Customers have blasted a $55 novelty hamburger at Brisbane’s iconic Ekka show, as organisers rushed to defend what some labelled a ‘rort’.
Hungry attendees took images of the Smash Burger stall menu at the Royal Queensland Show which advertised a special burger and chip deal for the eyewatering sum.
The ‘Blockbuster’ burger was described as containing double beef patties, double smoky bacon, and liquid cheese, on a ‘block bun’, according to the menu. But the menu featured an image of a very ordinary looking hamburger.
Viewers were quick to slam the price tag on line, with many labelling it a ‘scam’ and calling for a ‘boycott’.
‘Jesus Christ. No idea who would buy this,’ one person wrote.
‘What an absolute p***take,’ another said.
‘If anyone reading this paid $55 for one of these, you’re a f***ing Idiot!’ a third wrote.
Consumers lashed out at a food stall offering a $55 double-patty burger (above, the menu at the show)
One viewer tried to work out what the burger was really worth using the optional extras’ pricing.
‘So an extra patty is $4. That means the two patties in the burger are $8. Bacon is $3, so with two slices, that’s $6. We’re up to $14 now.
‘Gluten-free bun is $3, which is more expensive, so let’s say the standard bun is $2. Another $2 for the cheese. Now we’re at $18. So there must be $37 worth of lettuce, tomato, and sauce in that burger.’
Another wrote she would have to be ‘insane’ to spend $55 on a burger, and would be expecting T-bone steaks for patties if she did.
One said there were other more palatably-priced meals at the show.
‘Plenty of good food at the Ekka for comparable prices to normal places this year (in my opinion). Though that’s more the rest of the world got more expensive rather than the Ekka getting cheaper,’ he wrote.
But the festival quickly tried to quell consumer’s doubts, as the real Blockbuster burger is far larger than the one pictured.
‘It’s huge… the burger is served in a hollowed half loaf of bread and is packed full of fillings,’ a spokeswoman said.
The burger, however, was bigger than advertised and the combo meal was billed as big enough to feed two people (pictured, the Blockbuster up close)
An estimated 400,000 people turn out to the Royal Queensland Show each year (pictured)
The meal has been designed for two people.
One photo shared the event’s social media accounts showed two children behind the burger which appeared to be about the same size as their heads.
‘Visitors to the Ekka love trying new and wonderful food items… and the blockbuster burger certainly stands out among all the options available!’
Officials estimate there are more than 110 food vendors at the showgrounds, several of which are offering food options $10 or less.
The show has more than 400,000 visitors each year.
‘By night’s end, more than 70,000 people will have attended Ekka – the biggest People’s Day crowd in almost 15 years,’ the show’s spokeswoman said.
