Burger King offers a limited period Chinese take on Whopper

Global fast food chain Burger King has lost a 13-year legal battle against a namesake eatery in Pune, with a commercial court in the district dismissing the company’s trademark infringement lawsuit.

In an August 16 order, District judge Sunil Vedpathak, said the city-based ‘Burger King’ eatery was operational before the global chain entered the Indian market and that the latter failed to prove trademark infringement.

The Court dismissed the 2011 lawsuit filed by Burger King Corporation represented by Pankaj Pahuja, which sought a permanent injunction against trademark infringement, along with monetary damages of ₹20 lakh, from the eatery’s owners, Anahita and Shapoor Irani. 

The Court noted that the Pune-based restaurant had been using the ‘Burger King’ name since 1991-92, while the global giant entered India only in 2014.  

“Defendants have been using the trade name for their restaurant since about 1992. The pleadings put forth by the plaintiff are totally silent about how customers have been confused due to use of trademark Burger King by defendants to their restaurant,” it read.

Founded in 1954 by James McLamore and David Edgerton, Burger King Corporation oversees a global network of 13,000 fast food restaurants in over 100 countries. The first Burger King franchise in Asia was launched in 1982, and today there are more than 1,200 locations across the continent. When the company expanded into the Indian market in 2014 with first outlet in New Delhi, and later to Mumbai, and Pune, they found that a restaurant with the same name had already been operating since 2008.

The Irani family opposed the lawsuit, alleging it was filed with mala fide intentions to suppress legitimate businesses. They said apart from the name Burger King, there was absolutely no similarity between the plaintiff’s trademark and their own shop name. They also sought ₹20 lakh in compensation for the harassment and intimidating calls they faced following the suit. However, the Court refused to grant them monetary relief, citing a lack of evidence beyond oral testimony to support their claims.

In its defence, Burger King Corporation highlighted its global presence, with more than 13,000 restaurants worldwide, and argued that the ‘Burger King’ trademark has gained significant reputation and goodwill. However, the Court found no basis for the company’s claims against the Pune-based eatery.

Restaurant Brands Asia, which manages the Burger King and Popeyes brands in India and Indonesia, has reported a reduced loss for the first quarter. The company's consolidated net loss decreased to 493.6 million rupees ($5.90 million) for the quarter ending June 30, compared to a loss of 504.8 million rupees in the same period last year. Despite this improvement, the company has recorded a loss for fifteen consecutive quarters.

To address growing competition in the quick service restaurant (QSR) sector, Burger King India launched a new initiative called "Tasty Meals," starting at 99 rupees, aimed at increasing dine-in traffic. This move came amid rising ingredient costs, which have increased by 5 percent.

Revenue for Restaurant Brands Asia saw a 6 percent increase during the quarter, driven by higher customer footfall due to promotions such as "Tasty Meals." The quarter also benefited from events like the T20 Cricket World Cup and school holidays, which helped boost customer numbers.

In contrast, McDonald’s India franchisee Westlife Foodworld reported a significant drop in profit for the first quarter due to weak demand and higher costs. Other competitors, including KFC operator Devyani International, Pizza Hut operator Sapphire Foods, and Domino’s India franchisee Jubilant FoodWorks, have yet to release their financial results.

Shares of Restaurant Brands Asia closed 1.4 percent higher ahead of the quarterly results announcement.

QSR chain Burger King is redesigning its loyalty program to make it more accessible for guests while using its app, website and at participating restaurants.

As per the company release, the new member perks will roll out later this September.

"We've gone from testing Royal Perks digitally in three markets in Feb to nationwide digital access, and are on track to have more than two thirds of our restaurants activated with loyalty capabilities in September," shared Ellie Doty, CMO, Burger King North America by adding that they are excited for members to unlock a more personalized BK experience and access to rewards they can't get anywhere else, starting with a new Royal Perks deal later this month.

Burger King operates more than 18,700 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories.

Recently, Burger King India announced that it is in talks to acquire controlling stake in PT Sari Burger Indonesia that operates Burger King chain of restaurants in Indonesia.

After a successful test run in the St Louis market, Burger King is planning to offer its plant-based Impossible Whopper at a national level later in the year.

José E Cil, Chief Executive Officer, Restaurant Brands International, Inc, said, “We’ve been encouraged by the test market feedback so far and plan to expand to a few more select test markets around the country this summer as we prepare for a national launch later this year.”

In order to manufacture the Impossible Burger, Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, partnered with Impossible Foods. The Impossible Whopper features a flame-grilled Impossible Burger patty topped with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and white onions.

“We generated more than 6 billion media impressions, and we’re seeing a solid sales opportunity for the business. We think it’s very much in line with our brand position. Burger King is all about delivering flame-grilling excellence to our guests, and this product fits that right in the sweet spot, and we think there’s incremental growth to our core business here, and we’re not seeing guests swap the original Whopper for the Impossible Whopper. We’re seeing that it’s attracting new guests,” Cil further stated.

Fast Food giant Burger King has launched ‘Impossible Whopper’ the meat-free version of his signature Whopper that is known for its beef and mutton patty globally.

The Whopper chain has launched this vegan burger at over 59 restaurants in St Louis.

The meatless burger or the vegan burger that mostly has soy and potato protein, features coconut oil, sunflower oil and heme -- an iron-rich protein that simulates the texture, color and taste of actual meat is manufactured by California- based Impossible Foods that makes plant-based substitutes.

“We’ve done sort of a blind taste test with our franchisees, with people in the office, with my partners on the executive team, and virtually nobody can tell the difference,” said Christopher Finazzo, President- North America, Burger King to The Guardian.

