Burger King

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Template:Infobox Burger King

A typical Burger King restaurant in Durham, North Carolina.
"BK" redirects here. For other uses, see BK (disambiguation).
This article is about the restaurant chain. For the chain's mascot, see The Burger King.

Burger King (NYSE: BKC), often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began as a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain in 1953. Originally called Insta-Burger King, it was owned and operated by Keith J. Kramer and and his wife's uncle, Matthew Burns. After the company ran into financial difficulties in 1955, its two Miami-based franchisees, David Edgerton and James McLamore, purchased the company and rechristened it Burger King. Since that time, the company has used several variations of franchising to expand its operations. Burger King Holdings is the parent company of Burger King; in the United States it operates under the Burger King Brands title while internationally it operates under the Burger King Corporation banner. It is a publicly traded company with investment firms of TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners each owning about 31% of the company. On 2 September 2010, it was announced that the company had accepted a purchase offer from 3G Capital, a company backed by the Brazilian billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira, in a deal valued at $3.26bn.

At the end of fiscal year 2009, Burger King reported that there are more than 12,000 outlets in 73 countries; 66% are in the United States and 90% are privately owned and operated. The company has more than 37,000 employees serving approximately 11.4 million customers daily.[1] In North America, franchises are licensed on a per store basis, while in several international locations licenses are sold on a regional basis with franchises owning exclusive development rights for the region or country. These regional franchises are known as master franchises, and are responsible for opening new restaurants, licensing new third party operators, and performing standards oversight of all restaurant locations in these countries; the largest example of a master franchise is Hungry Jack's, which exclusively owns, operates or sub-licenses over 300 restaurants in Australia.

The Burger King menu has evolved from a basic offering of burgers, fries, sodas and milkshakes in 1954, to a larger, more diverse set of offerings that includes several variations of chicken, fish, salads and breakfast. The Whopper, a sandwich that has since become Burger King's signature product, was the first major addition to the menu by McLamore in 1957. Not all introductions have had the success of the Whopper; BK has introduced many products which failed to catch hold in the marketplace. Some products that have failed in the US have seen success in foreign markets, where BK has also tailored its menu for regional tastes.

The company's "Golden Age" of advertising was during the 1970s when it introduced its mascot the Magical Burger King, a memorable jingle, and several well known and parodied slogans. Beginning in the early 1980s, its advertising began to lose focus; a series of less successful ad campaigns created by various agencies continued for the next two decades. In 2003, Burger King set about resuscitating its moribund advertising with the hiring of the Miami-based advertising agency of Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B). They completely reorganized Burger King's advertising with a series of new advertisements centered on a resuscitated Magical Burger King character.

History

Main article: History of Burger King

The predecessor to what is now the international fast food restaurant chain Burger King was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, as Insta-Burger King. The original founders and owners, Keith J. Kramer and his wife's uncle Matthew Burns, opened their first stores around a piece of equipment known as the Insta-Broiler. The Insta-Broiler oven proved so successful at cooking burgers, they required all of their franchises to carry the device.[2] After the original company began to falter in 1959, it was purchased by its Miami, Florida franchisees James McLamore and David R. Edgerton. The two began a restructure of the chain, the first step was to renamed the company Burger King.[3] The duo ran the company as an independent entity for eight years, eventually expanding to over 250 locations in the United States, when they sold it to the Pillsbury Company in 1967.

Early in Pillsbury's tenure, structural deficiencies in its franchise structure came to the fore. A prime example of this was the relationship between Burger King and Louisiana-based franchisee Chart House. Chart House started out its history as Self Service Restaurants Inc. when two businessmen brothers, Billy and Jimmy Trotter, opened their own BK franchise group in that state in 1963. By 1970 the company had grown to over 350 store across the country, with its own purchasing system, training program and inspection system. In 1973 Chart House attempted to purchase the chain from Pillsbury for $100 million, an offer which Pillsbury declined. After Chart House's bid failed, its owners Billy and Jimmy Trotter put forth a second plan that would have Pillsbury and Chart House spin off their respective holdings and merge the two entities into a separate company; again Pillsbury declined the proposed divestiture. After the failed attempts to acquire the company, the relationship between Chart House and the Trotters soured; when Chart House purchased several restaurants in Boston and Houston in 1979, Burger King sued the selling franchisees for failing to comply with the right of first refusal clause in their contracts. Burger King won the case, successfully preventing the sale. The two parties did eventually reach a settlement where Chart House kept the Houston locations in their portfolio.[4] In the early 1980s Chart House spun off its Burger King holdings and re-focused on its higher end chains; its Burger King holding company, DiversiFoods, was eventually acquired by Pillsbury $390 million in 1984 and folded into Burger King's operations.[5][6]

