Burger experts weigh in on the Google vs Apple cheeseburger emoji debate
Google CEO Sundar Pichai lit a fire under the internet Sunday when he asked the Twitter-verse to provide its thoughts on the "correct way" to build a cheeseburger, and accordingly a cheeseburger emoji.
It seems Apple and Google have different conceptions of how to create an authentic cheeseburger emoji, as demonstrated by the tweet that stoked Pichai's interest. The placement of cheese seems to be the primary area of disagreement:
To arrive at the truth, Mashable reached out to some of the leading experts in the burger-making world.
Shake Shack's Culinary Directory, Mark Rosati, seems to be in agreement with Apple's conception of where the cheese should be placed on the burger — which is atop the patty.
“In the world of Shake Shack, lettuce, tomato, cheese, patty & then bun reign supreme. Sundar Pichai, we’re counting on you!” Rosati told Mashable.
(It should be noted, however, that Shake Shack and Apple disagree over where exactly the lettuce should be placed on the burger. Alas, this is another debate, for another time.)
Burger King responded to our inquiry via Twitter, and seconds the notion that the cheese should most certainly be on top of the patty.
Sonic Drive-In underscored that their beef patty (the "star" of their burger show) is placed at the bottom of the burger — not the cheese — for a specific culinary reason.
“At SONIC, the true star of our Cheeseburger is the 100% pure beef patty: placing it at the bottom allows for the flavor to hit our guest’s palate first," Lori Abou Habib, Sonic's vice president and chief marketing officer, told Mashable in statement.
"Adding melted cheese and crisp, fresh toppings on top makes for the perfect burger," she added.
Wendy's, meanwhile, thinks both Apple and Google got it wrong, because their patties are round, not square.
Regardless, with the insight of Shake Shack, Burger King, and Sonic, it seems Apple has powerfully illustrated that its cheeseburger emoji is most likely the correct representation of the true cheeseburger.
It's now time for Google's Pichai to direct his minions to rectify Google's corrupting of the cheeseburger, because it can no longer be denied: The cheese goes on top.
Mark was the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
