Why Burger King Is Actually Called Hungry Jack's In Australia

Burger King is one of the fastest-growing fast food burger chains in the world. That's right, you can order those onion rings and Whoppers at over 6,830 locations across the U.S., and abroad in countries like Canada, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. But, if you find yourself hungry for a Double Whopper with cheese in Australia, you won't have any luck finding a Burger King. Instead, you'll come across the country's own version called Hungry Jack's.

What's up with the name change in Australia? When Jack Cowin, an Australian businessman, went to open the chain's first franchise Down Under in 1971, there was already a local restaurant there called Burger King that had the name trademarked. To avoid any confusion, he went with the name Hungry Jack's, most likely inspired by his own namesake.

If you want in on a little fast food controversy, when the Australian Burger King's trademark expired in the 1990s, the American restaurant company bought it. It then went on to open several Burger King eateries across Australia despite Hungry Jack's already being in operation. After a 2001 lawsuit, Hungry Jack's was allowed to maintain its operations in Australia, and you can still enjoy food at its restaurants today.

Today there are 440-plus Hungry Jack's restaurants across Australia including in cities like Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The restaurants are easy to spot because the logo is very similar to Burger King's. When you step inside of a Hungry Jack's restaurant, the aesthetic, menu, and employee uniforms are also pretty similar to what you're familiar with at Burger Kings across the globe.

Many of the menu items are similar, too. You'll find the same things you'd expect here in the U.S. like the famous flame-grilled Whopper. The Australian and American Whoppers even have the same ingredients down to the sesame seed bun. You'll also find the fries, onion rings, chicken sandwiches, and chicken nuggets that you might order at Burger King.

Of course, Hungry Jack's has its own items that you won't find at BK. Some current menu items unique to the chain include the Whiskey River Whopper with bacon, fried onions, and barbecue sauce, the Whiskey River Grilled Chicken sandwich, and Pop'n Chick'n popcorn chicken with dipping sauces like aioli and sweet and sour. There's also Jack's Cafe, which serves coffee beverages in its eateries, including iced coffee with popping pearls, which seem similar to the tapioca balls used in boba tea.