During this time, Pillsbury's management made several attempts at reorganization or restructuring of the restaurant chain in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The most prominent change came in 1978; with the ongoing conflict with Chart House on the mind of the company's board Burger King hired McDonald's executive Donald N. Smith to help revamp the company. Smith initiated a restructuring of all future franchising agreements, effectively preventing other franchises from taking on the company as Chart House had.[7][8] While these efforts were effective in the short term, many of them were eventually discarded resulting in Burger King falling into a fiscal slump that damaged financial performance of both Burger King and its parent. Poor operating performance and ineffectual leadership continued to bog the company down for many years, even after it was acquired in 1989 by the British entertainment conglomerate Grand Metropolitan and its successor Diageo. Eventually, the institutional neglect of the brand by Diageo damaged the company to the point where major franchises were driven out of business and its total value was significantly decreased. Diageo eventually decided to divest itself of the money-losing chain and put the company up for sale in 2000.

In 2002, a troika of private equity firms led by TPG Capital, L.P with associates Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners agreed to purchase BK from Diageo for $1.5 billion (USD),[4] with the sale becoming complete in December of that year.[9] The new owners, through several new CEOs, have since moved to revitalize and reorganize the company, the first major move was to re-name the BK parent as Burger King Brands.[10] The investment group initially planned to take BK public within the two years of the acquisition, however this action was delayed until 2006 due to several reasons. On 1 February 2006, it was announced that TPG planned to take Burger King public by issuing an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Some of the structural changes Burger King underwent under the ownership group's watch were new advertising agency that created a series of new ad campaigns,[11][12][13] a revamped menu strategy that focused on male consumers,[14] a series of programs designed to revamp individual stores,[15] and a new restaurant concept called the BK Whopper Bar.[16] These changes led to the company experiencing a score of consecutive profitable quarters between March 2004 and March 2009 that successfully re-energizing the company. Despite this, the slowing of the economy during the financial crisis of 2007-2010 caused the chain's business to decline while its immediate competitors McDonald's grew.[17]

The latest chapter in the company's ownership history began on September 2, 2010 when TPG and its partners announced it would sell their 31% stake in Burger King to another private equity company, 3G Capital, for $24 per share, or $3.26 billion.[18][19] The offer, representing a 46% premium over the stocks selling price at the time, came as a surprise to Burger King CEO John Chidsey. The proposed sale is expected to help the company repair its fundamental business structures and continue working to close the gap with McDonald's.[20] Analysts commenting on the transaction stated that 3G will have to invest heavily in the company to help reverse its fortunes. David Palmer from UBS stated the company will need to work with its large group of franchise owners to brighten its locations and stabilize sales which could take several years and require significant reinvestment,[19] while Steve West of Stifel Nicolaus stated that Burger King will need at least a year to right its fundamentals.[20]

International operations

See also: List of countries with Burger King franchises
Burger King in Chalco, Mexico City

While BK began its foray in to locations outside of the continental United States in 1963 with a store in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it did not have a large international presence. This situation changed shortly after the acquisition when Pillsbury opened its first international restaurant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1969.[21] Other international locations followed soon after: Oceania in 1971 with Hungry Jack's and Europe in 1975 with a restaurant in Madrid, Spain . Beginning in 1982, BK and its franchisees began operating stores in several East Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.[4] Due to high competition, all of the Japanese locations closed by the end of 2001. BK reentered the Japanese market in mid-2007.[22] BK's Central and South American operations began in Mexico in the late 1970s and by the early 1980s in Caracas, Venezuela, Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina.[4] While Burger King lags behind McDonald's in international locations by over 12,000 stores, it has managed to become the largest chain in several countries including Mexico and Spain.[23] To assist in its international expansion, Burger King has established several subsidiaries to develop strategic partnerships and alliances to expand into new territories; in Europe, Burger King's subsidiary Burger King Europe GmbH is responsible for the licensing and development of BK franchises in the that market, Africa and Western Asia. In Asia, the BK AsiaPac, PTE. Ltd. business unit handles franchising for East Asia, the Asian subcontinent and all Oceanic territories except Australia.

