Burger King to release new burgers with a famous Top Chef judge

Two years after Michel Sarran, a new judge on the show "Top Chef" has teamed up with Burger King . Starting June 3, the fast-food chain will release new burgers created in collaboration with Paul Pairet.

This chef is known to the general public for his participation since 2020 in the culinary reality TV show Top Chef . But above all, he is an outstanding restaurateur, known for his avant-garde cuisine. He is or has been at the helm of numerous restaurants around the world. Among them "Ultraviolet" in Shanghai, which has three Michelin stars.

He has also traveled extensively throughout his career, including Australia, Turkey, Indonesia, and most notably China, where he settled. For his collaboration with Burger King, the new recipes are inspired by these travels.

This "culinary road trip" begins in Lebanon with the "Chef's Master Falafel": a French beef steak, red cabbage, a lemony sesame and herb sauce, and falafel... but in the form of a flatbread rather than a ball.

Second stop in Japan with the "Master Chef Chicken." Its specialties? A fried chicken fillet "katsu" style (a way of breading and frying pork or chicken) and a ginger and soy sauce.

Finally, back to France for the last burger, the "Master du Chef Poivre." A ground beef, a potato pancake, cheddar cheese, and pepper sauce. This pepper sauce is also found in another product, the "Petit Toasté du Chef," a croque-monsieur with bacon and cheddar cheese.

This collaboration between the chef and the fast-food chain will also feature a dessert: the "King Fusion Pistachio," an ice cream topped with pistachios and cornflakes. All of these products will be available until July 14.

Price-wise, these products will be more expensive than the traditional ones. Expect to pay between 15.30 and 16.30 for the "Master du Chef" on the average menu (compared to 12.95 for the Master Cantal, for example). 3.50 euros for the "Toasté du Chef," where the original version costs 2.90 euros. And 3.90 euros for the ice cream.

Since 2023, Burger King has collaborated with a renowned chef every year . That year, Michel Sarran from Toulouse lent his image to the brand. In 2024, Burger King called on Dabiz Muñoz, a three-star Spanish chef and multiple times voted "best chef in the world."

"The collaboration with Dabiz Muñoz was a hit. After this success, we wondered how we could do better... And we managed to secure Paul Pairet, who is very well-known in France," explains Alexandra Laviolette, marketing director of Burger King France.

According to him, the chef didn't hesitate much before accepting. "As chefs, we like to be selected for this kind of operation; it's rewarding. And when you enjoy cooking for others, which is the basis of my job, it's extremely rewarding.

According to Alexandra Laviolette, such marketing campaigns help attract new customers. Faced with these new burgers, non-fans of the brand may agree to walk through the doors of a Burger King for the first time.

The chain has also made headlines with other marketing campaigns. When it partnered with one of its competitors, KFC, to release a joint burger in November 2024, or last April, when it temporarily released "caviar nuggets."

The goal of such marketing stunts? "To gain market share against the unassailable McDonald's . There's definitely a business stake, let's not kid ourselves," Marion Saint-Eve, marketing expert and associate director of the Ciliabule agency, told RMC Conso.

Paul Pairet's creations for Burger King will therefore be available from June 3, 2025, in all of the brand's 575 restaurants.