There’s nothing like nostalgia-heavy impulse purchases, and Wendy’s and Burger King have just released two meals that pull the heartstrings of any 20+ year-old college student. The “Krabby Patty Kollab” at Wendy’s claims to do the magnificent SpongeBob SquarePants “Krabby Patty” some justice, but does it hold up? At the same time, Burger King has released an Addams Family special, known as “Wednesday’s Whopper,” alongside some other sides. Are these worth eating? Or will they leave your stomach wishing you ate something a little healthier? Let’s hear from the Life section’s culinary critics.
Patrick Boots, Campus Correspondent (he/him/his)
As an avid SpongeBob fan, I was very excited to hear about the possibility of getting a real-life Krabby Patty. Everyone hopes they can try their favorite food from shows and movies, and the “Krabby Patty Kollab” definitely plays on folks’ nostalgia. I always liked the gummies, after all.
The partnership was between Nickelodeon and several restaurants, including chain establishments and local eateries in select cities. Nationally, the Wendy’s franchise offers their version of the animated meal. That’s what I ordered — but outside of some signage on the menu, you couldn’t tell it was supposed to be a Krabby Patty.
The meal came with the burger, merely a Dave’s Single with the addition of a tangy “secret sauce,” french fries and a pineapple-flavored “Under the Sea” Frosty treat. As you may know, Wendy’s uses square patties for its burgers — I didn’t see them leverage that here. His name is SquarePants, guys! The Frosty could actually get my vote for a full-time menu item, though.
All that said, the biggest element was actually the packaging — the fare was wrapped in the standard Wendy’s logo, not in a SpongeBob-themed box like other restaurant partners had.
The meal was fine. But then again, everything at Wendy’s is fine (I’m actually a Baconator fan) — but I expected more pizazz. Their kid’s meal comes in a printed bag, which could have been themed nicely, at least.
Here, we also recognize the success of rival Burger King, also a longtime Nickelodeon restaurant partner. They’ve recently launched a menu of items themed around the Addams Family characters — with a new and unique “Wednesday’s Whopper” burger with purple buns, “Thing’s (Onion) Rings” and “Morticia’s Kooky Chocolate Shake” with cake batter fudge. as well as black and purple cookie pieces. Yummy. Oh yeah, and “Gomez’s Churro Fries” — Ronald and Wendy’s menus are nice, but next time, I’ll be visiting the Marvelous Magical Burger King.
Rating: 3/5 Secret Formulas
Ben Lassy, Life Editor (he/him/his)
Upon seeing the advertising and hearing the word on the streets that a “Krabby Patty Kollab” was being sold at Wendy’s, childhood nostalgia welled up inside me in a way I’d never felt before. So, this past week, I drove to Wendy’s to see if my hopes would come true, or be shattered by corporate shills.
So, the meal is simple: A “Krabby Patty” with your choice of one to three patties (i.e., regular Wendy’s burgers; I chose two), including two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and a “top-secret Krabby Kollab sauce.”
The burger was solid. Holding it in my hands gave me a rush of nostalgia. It felt almost like a real Krabby Patty (except for a lack of sesame seeds). I took a bite of the double Krabby Patty and was pleasantly surprised. The cheese was creamy and melted in nicely with the burger, while the secret sauce — though too sweet for my liking — was almost akin to the McDonald’s Big Mac sauce. Meanwhile, the lettuce, onions and tomato were cold and crispy. Nestled in as well were pickles, a welcome addition that brought some salty bitterness into the flavor profile.
I will say though, with no theming on the bag or burger wrapping (all just standard Wendy’s branding), I felt like I ordered any other burger from the chain. If there was some sort of SpongeBob-themed box, that’d step things up.
Finally, the meal came with fries (nothing of note there), and a “Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty.” This was a disappointment. It was a vanilla frosty with some fake-tasting pineapple extract shot in. It was fine and at points pineapple-esque, but mostly tasted like canned pineapple gone awry. So, with nostalgic hopes sort of crushed, I’m staying away from fast food brand meals (including Burger King’s) for a little while.
Rating: 2/5
Noa Climor, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
If I go out of my way to try a themed meal, I expect the works! I want cool packaging and themed food that isn’t usually on the menu (and if it is on the menu … I expect that packaging to be out of this world). So, in the spirit of The Daily Campus, SpongeBob and my little brother Jonathan (who is an avid fan of the show), I went ahead and ordered the “Krabby Patty Kollab” meal.
Trying the Wendy’s “Krabby Patty Kollab” meal made me wonder if Plankton was wasting precious time searching for that formula. What can the humble square patty offer? Should I fear the pineapple Frosty … or be grateful for its existence? Many such questions were asked, and I admit that I left my local Wendy’s slightly disappointed and without answers.
The lack of theming was a tragedy, and honestly, the burger was your standard Wendy’s burger, which is good! But not what one would expect when the Krabby Patty is name-dropped. Although, I am allergic to sesame seeds, so the lack of those on the bun was a win for me.
The fries were slightly soggy and a little cold, but the Frosty was nice! It was smooth and not too icy, which was wonderful as the rest of the meal was not that great. Perhaps it’s more vanilla than pineapple, but it’s lovely for the fries which desperately needed some help.
And although I wish that I had the time to try everything from the Burger King menu, I will admit that the BK I ordered from did not have many of the items, so I only got to try the “Morticia Kooky Chocolate Shake” (which was wonderful, and tasted very much like Morticia made it with love … and maybe a little bit of a spookiness).
Overall, the food was just okay; many such cases for themed collabs, I fear! But one can only hope for a brighter, more theme-oriented future.
Rating: 2/5
Thatcher Slocum, Campus Correspondent (he/him/his)
Call me a cynic, but I’m going vegetarian.
In the spirit of good journalism, I tried both burgers. In one night. That was two mistakes, and my third was washing it down with a frozen Coca-Cola. The fourth is the $25 I spent that night. There are more, but they aren’t as closely related to the burgers themselves, so I’ll omit them.
It was a terrible night, with a (luckily, not actually) deadly combination of sugar, red meat and special sauce (comprised of at least two of the very special sauces of ketchup, mustard, mayo and barbecue sauce). Unfortunately, none of it sat well in my stomach. While I survived, I’ve decided I may slowly shift away from meat-based diets. Maybe not completely. I’m undecided.
But something I have decided on is my rating:
Rating: 0/5