Burger King in Beijing International Airport, Beijing, China

Over the ten year period starting in 2008, Burger King predicted 80% of its market share would be driven by foreign expansion, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and Indian subcontinent regional markets.[24] While the TPG-lead group has continued BK's international expansion by announcing plans to open new franchise locations in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Brazil, the company plans to focus on the three largest markets, India, China and Japan.[25][26][27][28] The company plans to add over 250 stores in these Asian territories, as well as other countries such as Macau, by the end of 2012.[29] Its expansion into the Indian market has the company at a competitive disadvantage with other fast food restaurants such as KFC because the country's large Hindu majority's aversion to beef. BK hopes to use their recent non-beef products, such as their TenderCrisp and TenderGrill sandwiches, as well as other products to help them overcome this hurdle to expand in that country.[24]

At the end of its fiscal 2010 year, Burger King is the second largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in the world behind industry bellwether McDonald's (32,400 locations) and the fourth largest fast food restaurant chain overall after Yum! Brands (37,000 locations), McDonald's and Subway (32,000 locations).[30][31][32]

Franchises

Main article: Burger King franchises
Burger King restaurant in Leicester Square, London
A Burger King franchise adapted to operate in the historic district of Oaxaca, Mexico

When Burger King Corporation began franchising in 1959, it relied on a regional franchising model where franchisees would purchase the right to open stores within a defined geographic region. These franchise agreements granted BKC very little oversight control over its franchisees and resulted in issues of product quality control, store image and design and operations procedures.[4][7]

This model remained in place until 1978 when the company hired McDonald's executive Donald N. Smith to help revamp the company. Smith initiated a restructuring of all future franchising agreements, disallowing new owners from living more than one hour from their restaurants, preventing corporations from owning franchises and prohibiting franchisees from operating other chains. This new policy effectively limited the size of franchisees and prevented larger franchises from challenging Burger King Corporation as Chart House had.[7] Smith also sought to have BKC be the primary owner of new locations and rent or lease the restaurants to its franchises. This policy would allow the company to take over the operations of failing stores or evict those owners who would not conform to the company guidelines and policies.[4] However, by 1988 BKC parent Pillsbury had relaxed many of Smith's changes, scaled back on construction of new locations and stalled growth.[33] Neglect of Burger King by new owner Grand Met, and its successor Diageo, further hurt the standing of the brand, causing yet more financial damage to BK franchises.[34]

By 2001 and after nearly eighteen years of stagnant growth, many of the franchises were in some sort of financial distress. The lack of growth severely impacted BKC's largest franchise, the nearly 400 store AmeriKing; by 2001 the company, which until this point had been struggling under a nearly $300 million debt load and been shedding store across the US, was forced to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[35] The failure of AmeriKing deeply affected the value of BKC, and put negotiations between Diaego and the TPC Capital-lead group on hold. The developments eventually forced Diaego to lower the total selling price of BKC by almost three quarters of a billion dollars.[36] After the sale, newly appointed CEO Bradley Blum initiated a program to help roughly 20% of its franchises, including its four largest, who were in financial distress, bankruptcy or had ceased operations altogether.[37] Partnering with the California-based Trinity Capital, LLC, the company established the Franchisee Financial Restructuring Initiative, a program to address the financial issues facing BK's financially distressed franchisees. The initiative was designed to assist franchisees in restructuring their businesses in order to meet financial obligations, focus on restaurant operational excellence, reinvest in their operations and return to profitability.[38]

Individual owners took advantage of the AmeriKing failure; one of BK's regional owners, Miami-based Al Cabrera, purchased 130 stores located primarily in the Chicago and the upper mid-west region, from the failed company for a price of $16 million, approximately 88% of their original value. The new company, which started out as Core Value Partners and eventually became Heartland Foods, also purchased 120 additional stores from distressed owners and revamped them. The resulting purchases made Mr. Cabrerra BKB's largest minority franchisee and Heartland one of BKH's top franchises.[39] By 2006, the company was valued at over $150 million, and was sold to New York–based GSO Capital Partners.[40] Other purchasers included a three way group of NFL athletes Kevin Faulk, Marcus Allen and Michael Strahan who collectively purchased 17 stores in the cities of Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia;[41] and Cincinnati-based franchisee Dave Devoy, who purchased 32 AmeriKing stores. After investing in new decor, equipment and staff retraining, many of the formerly failing stores have shown growth upwards of 20%.[34]

Burger King has a longstanding presence at U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force installations worldwide, dating back to the 1980s under a contract with Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Today, while other chains such as Taco Bell, Popeye's, and Subway have a presence on military bases, virtually every major Army and Air Force installation hosts a BK restaurant.[1]

Legal issues

Main article: Burger King legal issues
The Hoots' family Burger King restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois, one subject of major litigation by Burger King.

