Takeaway Truth is an occasional Lifehacker feature where we compare marketing images against what you actually get served. Today: the Oporto Chicken And Cheese Burger.
Fast food restaurants have been known to gild the lily when it comes to accurate depictions of their menu items. Far too often, the mouth-watering feast on the poster turns out to be a limp and oily morsel. In a bid to keep the fry-jockey overlords honest, we’ve decided to document the reality of fast food — it was either that, or go postal like Michael Douglas in Falling Down.
Oporto is one of the few fast food chains that has yet to fall under the Takeaway Truth microscope. Earlier in the week, we were perusing the company’s website and came across one of the most unappetising promotional images we’ve ever seen. [related title=”More Takeaway Truth” tag=”takeaway-truth” items=”4″]
Simply put, the Oporto’s Chicken And Cheese Burger looks hideous. The glimpsed innards oozing beneath the bun reminded us of an infected wound, complete with black pus. The bun and chicken fillet also appear to be grafted together making it difficult to decipher where one ends and the other begins. It actually turned us off eating it, which is the exact opposite of what fast food advertising is supposed to do.
As soon as we laid eyes on it, we knew we had to feature it on a Takeaway Truth: if the advertised image looks this bad, just how ghastly must the real thing be? Or could this in fact be the first frank and honest depiction of the actual product? Would Takeaway Truth finally be able to award a perfect 10? (Albeit for all the wrong reasons.)
Here’s what the Oporto’s Chicken And Cheese Burger looks like on the company’s website:
And here’s what we got served at Oporto’s Westfield Sydney restaurant:
Personally, we think the real burger looks slightly better than the advertised image. It’s still not something we’d be particularly anxious to stick in our mouths, but at least the chicken looks vaguely palatable. For a change, the fillet is also more generously sized in real life. That said, it’s hard to get past the misshapen bun — as much as we’re turned off by that marketing photo at least it made the bread look nice.
This is a difficult one to score — on the one hand, we think the burger looks tastier in real life, but on the other hand, it still bears little resemblance to the advertised image. Although in this case, we think that’s mostly a good thing.
Truth Rating: 6/10
Which fast food franchise or menu item would you like us to tackle next? Let us know in the comments section below.
Comments
10 responses to “Takeaway Truth: Oporto’s Chicken And Cheese Burger”
Ever since I came to Sydney from America my fast food crutch has been Oportos. So damn good and doesn’t seem as bad calorie-wise as McDonalds or Burger King. Could completely be in my head but I will still grab those spicy chicken bites in a rush! Glad you didn’t ruin it for me, I was afraid to click the story….
Boy, you guys have some poor fast food outlets near you. The Oporto in CX Adelaide is actually really good* and certainly isn’t as nasty as either the advertised or real pictures here!
* In my experience.
Love Oporto, just wish we had one closer…
Has anyone noticed the service at Oporto is amazing? I usually go to the one in Melbourne Central. Always understaffed but they are always so friendly and apologetic I don’t mind waiting.
Yes! The lady who served me the Chicken And Cheese burger could not have been friendlier.
Oporto’s is definitely one of the better fast food outlets but they do vary a bit in quality.
Thinking about it, this series should have a user-submission thing like the photography challenges.
I wouldn’t even want to be in the same room as that burger, let alone put it in my mouth.
It looks almost as bad as the one I got from Oporto’s Prahran. Soggy bun, burnt chicken, absolutely terrible.
Had one of the chicken and beef at Tullamarine airport .I have not had many burgers in my life but this would have to be the WORST. Thin little bit of chicken or beef in hubbys , It was also tough. Quarter slice of cheese , lettuce . No mayo, sauce , tomato etc. $ 6.29 each. Don’t waste your money , you can buy better and at half the price from H.J , Mc D. Chips were nice though
I’m not a huge fan of Oporto’s burgers either, which kind of sucks because I live right next to one.
The buns look like they’re from woolies and the meat is never good. And yes, they’re expensive. Would rather make my own burgers…