I tried Chili's new burger, which looks and tastes a lot like a McDonald's classic. It's the latest blow to fast food in the value wars.

"Value, especially for Gen Z, is no longer defined by price alone — it's about the entire dining experience," Hope Neiman, the chief marketing officer at Tillster, an ordering provider for brands like Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, and Popeyes, told Business Insider.

"That's why brands like Chili's are starting to resonate more with younger diners. At a sit-down chain, Gen Z can get more than just a meal — they're getting a place to gather, linger, and connect, all while still finding affordable menu options," she continued.

Neiman said that Chili's new Big QP taps into a "unique sweet spot" of indulgence and value, two things that resonate with Gen Z.

"Meanwhile, fast food is no longer the default value play," she said. "With inflation squeezing wallets, many diners now treat fast food as a splurge. When the cost of a drive-thru meal approaches the price of a casual dine-in, Gen Z is asking, 'Why not make it count?'"

When included in the chain's 3-For-Me meal deal, Chili's Big QP burger costs $10.99. It also comes with an appetizer like a salad or chips and salsa, a bottomless drink, and fries.

The burger with fries costs $14.39, excluding tax, at my closest Chili's in Glendale, New York.

At my local McDonald's in Brooklyn, New York, a Quarter Pounder meal with a medium drink and fries costs $14.49, excluding tax. The burger on its own costs $7.69, excluding tax.

When Chili's talks about value, they're not talking about price alone, its CMO previously told Business Insider.

"I think a lot of brands mistake the lowest price point for being [the best] value, and I don't think that's giving consumers enough credit," Chili's CMO George Felix told BI in January. "So for us, we believe value is the entire holistic experience of what you pay for what you get."

In April 2024, Chili's launched its Big Smasher burger, which featured similar ingredients to McDonald's iconic Big Mac.

"We've always had incredible burgers on our menu, but for about a year now, we've been hearing more and more frustration from fast-food fans over rising costs," Chili's director of culinary, Brian Paquette, told BI at the time, adding that it's one of the reasons the chain wanted to deliver "some of the favorite drive-thru flavors" on its menu.

Both burgers include shredded lettuce, onions, pickles, American cheese, and a Thousand-Island-style dressing, though Chili's version has "twice the meat of a Big Mac," the company said.

When I compared the two burgers, there was a clear winner for me: I thought Chili's delivered a larger, better burger. And, when included in the 3-For-Me meal deal, I got more food at Chili's for the same price as McDonald's.

I attended a media preview of the pop-up on April 15, a day before it opened to the public for a limited two-day window on April 16 and 17.

While there, I tried the chain's new burger and explored the Fast Food Financing pop-up space and adjoining "Chili's speakeasy."

The event, which was a play on financing store experiences, was located right next door to a McDonald's in Union Square in Manhattan. Well played, Chili's.

One sign inside the front door read, "Stop overpaying for fast food today!" Similar signs were posted throughout the space.

McDonald's chief financial officer Ian Borden told analysts at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference in March 2024 that the chain raised US prices by around 10% in 2022 and 2023, blaming inflation.

McDonald's is taking steps to address higher-than-usual prices as people tighten their wallets by offering lower-priced meal deals.

I also received several promotional materials at the event, including a brochure for Fast Food Financing that included fake testimonials about the high price of fast food.

"As an international mega-businessperson type, I figured I would make enough money for fast food. But I was wrong. Sure, I was rich — but not like, fast food rich. Thank you, Fast Food Financing, for helping me finance the tiny burger I had to get for lunch," read one review inside the pamphlet I received.

The new burger launched in restaurants nationwide on April 15, but I got to try it at the pop-up event.

The Big QP, which the chain said features "familiar fast food flavors," consists of a burger patty, two slices of American cheese, diced red onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a Brioche bun.

When ordered through the chain's 3-For-Me menu, Chili's said it delivers "a dining experience that's less expensive than a comparable meal at McDonald's."

Chili's culinary director Brian Paquette said at the event that this is the first time the chain has introduced a burger with ketchup already added to it.

The burger patty was thick, juicy, and well-seasoned, while the pickles added a tart crunch. Admittedly, it tasted very similar to a Quarter Pounder, just kicked up a few notches in terms of flavor and size.

The ketchup and mustard added moisture and flavor to the burger, while the red onions added sharpness. As a huge fan of the Quarter Pounder — it's my go-to burger at McDonald's — I was extremely happy with the overall flavor profile.

The name also doesn't lie — this was a big burger. I struggled to get more than a few bites in after already filling up on chips and salsa, which are also included in the meal deal.

I had to agree with Chili's that this is an excellent deal. While you might pay more for the Big QP than the Quarter Pounder if you ordered them à la carte, the $10.99 3-For-Me deal makes the Chili's burger the obviously better value.

"Rather than relying on deals to drive short-term traffic, Chili's is delivering value through quality, portion size, and cultural relevance," Heiman told BI, calling the Big QP launch "a bold move that taps into social media buzz and generational preferences."

"It's not the cheapest burger out there, but it resonates with consumers' preferences for craveability, freshness, and conversation," she said.