Burger King has been involved in several legal disputes and cases, as both plaintiff and defendant, in the years since its founding in 1954. Situations involving these many legal topics have affected almost every aspect of the company's operations. Depending on the ownership and executive staff at the time of these incidents, the company's responses to these challenges have ranged from a conciliatory dialog with its critics and litigants to a more aggressive opposition with questionable tactics and negative consequences.[42][43][44][45] The company's response to these various issues has drawn praise [46][47] as well as accusations of political appeasement from different parties over the years.[48]

Controversies and disputes with groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over the welfare of animals, governmental and social agencies over health issues and compliance with nutritional labeling laws, and unions and trade groups over labor relations and laws. These situations have touched on legal and moral concepts such as animal rights,[49] corporate responsibility,[50] ethics,[51] and social justice.[51] While the majority of the disputes did not result in lawsuits, in many of the cases the situations raised legal questions, dealt with legal compliance, or resulted in legal remedies such as changes in contractual procedure or binding agreements between parties. The resolutions to these legal matters have often altered the way the company interacts and negotiates contracts with its suppliers and franchisees or how it does business with the public.

Further controversies have occurred during the company's expansion in the Middle East. The opening of a Burger King location in the Israeli-occupied territories lead to a breach of contract dispute between Burger King and its Israeli franchise; the dispute eventually erupted into a geopolitical conflagration involving Muslim and Jewish groups on multiple continents over the application of and adherence to international law.[52][53][54] The case eventually elicited reactions from the members of the 22-nation Arab League; the Islamic countries within the League made a joint threat to the company of legal sanctions including the revocation of Burger King's business licenses within the member states' territories.[53][54][55] A related issue involving members of the Islamic faith over the interpretation of the Muslim version of canon law, Shariah, regarding the promotional artwork on a dessert package in the United Kingdom raised issues of cultural sensitivity,[56] and, with the former example, posed a larger question about the lengths that companies must go to insure the smooth operation of their businesses in the communities they serve.[57]

A trademark dispute involving the owners of the identically named Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois led to a federal lawsuit; the case's outcome helped define the scope of the Lanham act and trademark law in the United States.[58] An existing trademark held by a shop of the same name in South Australia forced the company to change its name in Australia,[59] while another state trademark in Texas forced the company to abandon its signature product, the Whopper, in several counties around San Antonio.[60] Legal decisions from other suits have set contractual law precedents in regards to long-arm statutes, the limitations of franchise agreements, and ethical business practices;[61][62] many of these decisions have helped define general business dealings that continue to shape the entire marketplace.

Charitable contributions and services

Burger King has two of its own in-house national charitable organizations and programs. One is the Have It Your Way Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation with multiple focuses on hunger alleviation, disease prevention and community education through scholarship programs at colleges in the US. The other charitable organization is the McLamore Foundation, also a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that provides scholarships to students in the US and its territories.[63][64] Additionally, there is an optional literacy program that partners individual restaurants with community schools in the US.

In various regions across the United States, Burger King and its franchises have aligned themselves with several charitable organizations that support research and treatment of juvenile cancer. Each year these coalitions hold a fund raising drive called A Chance for Kids, in which Burger King restaurants sell lottery-style scratch cards for $1. Each card produces a winning prize that is usually a food or beverage product, but includes (rarer) items such as shopping sprees or trips. In the Northeast, BK has affiliated itself with the Major League Baseball team the Boston Red Sox and its charitable foundation, the Jimmy Fund. The group runs the contest in Boston. In the New York city area it operates the contest in association with the Burger King Children's Charities of Metro New York and the New York Yankees. Funds raised in these areas go to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute located in Boston.[65][66] In Nebraska, the company is affiliated with the Liz's Legacy Cancer Fund BK Beat Cancer for Kids program at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.[67] In the Pittsburgh region it funded the establishment of the Burger King Cancer Caring Center, a support organization for the families and friends of cancer patients.[68]

Products

Main article: Burger King products
The Whopper sandwich, Burger King's signature product

When the company began, its menu consisted predominantly of hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, and desserts. In 1957, BK added its signature item, the Whopper. This quarter pound hamburger was created by Burger King founders James McLamore and David Edgerton as a way to differentiate BK from other burger outlets at the time. The sandwich became famous enough that BK eventually adopted the motto "Home of the Whopper".