There is no doubt that the Miami-based burger chain has been serving veggie burger at its restaurants globally but the new burger is being marketed as an alternative to the meat options.  Burger King also mentioned that it will still put mayonnaise on the Whopper’s twin and claims the vegan patty is not for vegans alone.

Restaurants like Carl’s Jr also sells vegan burgers in selected US locations. Whereas, Impossible Burgers are also on the menu of US chain restaurants White Castle and Red Robin.

Recently, Nestle also announced plans to roll out ‘cook from raw’ plant-based burgers in Europe under the Garden Gourmet brand and in the United States under the Sweet Earth label.

In December, Unilever said it had bought up Dutch brand De Vegetarische Slager (The Vegetarian Butcher) to position itself in the expanding sector.

Also, brands like Good Dot in India are also marketing and selling their products under vegan options. The Udaipur-based company has got an alternate to KFC’s famous zinger burger.

Pic Courtesy: The Guardian

बर्गर किंग इंडिया के लगभग 80% शेयर की मालिक एवरस्टोन कैपिटल क्विक सर्विस रेस्टोरेंट  चैन का अपना अल्प हिस्सा बेचेगी। पांच वर्ष पूर्व भारत में बर्गर किंग इंडिया की फ्रैंचाइज़ी शुरू करने वाली स्वदेशी पीई फर्म प्रस्तुत चैन का मूल्यांकन $300-$350 मिलियन करते हुए अपने शेयर बेच सकती है।

बिक्री प्रक्रिया अगले कुछ हफ़्तों में शुरू होना अनुमानित है और उसकी व्यवस्था सलाहकार फर्म ईवाय देखेगी। सौदे के बाद एवरस्टोन नियंत्रक हिस्सेदार बनी रहेगी।

बर्गर किंग्स रेस्टोरेंट्स का भारत और इंडोनेशिया में स्वामित्व और संचालन करने वाली एफ एंड बी एशिया वेंचर्स का नियंत्रण एवरस्टोन कैपिटल करती है। 2013 में एवरस्टोन ने अमेरिकन फ़ास्ट-फ़ूड चैन बर्गर किंग वर्ल्डवाइड से भागीदारी करते हुए इन दो देशों के लिए फ्रैंचाइज़ी शुरू किए थे।

बर्गर किंग इंडिया का पहला आउटलेट नवम्बर 2014 में शुरू किया गया था। मौजूदा हालात में उसके भारत की 30 से अधिक शहरों में लगभग 140 आउटलेट्स हैं। कंपनी 2019 की पहली तिमाही के अंत तक अपने स्टोर्स की संख्या 200 तक लक्ष्य रखती है।

अगर ये सौदा होता है तो, ये एवरस्टोन का फ़ूड एंड बेवरेजेज  पोर्टफोलियो में से पिछले वर्ष का दूसरा आंशिक निकास होगा। इससे पहले कंपनी ने जिग्ग्स कालरा और ज़ोरावर कालरा के स्वामित्व वाले मैसिव रेस्टोरेंट्स के शेयर बेचे थे।

Everstone Capital, which holds about 88% stake in Burger King India, will sell a minority stake in the quick service restaurant (QSR) chain. The homegrown PE firm, which had set up the franchise for Burger King in India five years ago, may sell 20% stake, valuing the chain at $300-$350 million.

The sale process is expected to be launched in a few weeks and is managed by advisory firm EY. After the transaction, Everstone will remain the controlling stakeholder.

Everstone Capital controls F&B Asia Ventures, which owns and operates Burger King’s restaurants in India and Indonesia. In 2013, Everstone partnered with US fast-food chain Burger King Worldwide to set up the franchise for the two countries.

The first outlet of Burger King India was opened in November 2014. As of now, it has around 140 outlets in more than 30 cities in India. The company further plans to grow its store count to 200 by end of FY19.

If the deal materialises, it will be Everstone’s second part exit from the food and beverages (F&B) portfolio in the past year. Earlier, the company sold a stake in Massive Restaurants, owned by Jiggs Kalra and son Zorawar Kalra, to PE firm Gaja Capital.

Restaurant Brands International has seen a jump in the sale after its Burger King chain reported booming sales growth credited to value meals and new food items such as a bacon burger added to its menu.

A total of 4.6% rise in sales was registered in the most recent quarter at established Burger King Restaurants as the value meals and new items were popular with consumers. Value menus have become increasingly important to fast-food companies looking to boost sales; earlier this year, McDonald's revived the name of its once-popular Dollar Menu with items costing $1, $2 or $3.

At Restaurant Brands' coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons, sales rose 0.1 percent as it launched a new order-ahead app and it started selling pricier espresso drinks.

At Popeyes, which Restaurant Brands bought for $1.8 billion last year, sales slipped 1.3% at established restaurants during the last three months of the year.

Restaurant Brands CEO Daniel Schwartz said the company plans to expand the brand by opening more of the fried chicken restaurants around the world.

Burger King, its biggest chain, had nearly 16,800 locations at the end of last year. Tim Hortons had nearly 4,800 and Popeyes had about 2,900.

The company reported adjusted earnings of 66 cents per share for the three months ending Dec. 31, which was above what analysts expected, according to Zacks Investment Research. The Oakville, Ontario-based company said revenue rose 11% to $1.23 billion.

Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. jumped $3.84, or 6.8%, to $60.35 in trading Monday.

The American burger chain, Burger King is celebrating its 100 stores in India with the opening of an outlet in Jalandhar, Punjab recently. Located on GT road (Jalandhar-Ludhiana highway), near the campus of Lovely Professional University, the milestone store is a flagship outlet and the largest Burger King store in India.

