People can't stop comparing Burger King's new tacos to Jack in the Box's controversial menu item - and it's terrible news for the West Coast fast-food chain

Business Insider

Burger King (top) and Jack in the Box's tacos (bottom) are sparking comparisons.

• Burger King's new taco is getting compared to Jack in the Box's controversial menu item.
• Both Burger King and Jack in the Box's tacos are polarizing, with Business Insider's taste testers deeming both menu items disgusting.
• The comparisons could cause problems for Jack in the Box, as almost every location of the West Coast fast-food chain is within ten miles away from a Burger King.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Customers can't stop comparing Burger King's new tacos to Jack in the Box's iconic menu item.

On Tuesday, Burger King rolled out its $1 Crispy Taco as a new limited-time offering. It's a strange, fried creation, filled with mushy beef and haphazardly inserted iceberg lettuce.

"The gap between advertising and reality was just too wide to stomach," Business Insider's Irene Jiang reported in her review. "The taco's insides were a gooey, disappointing, confusing mess, and outside was no better." 

Read more: We tried Burger King's new $1 tacos and found they were nothing like what we expected

However, many West Coast customers noted that the taco is distinctly similar to another fast-food menu item - Jack in the Box's taco. 

Jack in the Box's tacos - which are priced at two for 99 cents - are a controversial beast. The chain sells 554 million tacos a year, despite the fact that many people find the menu item disgusting. 

"For dirt cheap tacos, they were still pretty nasty," Business Insider wrote in its review. "I enjoyed my fair share of Taco Bell in college, but I couldn't find a single merit in Jack in the Box's rendition."  

For comparison's sake, here's what the Jack in the Box taco looks like: 

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Jack in the Box's taco.

And, here's Burger King's taco: 

Irene Jiang / Business Insider

Burger King's taco.

Here's another angle on Jack in the Box: 

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Jack in the Box's taco.

And, Burger King's taco: 

Irene Jiang / Business Insider

Burger King's taco.

At least visually, we see the similarities. 

The overlap could be bad news for Jack in the Box. According to Thinknum data, there are less than 50 Jack in the Box locations in the US that are more than ten miles away from a Burger King. 

"Burger King's dollar taco directly competes with this offer, albeit at a more expensive price point," Thinknum's James Mattone writes. "The fast food giant also has the reach that Jack in the Box doesn't; while Jack in the Box rarely touches the East Coast and Midwest, Burger King has thousands of locations."

However, Jack in the Box still has one advantage. The chain's tacos are half the price of Burger King's, selling two for 99 cents compared to Burger King's dollar taco.