telenovela. If you’re into Whataburger, you’re really into it. Which is why word of a $1 burger day at the Texas-based chain nearly triggered the Internet’s version of a stampede.

As an official-looking ad declaring Tuesday to be “Dollar Burger Day” at Whataburger spread with a force usually reserved for things like a Smashing Pumpkins reunion, people publicly made plans to go on burger binges.

Alas, the Internet can be a cruel, fickle mistress.

The ad turned out be nothing but an elaborate hoax and people went back to calmly eating the rather average burgers for their regular $2.94 full price. The lure of $1 food — seemingly no matter what it is — will rage on, though. Whether it’s a real steal like the $1 steak sandwiches actually offered by Morton’s last summer or this fake Whataburger deal, there is just something about the idea of plunking down 100 pennies for a full meal that sends hearts aflutter.

At least the Morton’s deal represented a huge gain — and almost justified the lines that snaked out onto the sidewalk at the high-end steakhouse chain’s Galleria-area restaurant. Dinner can easily run more than $50 per person at Morton’s. But $1 Whataburger? How many more of these things are you can going to get down in one sitting just because they’re (allegedly) cheaper one day?

Unless you’re Takeru Kobayashi, are we really talking volume savings, here? Is this even pleasurable eating?

At least, we know one person who wasn’t going to be food catfished by same rather lame fake Whataburger promotion. You can be assured that PaperCity‘s James Brock wasn’t lining up outside a local Whataburger to get this hoax of a “steal.”

To be fair, Whataburger did its best to debunk the “deal.” The chain tweeted, “We are sorry for the confusion, but this promotion is a hoax and had no affiliation with us.”

The Internet’s almost made for these type of cheap-food frenzies, though. The only real question is: What will be next? And will it be real?