Elated about the achievement, Burger King India CEO Rajeev Varman stated, “Our journey in India started with a global milestone, with India becoming the 100th operational country for Burger King. It is overwhelming to cross an iconic milestone in less than three years. We started our operations in India keeping our guests as the core focus, ensuring consistent innovative product development which satisfies the Indian taste palate. India is a unique market and we have consistently experimented with our menu to create offerings that are distinct from the global menu. Crossing a landmark milestone is a humbling experience and it only pushes us further to ensure the best for our guests.” “We also continue to upgrade our restaurant experience with more modern and youthful imagery. Our upcoming stores will be launched with the new Garden Grill design, aligned with the expectations and lifestyles of India’s millennial audiences,” he further said. 

Burger King, one of the popular quick service restaurants (QSR) renowned for its iconic Whopper, has assigned its upcoming creative project to Lowe Lintas, Mumbai. The agency will be handling the launch communication for its signature product, 'The Whopper'.

The agency was selected for presenting a brand promise and communication plan that aligned well with Burger King’s roadmap for the Indian market.

The QSR space in India is undergoing a dynamic shift and Burger King’s aim is to stay ahead of the race while also being the preferred go-to choice of customers, particularly millennial Indians. It will look at strengthening awareness and building a strong value proposition for the Indian market.

Kapil Grover, CMO, Burger King India said, "Creative agencies are like an extended marketing team. It’s important to have partners who understand the brand and share the same passion. Lowe Lintas has been one of the leading creative agencies in the country, with a good assortment of brands and a very talented bunch. We look forward to some very interesting work and building Burger King as an iconic brand in the Indian market."

Raj Gupta, CEO, Lowe Lintas said, "The new quarter has begun well for us where clients are equally excited to avail our expertise in servicing them. Burger King is a leading QSR name globally and it is no different in India, where it has managed to make a mark in the shortest time possible. We are happy that our ideas have been appreciated by the client and look forward to bringing about a profound change in the way they are consumed and loved by the customers. You can look forward to some interesting work soon."

Restaurant Brands International has reported a better-than-expected profit for the fourth quarter as it expanded the number of Burger King and Tim Hortons locations around the world and reaped in higher sales.

The Oakville, Ontario company has said that it sees potential for expansion for the famous chains outside their home markets, and has struck franchising deals with local operators around the world to do so. For instance, Restaurant Brands says it now was more than 100 Burger King locations in France, compared with none just a few years ago.

In the last three months of 2016, the company opened 495 Burger King locations globally, ending the year with 15,738 stores.

For Tim Hortons, it added 121 stores in the period, bringing the total to 4,613.

RBC Capital Markets analyst David Palmer noted that the company has cited savings initiatives such as cost reductions in the supply chain.

At established locations, the company said Burger King's sales rose 2.8 percent, including 1.8 percent in the U.S. and Canada. Restaurant Brands does not disclose how much of that increase was driven by higher spending, versus an increase in the number of customer visits. The latter is seen as a key indicator of health that major chains including McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts have struggled with amid heightened competition.

Tim Hortons' sales edged up 0.2 percent globally. For the period ended Dec. 31, Restaurant Brands earned USD185.9 million, or 50 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time items, came to 44 cents per share. That was two cents more than Wall Street expected, according to Zacks Investment Research.

Total revenue was USD1.11 billion in the period.

Restaurant Brands shares have climbed nearly 8 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 69 percent in the last 12 months.

Imagine eating your favourite whopper while you are taking a spa.

Burger King has opened a spa in one of its Helsinki locations, featuring saunas and steam rooms.

According to BK website, the restaurant’s sauna is a perfect destination for social gatherings, birthday parties and other events.

The restaurant has created a 10-person sauna with a 48-inch television. Other than the steam rooms, visitors can relax in the media lounges where amenities include a 55-inch television, Playstation 4 area, and laundry room.

In case patrons get hungry during their steam, Whoppers are accessible both in the sauna and restaurant — though you have to book your spa trip in advance.

Burger King restaurants introduce the Flame Grilled Chicken Burger for a limited time. As chicken burgers grow in popularity, Burger King Restaurants now offer guests their own unique take on the trend.

The Burger King brand has been flame-grilling great tasting burgers since its first restaurant opened in 1954 and now brings over 60 years of grilling expertise to the chicken burger with this new launch.

The Flame Grilled Chicken Burger features a juicy flame-grilled chicken burger patty topped with ripe tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles and sliced white onions on a soft toasted brioche style bun.

"We’ve never seen more interest in chicken burgers than we do today, so we’re excited to now offer them to guests everywhere," said Eric Hirschhorn, Chief Marketing Officer, North America, for the Burger King brand. "Our guests tell us they love the taste of our burgers because we fire grill them over an open flame, so now we’re taking what we do best and applying it to a burger made of chicken.”

The Flame Grilled Chicken Burger will be available for a suggested price of $3.79 also as part of the two for $5 menu alongside the Big King Sandwich, Extra Long Cheeseburger, Original Chicken Sandwich and Big Fish Sandwich in participating restaurants.

Zomato, the restaurant discovery and food ordering app, has announced a partnership with global fast food giant Burger King, to enable customers in India to order online from their restaurants using Zomato.

The tech-enabled partnership with Zomato is the first of its kind for Burger King, and will enable them to serve customers in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune using Zomato’s online ordering services, with more cities to be added shortly.

