Fast food rarely looks as good in real life as it does in the photos.
Major chains like McDonald’s and Burger King do everything they can to make their items look as appealing as possible in pictures. This can include continual rearranging of the burgers and their ingredients until they achieve that perfect, mouth-watering look.
However, this look rarely, if ever, transfers to real life. Once you pick up an item from a drive-thru, you’re usually lucky if it’s still mostly in one piece—let alone if it looks anything like the pictures.
Still, one would hope that, even if a burger doesn’t look exactly the same as it does on the website, it would at least have the same ingredients. However, a recent video from a Jack in the Box customer shows that this isn’t always the case.
What’s Wrong With This Burger From Jack in the Box?
In his video, TikTok user Adam (@adam_coolkid06) explains that he recently finished an eight-hour shift. After getting off work, he decided to go to Jack in the Box to pick up some curly fries and a Smokin’ BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends Sandwich.
Per the Jack in the Box website, this sandwich is supposed to contain “6-hr slow smoked BBQ brisket burnt ends topped with crispy onions, melty American cheese and Smoke Show Smoky BBQ sauce, all on a toasted buttery bakery bun.”
However, when Adam opened his sandwich, he was met with an unpleasant surprise.
“That’s what it’s supposed to look like, right? You can see the brisket,” he says, pointing to a promotional picture. The image shows a sandwich overflowing with ingredients. He then notes each visible ingredient: “That’s brisket. That’s cheese. That’s probably onions or something.”
Adam then presents his own sandwich. It appears to be a normal burger covered in BBQ sauce. In frustration, he throws the sandwich at a wall.
Is This Normal?
Adam isn’t the only one to complain about their experience with the Jack in the Box sandwich. In a post on Reddit, a user complained that their brisket sandwich contained no actual brisket. Instead, it was just a burger with a “brisket-inspired sauce.” This appears similar to what Adam received.
The user later added that they complained about the burger on a survey and were told they received the incorrect sandwich.
To be clear, the sandwich received by both Adam and this Redditor appears to be incorrect. Other videos showing the sandwich have something more akin to the promotional image and description. The sandwich does not contain a burger patty, instead featuring solely brisket, onions, cheese, and barbecue sauce.
What Even Are Burnt Ends?
If you’re reading about this and are confused about how someone could make such a screw-up, you likely already know what burnt ends are—and why no one in their right mind could confuse them with a burger patty.
But for those who aren’t aware, “burnt ends” are exactly what they sound like. That said, they are substantially tastier than the name implies.
As explained by Serious Eats, back in the day, barbecue pitmasters used to set aside tougher, drier end pieces of the brisket as they sliced it. These ends were either repurposed in stews or simply given away as scrap.
However, pitmasters soon realized that these ends could not only absorb fat, but also produce a smoky bark that diners found irresistible. As a result, the concept of a burnt-end dish was debuted in the 1970s. In the years since, burnt ends have found a place on barbecue menus across the country.
Now, a take on it can even be found on the menu at Jack in the Box—if the employee remembers to actually put it on the sandwich.
We’ve reached out to Adam via TikTok direct message and Jack in the Box via email.
