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Enter Goku
Burger King has been on a roll in 2026 – and its latest limited-time menu just gave traffic a Super Saiyan-sized boost. The Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack, which launched September 1st with Super Saiyan Sauce, mango-peach lemonade with popping boba, and one of six collectible figurines, drove the chain’s biggest traffic surge of the year.
We dove into the data to see how the launch affected Burger King’s year-over-year (YoY) visits – and how the response stacked up against the chain’s previous pop-culture collaborations.
A Strong Run Gets Supercharged
The Dragon Ball Super collaboration arrived on top of an already strong 2026 for Burger King, with a revamped Whopper and value offers like $5 Duos and $7 Trios helping drive robust U.S. same-store sales growth in Q2. Visits also rose or held relatively steady through the summer, keeping Burger King ahead of the wider category even as QSR visits declined amid higher gas prices and other headwinds.
But the Dragon Ball launch widened the gap considerably. During the week of August 31, Burger King visits jumped 20.1% YoY, while the broader category posted only a slight increase, likely reflecting the shift in Labor Day weekend timing. And Burger King visits remained above year-ago levels in the weeks that followed, even as QSR traffic slipped back into negative territory.
Giving SpongeBob a Run for His Money
The Dragon Ball launch also held its own against Burger King’s other recent hits. Weekly visits surged 16.8% above the chain’s 12-month weekly average – edging past the 16.3% lift seen during last December’s SpongeBob collaboration, which helped drive Burger King’s busiest week of 2025.
Keeping the Crown
Pop-culture collaborations can make an affordable meal feel a little more special – an especially useful draw when diners are watching their budgets. And with an upgraded core menu, value offers, and another collaboration hit, Burger King has plenty of momentum heading into the final stretch of 2026.
For more data-driven dining insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
