Takeaway Truth is an occasional Lifehacker feature where we compare marketing images against what you actually get served. Today: Pie Face’s “Double Cheeseburger” Pie. (Plus taste test!)
After teetering on the brink of closure in 2014, Pie Face has managed to claw its way back to the top of the takeaway pie market. Like any fast food chain worth its salt, Pie Face regularly adds limited-edition items to its menu, usually with weird ‘n’ wonderful fillings.
The Double Cheeseburger Pie does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s two beef patties, cheese, tomato relish, onion, mustard and pickles stuffed inside pastry enclosure sprinkled with sesame seeds. Yep, it’s another food “mash-up” that was clearly designed to maximize the brand’s presence on social media. Instagram has a lot to answer for.
The Double Cheeseburger Pie weighs in at 196g and contains 2560kJ of energy, 504 calories, 22g of protein, 37.4g of fat (over half of which is saturated), 45.8g of carbs and 6.2g of sugars. By contrast, a regular mince beef pie from Pie Face contains 2320kJ of energy, 554 calories, 20.7g of protein, 32g of fat (14g saturated), 44.9g of carbs and 1.6g of sugars. The main difference is in the sugar, which we assume comes from the mustard and relish.
Pie Face’s marketing images usually depict pies without any bites taken out. This is a clever way to dodge false advertising, as customers aren’t deceived by the amount of filling they get. (Plus, half-eaten pies look kinda gross.) However, this time the company was forced to make an exception — you can’t call something a “Double Cheeseburger Pie” and not show what’s inside.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the Double Cheeseburger Pie as it appears in posters and the one we got from a Sydney outlet:
Oh dear, where to start? There’s quite a lot wrong here, from the almost non-existent condiments to the mooshed-together patties. Even the sesame seed distribution is lacking. Our pie was also significantly less plump than the one in the photo.
We acknowledge that most people couldn’t care less what the inside of their pie looks like — but does this give Pie Face the right to serve up bald-faced lies in its adverts? There’s no way the pie on the left is the same product as the one on the right.
So how did it taste? Exactly like a dry sausage roll stuffed into a pie with some pickles thrown in. It’s not the worst lunch I’ve ever purchased from a fast food outlet but I probably wouldn’t buy again.
Comments
5 responses to “Takeaway Truth: Pie Face ‘Double Cheeseburger’ Pie”
Had this the other day, most disappointment I have ever had trying something new.
Tasted horrible. Cheap Sausage meat and as described above, was barely comparable to a burger. One of the very few things that I would actually want to go and demand a refund for.
ugh, now i’m hungry
Man that looked amazing. Then I got to the real picture. Oh….
I bought one of these. Admittedly, it was near closing time so it was not a prime example of the quality.
It was horrible. The biggest problem is something not depicted in your picture. It was filled with oily cheese-based juices that made a mess of everything.
So much squandered potential! If they could actually deliver a product that resembled the picture, I’d be all over it. Also, what’s with cheeseburger-flavoured pies lately? Four and Twenty have one in the freezer section at the supermarkets.
It does taste like a Maccas cheeseburger, I’ll give ’em that. But heating it up in the microwave, the cheese makes my kitchen smell like BO, LOL.