One of Donald N. Smith's first changes to the menu was the addition of the Burger King Specialty sandwich line in 1979, which significantly expanded the breadth of the BK menu with many non-hamburger sandwiches including new chicken and fish offerings. The new specialty sandwich line was one of the first attempts to target a specific demographic, in this case adults 18-34, members of which would be willing to spend more on a higher quality product.[3] One of Smith's other significant contributions to the menu was the addition of a breakfast product line, which until this time was not a market Burger King had entered.[3] Besides the addition of the Croissan'Wich in 1983, the breakfast menu remained almost identical to the McDonald's offerings until a menu revamp in 1985.[4] This expansion introduced BK's Am Express product line which added new products such as French toast sticks and Mini-muffins.

As the company expanded both inside and outside the US, it introduced localized versions of its products that conform to regional tastes and cultural or religious beliefs. International variations add ingredients such as teriyaki or beetroot and fried egg to the Whopper,[69] beer in Germany, Italy and Spain, and halal or kosher products in the middle East and Israel.[70][71][72] To generate additional sales, BK will occasionally introduce limited time offers (LTOs) that are versions of its core products or new products intended for either long or short term sales. Items such as the Texas Double Whopper and various sandwiches made with mushrooms and Swiss cheese have been rotated in and out of its menu for several years while products such as its 1993 offering, a Meatloaf Specialty Sandwich and limited table service along with special dinner platters, failed to generate interest and were discontinued.[73]

A meal including small french fries, a Whopper, Jr., a drink, and packets of Heinz ketchup

In order to appeal to as many demographic groups as possible and better compete with its fast food restaurant competitor Wendy's, Burger King added a multi-tiered value menu in 1993 with items priced at 99¢, $1.99 and $2.99 (USD). The project, called Operation Phoenix, was an attempt to add not only a value menu but a line of value meals. The tiered menu was replaced with a more standard value menu in 1998, while the value meals were separated into their own menu segment.[74] This value menu featured seven products: Whopper Jr., 5 piece Chicken Tenders, a bacon cheeseburger, medium sized french fries, medium soft drink, medium onion rings and small shake. In 2002 and 2006, BK revamped its value menu adding and removing several different products such as chili and its Rodeo Cheeseburger.[75] Many of these items have since been discontinued, modified or relegated to a regional menu option.[76] To better appeal to a more adult palate and demographic, BK introduced several new products to its menu in 2003, including several new or revamped chicken products, a new salad line and its BK Joe brand of coffee. Some of the new products, including its Enormous Omelet Sandwich line and the BK Stacker line, brought negative attention due the large portion size, amounts of unhealthy fats and trans-fats.[77][78][79] Many of these products feature higher quality ingredients like whole chicken breast, Angus beef, natural cheeses such as Cheddar and pepper jack.[80][81] Again, not all these products, such as the BK Baguette line, have met corporate sales expectations.[11]

Advertising

Main article: Burger King advertising
The iconic Burger King "crown", worn by Nick Van Eede.

Burger King has employed varied advertising programs, both successful and unsuccessful, since its foundation in 1954. During the 1970s, output included a memorable jingle, the inspiration for its current mascot the Burger King and several well known and parodied slogans such as Have it your way and It takes two hands to handle a Whopper.[82][83][84] Burger King introduced the first attack ad in the fast food industry with the help of then unknown Sarah Michelle Gellar in 1981. The television spot, which claimed BK burgers were larger than competitor McDonald's, so enraged executives at McDonald's parent company, they sued all parties involved.[85] Starting in the early 1980s and running through approximately 2001, BK engaged a series of ad agencies that produced many unsuccessful slogans and programs, including its biggest advertising flop Where's Herb?.[86][87]

Burger King was a pioneer in the advertising practice known as the product tie-in with a successful partnering with George Lucas' Lucasfilm, Ltd. to promote the 1977 film Star Wars in which BK sold a set of glasses featuring the main characters from the film. This promotion was one of the first in the fast food industry and set the pattern that continues to the present. BK's early success in the field was overshadowed by a 1982 deal between McDonald's and the Walt Disney Company to promote Disney's animated films beginning in the mid 1980s and running through the early 1990s. In 1994 Disney switched from McDonald's to Burger King, signing a ten film promotional contract which would include such top ten films as Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994) and Toy Story (1995).[88] A partnership in association with the Pokémon franchise at the height of its popularity in 1999 was one of the most successful in the industry, rivaled only by McDonald's/Ty Beanie Babies cross-promotion in 1999–2000.[89]