Commenting on the association, Rajeev Varman, CEO of Burger King India said “Online-apps and mobile penetration have changed the way business is being done worldwide. We believe tech-enabled solutions will give us a chance to keep pace with the customers. We are delighted to give our customers convenience and access to our burgers at a click of a button by partnering with Zomato, the most effectual food ordering app.”

Through its investee company Grab, and logistics partner Delhivery, Zomato will also service the delivery logistics for Burger King in India, the fifth market in which Burger King delivers to customers at home.

“This strategic tie-up has opened avenues for faster growth. The brand has become stronger, better understood and more vibrant thus increasing our brand’s connect with discerning customers across the country and making available our gastronomic delights for their consumption. Zomato has built a commendable presence in the online ordering space in a few short months, and is growing from strength to strength. We are excited to be working with Zomato, and feel this partnership has come at the right time. We are looking to strengthen our partnership further through various collaborations in the future,” added Varman.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Burger King to enable them to reach out to a larger audience in an untapped market such as India using our platform. Our online ordering business is growing at 50% month-on-month, and we are certain that we will continue to drive immense value for restaurant brands, as well as give our customers a wide selection of places to order from online”, added Tanmay Saksena, Global Business Head, Online Ordering, Zomato.

RI Bureau

Burger King, the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world has now partnered with Swiggy to expedite its customer convenience by strengthening its digital presence. With the wide assortment of interesting delights available at Burger King, food fanatics can find everything right from cravers to desserts a click away on one of India’s favourite ordering apps – Swiggy!

Burger King is now all set to deliver a ‘melt in the mouth’ experience to its consumers at lightning fast speed, collaborating with Swiggy for a quick and seamless ordering experience. Swiggy is the exclusive pan India partner for Burger King and will take care of their logistics for all 23 outlets in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurgaon.

“Burger King is one of the most popular quick service restaurants in the world and we are proud to associate with them as their online delivery partner. This partnership will go a long way in enhancing customer delight given Swiggy’s service levels and Burger King’s popularity. While expanding our catalog we expect to create a large impact in the hyperlocal delivery space - customers can expect to receive their favourite burgers in 35 mins from the comfort of their home”, said Nandan Reddy, Co-Founder, Swiggy.

“Online-Apps and Mobile penetration have changed the way business is being done worldwide. We believe tech-enabled solutions will give us a chance to keep pace with the customers. We are delighted to give our customers convenience and access to our burgers at a click of a button by partnering with India’s most effectual food ordering app - Swiggy”, shared Raj Varman, CEO at Burger King about the association.

He also further adds, “This strategic tie-up with Swiggy has opened avenues for faster growth. The brand has become stronger, better understood and more vibrant thus increasing our brand’s connect with discerning customers across the city and making available our gastronomic delights for their consumption. We are glad that most of the consumers can order Burger King and have it delivered to them in just less than 35 minutes through Swiggy.”

Burger King also announced as part of their first anniversary celebrations a limited edition special of the Bigg Boss Whopper, available in chicken, mutton and vegetarian variants. The Bigg Boss Whopper will be available on Swiggy as well till January 2016.

Burger King, the world's second-largest burger chain, proposes to touch the 50-outlet mark in India by the end of 2015. The US-based fast-food giant first stepped into India in November last year following a joint venture with private equity fund Everstone, reported Business Standard.

Since then, it has set up 32 stores in eight cities, with plans to add a few more by the end of this year, said Raj Varman, CEO, Burger King India.

"Chennai is one city we will go to this year because it allows us greater penetration in the south. We already have stores in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. So, Chennai was a logical extension in that sense. In the north, we will soon launch stores in Amritsar because it completes the cluster for us, there after we can step into cities such as Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Ludhiana," said Varman.

The chain already has stores in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi-NCR and proposes to ramp up operations in these cities. Next year could see the chain consider markets such as Ahmedabad and Kolkata. "There is enough potential for us in the existing markets. Right now our attention is focused on these," he said.

"What we have dispersed across the country are distribution centres that provide the ingredients to various outlets. Our expansion into markets is based on where our distribution centres are located. It is easier that way," Varman said. 

Burger King is also expected to continue launching company-owned-and-operated stores in India as opposed to the industry trend of having franchisee outlets. Varman says the existing joint venture does have the rights to sub-franchise the brand to external players but that option is not being considered yet. "At this stage, we are keen to continue with the existing model (company-owned-and-operated). It gives us a better handle on operations," Varman says.

The burger chain is estimated to have spent close to around Rs 65 to 70 crore for setting up the 32 stores, with the per-store cost working out to around Rs 1.75 to 2.5 crore. Setting up another 15 to 18 stores by the end of the year will see the firm spend another Rs 40 to 45 crore. Varman says the chain remains committed to the Indian market and will step up its investments in the coming years.

The chain is also expected to amplify its marketing efforts as it acquires scale. This includes possible associations with film and sporting properties to grab eyeballs. It recently tied up with reality show Big Boss on Colors channel to launch limited edition Whopper burgers.

The firm is also expected to tap the online channel aggressively to increase home deliveries. "Currently, the delivery channel is in its infancy. But in the next few years, we hope to take the delivery model to 15 to 20 per cent of total sales," Varman says.

Burger King, the second largest burger chain, has entered Hyderabad with its maiden outlet in the Sujana Forum Mall close to the IT hub of Hitec City.

With this new outlet, Burger King has marked for the 32nd outlet in the country, after its inception in November 2014.

The restaurant chain is scouting for opportunities to further expand in Hyderabad and is expected to make its entry in Chennai shortly.

“Within a short span, we have managed to set up a chain of 32 outlets across the country covering Delhi National Capital Region, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. The brand now plans to expand its footprint across the southern region of India”, said Rajeev Varman, Chief Executive Officer of Burger King India.

On an average, one store requires an investment of about Rs. 1.75 crore to Rs. 2.5 crore. All the company retail outlets in the country are currently owned and managed by the company. “The menu for India was tasted through consumer research with 3,000 consumers prior to the launch. The diverse menu was accordingly created to ensure quality offerings across price points. Special emphasis was given to setting up an exclusive vegetarian menu in India,” he added.

The brand also offers a very unique and tasty Chicken tandoor grill burger and Chicken kheema burger, which have become favourites across markets.

“We continue to innovate in what we offer. We are also looking at coming out with rice specialities,” he said.

Founded in 1954, the Miami, Florida, United States-Headquartered, fast food chain is one of the largest chains in the world with a network of over 13,000 restaurants across the world.

Burger King is in the process of identifying at least three more cities in Hyderabad and expects to soon enter Chennai with its outlets.

RI Bureau

Burger King, the second largest burger chain globally, has partnered with hyperlocal company Scootsy for its home delivery service in Mumbai.

According to the release, the delivery will be made in 30 minutes from the chain's Lower Parel and Churchgate outlets in Mumbai.

"Online-apps and mobile penetration have changed the way business is being done worldwide. This strategic tie-up has opened avenues for faster growth,” shared Raj Varman, CEO, Burger King India.

At present, Burger King is running 30 stores across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

“The brand has become stronger, better understood and more vibrant, thus increasing our brand's connect with discerning customers across the city and making available our gastronomic delights for their consumption,” added Varman.

Sandeep Das, CEO of Scootsy said, "We are happy that now our customers can consume the delights offered by Burger King in the comfort of their homes or offices. Customers will be able to avail themselves of this service through Scootsy's ordering app which includes some of Burger King's signature dishes such as Whopper, Paneer King Melt, Xtra Long Mexican Veg and Chicken Chilli Cheezos.  

Burger King, the global burger chain which is already selling black bun burgers in Japan is planning to sell the same burgers in the US.

The new Halloween Whopper features a beef patty with American cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, A.1. steak sauce, pickles, and onions.

According to the statement by BK, the pitch-black bun has A.1. sauce baked into the bread.

Burger King released two all-black burgers in Japan last September with black buns, black cheese, and black sauce. This summer, the company released a bright red burger dyed with tomato powder, as well as new black burger with deep-fried eggplant.

"At the moment we don't have much ad budget in our hands, so we do almost everything by ourselves. We are not using any creative agencies for these products. And this way we don't need any big money to expand our awareness in the market,” shared Masaniri Tatsuiwa, GM for Burger King Japan with AdWeek.

The sandwiches are instead a marketing scheme meant to offset the company's slim ad budget in Japan, added the company.

Burger King has fewer than 93 restaurants in Japan, while McDonald's has about 3,000, by comparison.

The company's strategy with the colored burgers appears to be working. Nearly every major media organization in Japan and the US, including Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Forbes, and The Japan Times has written stories about Burger King's oddly-colored burgers.

And customers have been posting hundreds of photos of the burgers online.

That's why Burger King decided to bring them to the US, Burger King Chief Marketing Officer Eric Hirschhorn said in a statement.

"Our US guests have been extremely curious about the bun flavors they've seen introduced in Japan and other countries, so we saw the opportunity to bring them an equally unique experience," Hirschhorn said.

"We tailored the flavor of the black bun to the American palate with A.1. sauce, a flavor this country loves, and we're delivering it in a way that's never been done before by baking it into the bun. It may look Japanese but it tastes like America."

The burgers will be available for a limited time for $4.99.

Burger King announced that it worked with four other fast food chains to create a "Peace Day burger” after being rejected by McDonald's, reported USA Today.

The special-edition sandwich features elements from Burger King’s Whopper, Denny's Bacon Slamburger, Wayback's Wayback Classic, Krystal's cheese Krystal and Giraffas' Brutus.

The chains will hand out 1,500 burgers at a pop-up restaurant in Atlanta Monday, 21st September.

The burger will raise awareness for United Nations’ International Day of Peace, which coincides with the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly. On that day, the U.N. encourages ceasefires in all combat zones and promotes educational programs on issues related to world peace.

Burger King, last month pitched McDonald’s a burger mashup via full page ads in the Chicago Tribune and New York Times. The proposition was a call to "cease fire" in the burger war between the two fast food giants and to create a Big Mac-Whopper hybrid.

Burger King also said profits from the burger could be used to support the non-profit, Peace One Day, which helps promote International Day of Peace.  

McDonald's has declined Burger King's proposal to collaborate on a "McWhopper" for world peace.

The "McWhopper" would have combined elements of the chains' famous "Big Mac" and "Whopper" burgers to create a new double-decker burger. The burgers would have been sold for one day in a franchise jointly run by employees of both companies.

Burger King says it wants to serve the concoction for a single day somewhere in Atlanta, a midway point between the headquarters of the two chains.

Burger King is tying the publicity stunt to a nonprofit called Peace One Day, which says it promotes Peace Day. The United Nations selected 21st September as the annual International Day of Peace in 2001.  

By Nusra

Burger King, the burger chain which entered Indian Market last November, has started delivery services in the country.

This is the first few countries in the company’s list to start the delivery services.

"We believe tech-enabled solutions will give us a chance to keep pace with customers. Online apps and mobile penetration have changed the way businesses are being done,” shared Rajeev Varman, CEO, Burger King India.