Shortly after the acquisition of Burger King by TPG Capital, L.P. in 2002, its newly hired CEO Bradley (Brad) Blum set about turning around the fortunes of the company by initiating an overhaul of its flailing advertising programs. One of the first moves by the company was to reinstate its famous Have it your way slogan as the corporate motto. BK handed the effort off to its new advertising agency, Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky (abbreviated as CP+B). CP+B was known for having a hip, subversive tack when creating campaigns for its clients, exactly what BK was looking for.[11][12] One of CP+B strategies was to revive the Burger King character used during BKs 1970s/1980s Burger King Kingdom children's advertising campaign as a caricatured variation now simply called "the King". The farcical nature of the Burger King centered advertisements inspired an internet meme where the King is photoshopped into unusual situations that are either comical or menacing, many times followed with the phrase Where is your God now?.

Additionally, CP+B created a series new characters like the Subservient Chicken and the faux nu metal band Coq Roq featured in a series of viral web-based advertisements on sites such as MySpace and various BK corporate pages to compliment the various television and print promotional campaigns.[90][91][92] One of the unique promotions that CP+B devised was the creation of a series of three advergames for the Xbox 360. Featuring company celebrity spokesman Brooke Burke, the games sold more than 2 million copies, placing them as one of the top selling games along with another Xbox 360 hit, Gears of War.[93] These ad campaigns, coupled with other new promotions and a series of new product introductions, drew positive and negative attention to BK and helped TPG and its partners realize about $367 million in dividends.[94][95]

Headquarters

Company headquarters in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida

Burger King is headquartered in a nine-story office tower by Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.[96] Elaine Walker of the Miami Herald stated that the headquarters has a "Burger King" sign that drivers on Florida State Road 836 "can't miss." In addition the chain planned to build a neon sign on the roof to advertise the brand to passengers landing at the airport.[needs update] 130 employees began working at the Burger King headquarters on Monday July 8, 2002, with the remainder to move in phrases in August 2002. Prior to the moving to its current headquarters in 2002, Burger King had considered moving away from the Miami area; Miami-Dade County politicians and leaders lobbied against this, and Burger King stayed in the area.[97]

The company's previous headquarters were in a southern Dade County campus described by Walker as "sprawling" and "virtually hidden away."[97] The former headquarters were located in the Cutler census-designated place;[98][99] since then the area incorporated into the Village of Palmetto Bay.[100] The former Burger King headquarters as of 2007 houses rental offices for several companies.[101]

By 2006 Burger King had announced that it planned to move its headquarters to a proposed office building in Coral Gables.[102] By 2007 Burger King instead renewed the lease in its existing headquarters for 15 years. Burger King planned to consolidate employees working at an area near Miami International Airport and at a Dadeland Mall-area facility into the current headquarters by June of that year. Instead Bacardi USA leased the headquarter complex, a 15-story building.[101]

See also

  • McDonald's - Largest competitor in hamburger restaurants. Second largest competitor in fast food restaurants.[30]
  • Subway - Largest Single brand competitor in fast food restaurants.[32]
  • Wendy's - Third largest competitor in hamburger restaurants.[103]
  • Yum! Brands - Largest company in fast food restaurants.[31]