Besides the US, Spain, Korea and China are the only other countries where Burger King, with a footprint across close to 100 countries, offers the home delivery platform.

Burger King, has partnered with three online platforms to start its home delivery business including LimeTray, FastOx and Grab in India.

The delivery service will be starting in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai later this week.

The burger chain says this is for the first time in its history that the delivery-service has been launched within the first nine months of its debut in any country.

Spicy chicken fries which were coming out this week and it may have something to do with a misconstrued tweet sent by Liam Payne, band member of One Direction and every 13-year-old girl’s dream man.

According to the Associated Press, based on comments made at a recent event promoting the brand-new menu item Spicy Chicken Fries, the return of Chicken Fries in March was jump-started by a perfect storm of internet phenomena. In other words, the one-two punch of a BuzzFeed article entitled "35 Foods From Your Childhood That Are Extinct Now" and a tweet from one-fourth of One Direction which seemingly endorsed the not-in-production-at-the-time fast food to his 20.7 million followers.

The company pointed to a tweet by Liam Payne that reads, "I'm so fulllllll!!! Think I just ate my body weight in chicken fries and sides owwwwww."

Burger King reintroduced Chicken Fries for a limited run last summer after this social media magic and they proved an unprofessional hit. Later, a press release this March announced, "BURGER KING® RESTAURANTS BRINGS BACK CHICKEN FRIES TO MENU PERMANENTLY." Did you hear that? "CHICKEN FRIES." "PERMANENTLY."

"Permanently," as in "forever," as in "a lot longer than their initial run," which was seven years long. The press release claims that the move was decided based on the whim of a road-tripping chicken named Gloria but we now know that to be a complete and utter lie.

The recent resurgence began with Gloria, the unbiased chicken who traveled to BURGER KING® restaurants one by one to determine whether that specific location would serve Chicken Fries on the day of her visit. The excitement was so palpable that following the tour, there was only one card to play and that was to make Chicken Fries available for everyone, for good.

Liam could not be reached for comment but here are some of his other tweets that had the potential to be extremely important.

Several fast food secret menus have really stayed in the dark for so many years, a few days back; fast food secret menus became a trending topic worldwide.

Reddittor who identified himself as a McDonald's manager exposed the golden arches had a few menu items that were kept from the public eye but it turns out they're not the only major chain to follow this rule.

The Daily Mail UK says other fast food secret menus include fried chicken giant KFC, its Yum! Brands sister restaurants Taco Bell and even Subway, as all of these have been recently revealed to be in on this new trend.

Similarly, cosmopolitan reports on some of the most interesting fast food secret menu items, such as the surprising fact that KFC's secrets are actually quite varied, including the Ultimate Zinger (an Ultimate Burger that changes its two smaller fillets for a Zinger one), the Double Down (which has bacon, two different types of melted cheese and the Colonel's secret sauce between two chicken fillets) and the Zinger Stacker (two Zinger Fillets, two slices of melted cheese, spicy sauce and chili relish - although it's only known that it's sold in Australia).

Fast food secret menu items in Burger King, The Mirror reports there's a Veggie whopper available, which is to say a classic whopper that replaces the patty for a vegetarian one; the aptly named Suicide Burger has four beef burgers, four slices of cheese and four of bacon between buns while the Frings burger mixes half fries and half onion rings.

Further fast food secret menu items comprise Subway's Pizza Sub, a sandwich with pepperoni, tomato sauce and cheese and Taco Bell's Incredible Hulk (a five-layered burrito replacing nacho cheese with guacamole), Enchirito (a combination of enchilada and burrito with beef, cheese and beans topped with red sauce) and the Cheese Gordita Crunch (which gets the classic beef taco inside a Gordita shell, separating both shells with melted cheese).

Restaurant Brands International Inc, formed out of Burger King's takeover of Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons last year, reported by Reuters, a better-than-expected quarterly profit as new menu items helped attract customers.

The world's third-largest fast-food restaurant group's shares rise 7.5 percent to a five-month high on Monday after both chains posted a rise in second-quarter comparable restaurant sales.

The company said comparable sales at Tim Hortons raised 5.5 percent and Burger King's comparable sales rose by 6.7 percent, during the quarter.

In this quarter, Restaurant Brands opened 52 net new Tim Hortons restaurants and 141 net new restaurants at Burger King.

The company, posting second-quarter results for the first time, reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of $9.6 million or 5 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30, compared with a loss of $8.1 million or 4 cents per share.

in the first quarter. According to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, the company reported a profit of 30 cents per share, beating average analysts estimate of 25 percents. Revenue rose nearly 12 percent to $1.04 billion, narrowly beating analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. Till Friday's close, Toronto-listed shares had risen nearly 15 percent by this year, at the same time its US-listed shares were up nearly three percent.

Burger King, the global burger chain which entered India in November 2014 opens its 20th outlet in the country.

The new outlet is located at West Delhi’s Rajouri Garden area and is the ninth outlet in the national capital region.

"This is the ninth outlet in the Delhi-NCR including one in Gurgaon," said Jaspal Singh Sabharwal, Partner, Everstone Capital, which holds master franchisee for Burger King in India.

Known for selling its Whopper burgers, the chain has so far opened outlet in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chandigarh and is also looking to expand to other cities in the northern region including Jalandhar, Ludhiana amongst others.

Recently, the burger chain has also announced that its parent company may use Indian vegetarian options in its global menu starting from countries like the UK which has vegetarian crowds.

Burger King which introduced almost six vegetarian menus in the country suiting the Indian palate now wants to launch them on the global markets.