Template:Wikipedia-Books

References

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  2. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (30 August 2006). Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food (1st ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0313335273. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A. (27 March 2002). Fast Food (1st ed.). JHU Press. pp. 116–119. ISBN 080186920X. Retrieved 15 June 2009. Cite error: The named reference "jakle" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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  6. ^ "DiversiFoods Net". The New York Times. 12 December 1984. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  7. ^ a b c Reiter, Ester (1996). Making Fast Food: From the Frying Pan Into the Fryer (2nd ed.). McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 64. ISBN 0773513876. Retrieved 06 April 2008. Burger King's early franchising arrangements proved to be troublesome {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "Reiter" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ Siler, Julia Flynn (11 August 1988). "Deal for Friendly Offers Official Chance to Shine". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  9. ^ Trumbull, Mark (13 November 2006). "Are private buyouts good for the economy?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  10. ^ Wong, Grace (12 May 2006). "Burger King IPO set to fire up". CNN Money. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  11. ^ a b c Bruce Horovitz (2004-03-22). "Burger King zaps menu, image". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  12. ^ a b "Burger King Corporation Selects Crispin Porter + Bogusky As Lead Creative Advertising Agency". HispanicBusiness.com. 23 January 2006. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  13. ^ "Welcome to the factory". Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Retrieved 2007-10-24. Examples of these ads can be found by clicking on the BURGER KING link under the ://Work section.
  14. ^ York, Emily Bryson (8 February 2010). "Burger King's 'Superfan' Might Just Be Your Grandma". Ad Age. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  15. ^ "Revived and Remodeling Burger King Sees Long-Term Growth". FlexNews.com. Global Data Systems. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  16. ^ Heher, Ashley M. (7 October 2009). "Burger King revamp aims for an 'edgy, futuristic' restaurant look". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  17. ^ Jargon, Julie (1 February 2010). "As Sales Drop, Burger King Draws Critics for Courting 'Super Fans". Wall Street Journal. Yahoo.com. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  18. ^ Heher, Ashley M.; Fredrix, Emily (03 September 2010). "Burger King OKs $3.2 billion buyout". The Sun News. Associated Press. Retrieved 03 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b "Burger King sold to buy-out firm for $3.26bn (£2.1bn)". BBC News. 02 September 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b Baertlein, Lisa. "Burger King agrees to $3.3 billion sale to 3G Capital". Rueters.
  21. ^ "Burger King Canada". Burger King Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  22. ^ Kageyama, Yuri (08 June 2007). "Burger King back in Japan after 6 years". QSR Magazine. Retrieved 25 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Knowledge@Emory (15 November 2007). "Burger King CEO John Chidsey on Innovation, Trust, and "The King"". Emory University. Retrieved 01 March 2008. Burger King will soon overtake McDonald's in Mexico, has already surpassed as of 30 September 2007 its top competitor in Spain and is looking to be a worthy competitor in other areas. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ a b Becker, Nicola (04 September 2007). "Burger King aiming for Asian expansion". Euromonitor International. Retrieved 01 March 2008. Burger King has said it expects 80% of future growth to come from international expansion, with Asia playing a leading role. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  25. ^ "The BURGER KING Brand Enters Poland" (Press release). Burger King Holdings. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  26. ^ Levitov, Maria (05 May 2006). "Burger King Mulls Franchises". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 25 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Hana International Company Ltd. (29 March 2007). "Burger King increases number of restaurants in UAE" (Press release). AMEInfo.com. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  28. ^ Business Wire (29 March 2007). "Burger King To Expand in Egypt". Find Article.com. Retrieved 25 August 2007. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ Lo, Bernard; Ng, Ting Ting (07 June 2007). "Burger King May Add 250 Asia Stores Within Five Years". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  33. ^ Eric N. Berg (1988-11-04). "Burger King's Angry Franchises". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-06. The franchisees complain that, in recent years, the chain's growth has come almost entirely from the franchisees, not from the corporation.
  34. ^ a b Shelly Reese (2005-02-04). "It was broken, and new owner's fixing it". The Cincinnati Enquirer (reprint). Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  35. ^ Jo Napolitano (2002-12-22). "A Fighter for Burgers and Fries". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-06. The AmeriKing bankruptcy has added uncertainty to the prospects for Burger King, which relies heavily on franchise owners of its restaurants.
  36. ^ Phyllis Berman (2003-04-15). "Burger King's Flame-Broiled Future". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2006-04-06. The all-cash deal was originally pegged at $2.2 billion but got negotiated down to just $1.5 billion.
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  39. ^ "BK franchisee-led group buys 131 AmeriKing units" (Subscription required). Nations Restaurant News. 2003-12-15. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  40. ^ "Major Burger King Franchisee To Sell 240 Restaurants". The Miami Herald. 2006-12-17. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  41. ^ Keith Reed (2007-08-17). "Faulk joins other black athletes to buy Burger King franchises". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  42. ^ Trish Hall (1991-08-08). "How Fat? Burger King to Post Answers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-30. Executives of Burger King, based in Miami and owned by Grand Metropolitan P.L.C. of London, announced the plan yesterday after five months of discussion with New York [City]'s Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Mark Green.