Global burger chain which entered Indian market in late 2014 will be introducing the Indian vegetarian options in the markets like the UK where people are friendly with vegetarian choices.

"Looking at the response here, Burger King global is evaluating to introduce some of these options going forward to other vegetarian-friendly markets like the UK," said Rajeev Varman, CEO, Burger King India.

Private equity firm Everstone Capital, which is the master franchisee for Burger King here, has been given full control over the menu, and built a product line to suit the Indian market that was different from the standard menu, added Varman.

Burger King which runs 18 restaurants in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Chandigarh is also planning to enter into delivery services very soon.

“It is now looking at a strong foray into the south, starting with Bengaluru where it will open six outlets over the next two months,” Varman added further.

The restaurant chain's strategy is to open outlets across malls and food courts and is investing between Rs 1.75 crore to Rs 2.5 crore to set up each outlet.  

Burger King, the second largest burger chain globally, has launched a home delivery service to bring Whoppers right to customers’ door, reported The Mirror.

As a pilot scheme, the burger chain will deliver burgers in Acton and Hayes in West London for first three months.

The customers can have their favourite whopper between 12 pm to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm.

"Burger King is firmly committed to delivering great-tasting food at affordable prices to all of our customers. We are extremely excited about this home-delivery service trial so customers can continue to enjoy the perfect combination of taste, at great value prices, now delivered straight to their homes,” shared Matthew Bresnahan, Marketing Director.

The group will be launching the home delivery service across the country by end of this year. 

Burger King, the second largest hamburger chain in the world, has launched its largest outlet in the country at Churchgate – the very location that housed thesix decade-old Satkar Hotel till mid-January this year.

With the city steadily undergoing a makeover, Churchgate is set to get a complete revamp with the 250-seater restaurant bringing the legendary Whopper closer home for collegians and locals, young & old alike to indulge in.

A brilliant confluence of old world architecture and modern day edifices complimented by its rich historical legacy gives Churchgate a distinctive charm. Home to banking and business organizations as well as reputed colleges and premium residences, Churchgate is a place each Mumbaikar unfailingly visits at least once in their lifetime.

With numerous educational institutes in the vicinity, Gen Z will have a new hangout to create lifelong memories in and local residential families can relax in the serene, spacious eatery all while satiating their hunger with not just the WHOPPER® but also lip smacking vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers like BK Classics, the crispy Stunner, melt-in-the-mouth King’s Melt and the 7” Original Royale.

Diners will also have a range of scrumptious sides like Rock-it Fries, Fiery Rings, Chicken Chilli Cheezos, Chicken Nuggets & more and an assortment of sundaes & shakes to gorge on.

Burger King has also introduced a very easy upgrade to combo pricing that helps customers enhance their dining experience. You can upgrade any burger to a combo including fries and a fountain drink at INR 50 across the menu.

The same additional price of INR 50 added to any burger gets you a regular combo. To move up to a medium fries and drink, you add another INR 20 and to the King size fries and drinks another INR 20.

Burger King is committed to serving quality food across the world and has been expanding rapidly in India. The QSR chain was the first in the country to open 13 restaurants across Delhi, Mumbai and recently Pune in less than six months of its launch.

Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King and Tim Hortons reported first-quarter financial results with an increase in sales at its both restaurants.

The system wise sale at Burger King has increased by 9.6 per cent during last three months that ended on March 31st.

Daniel Schwartz, CEO, Restaurant Brands International, said "We are off to a strong start in 2015, having achieved one of our best quarters of comparable sales growth in years for both of our iconic brands, Tim Hortons and Burger King.”

However, Burger King's first-quarter sales growth was largely driven by new products and promotions, including the "$2 for $5" platform and the Spicy BLT Whopper sandwich, the company said in a statement.

Burger King also revived its promotion of lower-priced chicken nuggets in January, responding to similar efforts by rival McDonald's.

“We continue to execute on brand-specific strategies across marketing, operations and development. We have established a solid foundation in our first full quarter as RBI and will look to build on this momentum throughout the rest of the year,” added Schwartz.

By Nusra

Burger King, the second largest burger chain globally is planning to tap Punjab and Bengaluru market in its next level growth in India.

The company which has already opened 14 outlets in three cities including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune, is very soon going to launch outlets in these two regions.

The burger chain is targeting at cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar in Punaj and Bengaluru to open its next outlets.

Talking to Restaurant India, Rajeev Varman, CEO, Burger King India, said, “We will continue to building outlets in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune and we are already building it. But our next big plan in India is to enter Punjab and Bengaluru market.”

The burger chain has opened its first restaurants in November 2014 by an announcement of launching 11 outlets.

And the brand end up opening 10 outlets within 52 days of its launch marking an amazing journey into Indian QSR segment.

“One of thing that I don’t do is throw out numbers; more important is to build good restaurants,” added, Varman.

If you’re one of the millions of obsessed Chicken Fries fans, you should probably sit down. Burger King brings back their highly-coveted Chicken Fries to participating restaurants in US.

Chicken Fries are made with white meat chicken coated in a light crispy breading and seasoned with savoury spices and herbs.

The recent resurgence began with Gloria, the unbiased chicken who travelled to Burger King restaurants one by one to determine whether that specific location would serve Chicken Fries on the day of her visit.

The excitement was so palpable that following the tour, there was only one card to play and that was to make Chicken Fries available for everyone, for good.

“The conviction of Chicken Fries fans never ceases to amaze us. Chicken Fries have taken over their brains, not to mention, their appetites. So we’re happy to tell devoted fans, and newbies alike, that we’re giving them exactly what they asked for: Chicken Fries are back for good,” said Eric Hirschhorn, Chief Marketing Officer, North America, Burger King Corporation.