  43. ^ Amy Bennett Williams (2008-04-28). "Burger King gets farm workers petition; Daughter of Burger King VP says dad wrote anti-coalition postings". The Fort Meyers News-Press. Retrieved 2008-04-28. At Senate hearings on farm conditions held by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., earlier this month, Eric Schlosser, author of the best-selling "Fast Food Nation", praised Yum! and McDonald's for working with the coalition and urged Burger King to do the same. "The admirable behavior of these two industry giants makes the behavior of Burger King ... seem completely unjustifiable."
  44. ^ Amy Bennett Williams (2008-04-12). "Tomato pickers feeling spied on". The Fort Meyers News-Press. Retrieved 2008-06-09. In recent months, they've [the CIW and supporter Student/Farmworker Alliance] been vilified online and in e-mails that can be traced to the Miami headquarters of Burger King, a company that's opposed the groups' efforts.
  45. ^ Catherine Cobb (2008-06-02). "Burger King relents, agrees to extra penny-per-pound payment to aid Fla. tomato pickers". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 2010-08-14. The agreement followed closely the firings of two BK executives who were linked to what the company said were unauthorized Internet postings ...
  46. ^ Andrew Martin (2007-03-28). "Burger King Shifts Policy on Animals". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-09. In what animal welfare advocates are describing as a "historic advance", Burger King, the world's second-largest hamburger chain, said yesterday that it would begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that did not confine their animals in cages and crates.
  47. ^ AP Wire (2007-03-28). "Burger King Offers Cage-Free Food". Fox News. Retrieved 2007-08-21. "Suppliers will hopefully respond by producing more of these types of products", [PETA spokesman Matt] Prescott said.
  48. ^ James Joyner (2005-09-18). "Burger King Stops Selling Anti-Muslim Ice Cream". Outside the Beltway. Retrieved 2008-06-04. Burger King has stopped selling ice cream cones after a Muslim was offended by the shape of the swirl on the lid. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ Gale Group (2008-02-11). "PETA Praises Safeway for Adopting New Industry-Leading Animal Welfare Policies". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-03-09. June 2001: Following PETA's six-month "Murder King" campaign, Burger King agrees to adopt standards that are in some areas better than those adopted by McDonald's.
  50. ^ AP Wire (2007-05-17). "Burger King responds to trans-fat cooking oil suit". CTV. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  51. ^ a b Andrew Martin (2008-05-24). "Burger King Grants Raise to Pickers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-24. At a news conference on Capitol Hill, the hamburger chain, based in Miami, said it would pay tomato prices adequate to give workers a wage increase of 1.5 cents a pound.
  52. ^ Julia Goldman (1999-09-01). "Dumping West Bank store puts Burger King in a pickle". The Jewish News Weekly. Archived from the original on 2008-02-05. Retrieved 2007-10-01. When the Burger King Corp. pulled its name from a franchise in the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim on Thursday of last week, it claimed the reason was breach of contract.
  53. ^ a b Israel Faxx news report (1999-08-30). "Jews Plan to Boycott Burger King". Israel Faxx. Retrieved 2008-06-04. The Zionist Organization of America is considering calling for a worldwide Jewish boycott against Burger King, to protest its surrender to Arab threats and the closure of its branch in Ma'aleh Adumim. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  54. ^ a b Candice Williams (2007-07-07). "U.S. Muslims Call For Burger King Boycott". Israel Faxx. Retrieved 2008-06-27. A Washington-based Muslim group, American Muslims for Jerusalem, says it is calling on Muslims and Arabs to immediately boycott the fast food restaurant chain, Burger King, for a second time. In a news conference, the group says the Miami-based fast food... {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  55. ^ Megan Steintrager (2000-11-05). "Middle East Muddle". Nations Restaurant News. Retrieved 2008-06-24. ... and the Arab League has threatened to revoke contracts for 84 Burger Kings throughout the Middle East.
  56. ^ John Innes (2005-09-07). "Burger King recalls 'sacrilegious' desserts". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2008-05-10. The offending lid was spotted in a branch in Park Royal last week by business development manager Rashad Akhtar, 27, of High Wycombe.
  57. ^ Edward Rothestien (2006-02-20). "History Illuminates the Rage of Muslims". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-04. Today's Iconoclasts want to oppose all attempts to display forbidden images, whatever their provenance. And for a variety of reasons, many in the West readily defer. Last fall, for example, Burger King withdrew its ice cream from restaurants in Britain after receiving complaints from Muslims that the swirling illustration on the package resembled the name of Allah.
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  59. ^ Restaurant Business News (2003-05-30). "Burger King Re-flags Australian Stores". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2007-09-29. Hungry Jack's was BK's original franchisee in Australia, but the company could not use the Burger King name at the time because it was already trademarked. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
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  67. ^ "BK Beat Cancer for Kids". University of Nebraska Medical Center. Retrieved 2008-03-09. The BK Beat Cancer for Kids Program was established through the generosity of Burger King Restaurants and is one of many outreach and fundraising programs benefiting Liz's Legacy, the Fund to Advance Cancer Research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.
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