While Chicken Fries may be timeless, it is 2015 and who uses words anymore? Emojis rule the roost today, especially for Chicken Fries fanatics. So the Burger King brand has created a Chicken Fries emoji keyboard that will be available starting today in the iTunes App Store and Google Play store at http://bit.ly/BKkeyboard.

Chicken Fries are now available at participating Burger King outlets nationwide at the recommended price of $2.89 for nine pieces per order.

Fans can also find them on the menu paired with fries and a drink as a combo meal. Shaped like fries, Chicken Fries are perfect for dipping in any of the BK restaurant’s delicious dipping sauces including BBQ, Honey Mustard, Ranch, Zesty, Buffalo and Sweet & Sour.
 

Burger King, the world’s second largest Burger chain has started the home delivery system in the US, reported telegraph.co.uk.

The fast food chain is trialling an online order service through a colourful new website called "Burger King Delivers."

The service was launched in selected locations across the UK on Thursday.

Customers in Romford, Hayes, Gants Hill, Truro, Northampton, Hull, Skegness, and Hornchurch can take advantage of the new service, according to the Metro.

But if the move proves successful, Burger King is likely to roll out delivery throughout the country.

The new website works in the same way as any other fast food delivery offer, but aside from a soft launch, the company appears to be quite mysterious about it all.

Burger King hasn't released any information or posted the news on social media. The company's last tweet from its UK Twitter account was about "Whopper Wednesdays."

It looks as though you have to be a "BK Delivers" member to get someone to bring you cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets to your door. And Burger King has built some Domino's Pizza-style combo deals as part of the deal, such as the 20 "Combo 3" package, which has lots of Coca Cola, chips, 3 burgers, and some chicken nuggets.

Burger King already delivers in some other countries, ITV says, and is now looking to extend the program in the UK to compete with rivals such as JustEat.

If the move proves popular with customers, it could make the start of fast food chain home deliveries.

Burger King and Tim Hortons newly clamed parent company, Restaurant Brands International has recorded an increase in quarterly sales, reported WSJ.

Burger King reported a 7.7 per cent sales growth whereas Tim Hortons recorded a 7.4 per cent in the fourth quarte sales.

This increase in the sales show the first earning result of the group since it acquired Tim Hortons.

The record also reflects solid growth in existing restaurants and the addition of new outlets.

Executives at Restaurant Brands, based in Oakville, Ontario, said advisers’ fees combined with other expenses related to Burger King’s $11 billion acquisition of Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain last year propelled an overall net loss in the fourth quarter of $514.2 million, or $2.52 a share, on revenue of $416.3 million. Still, some of the combined company’s profit measures increased.

“When you look at the results for both brands it speaks to the iconic status of both brands and why we want to own both of these brands for the long term,” said, Daniel Schwartz,  Chief Executive Restaurant Brands, who previously had been Burger King’s CEO.

“Burger King and Tim Hortons, which maintained separate management after the merger, are focused on expanding franchisees’ profitability and boosting expansion outside home markets to spur sales growth. Starting late last year, more than half of Burger King’s outlets were outside the US for the first time,” he added.

Though the company recently announced it would lay off about 350 people in its Tim Hortons division, Restaurant Brands executives said the cost cuts weren’t the driving factor behind the acquisition. Instead, executives said they hoped to use what they have learned through boosting Burger King’s international presence to augment the pace of Tim Hortons’s global expansion.
 

Burger King has partnered with foodpanda.in, India’s largest online food ordering platform, to deliver their offerings a day prior to their restaurant launch in Infiniti Mall, Malad, Mumbai.

A first for the fast food giant in India, Burger King will be test-delivering the burgers through foodpanda.in to gauge viability as it looks to offer convenient dining options to its customers.

To enjoy their favourite whopper at home, consumers can log on to foodpanda.in or get on their mobile application on December 17 and 18 and pre- order their meal. All orders made on the two days will be exclusively delivered by foodpanda’s delivery team on December 19, 2014.

All customers placing their orders through the website will also get a free Burger King collectible Whopper t-shirt along with their whopper as a gesture of goodwill from the brand to customers supporting their maiden deliveries.

“Since the launch of our first restaurant in Delhi last month, we have been getting constant requests from customers to start deliveries, especially from the corporate areas in the city. It has encouraged us to test delivery as an option, learn from it and build our plans from this pilot. Malad is a hub for many offices with large employee bases and also a dense residential catchment. This should help us gauge both consumer interest as well as the operations required for scaling up in the future,” Uma Talreja, CMO, Burger King India said.

“We are thrilled with this association and are eager to serve our customers with the first home experience of a meal from the brand in Mumbai. We've always worked very closely with our partner restaurants and with our experience of doing food deliveries in multiple countries, it was a natural partnership to come on board as delivery partner for Burger King,” Rohit Chadda, MD and Co-Founder, foodpanda said.

Recently, the burger chain also associated with eBay India as a channel for pre-orders since it seemed to be where it's consumers are and found great success in the alliance. This is another initiative where the brand is aiming to follow the pulse of customers and create channels that appeal to various consumer segments and multiply the experience.

Burger King, the world’s second largest burger chain has opened its doors for burger lovers in Select CityWalk on November 9.

The burger chain has witnessed huge response among the locals with waiting queues and crowd outside the outlet.

After opening of its first store in Delhi, the brand will do subsequent launches in Mumbai and 10 other locations respectively.

The burger chain which has also partnered with e-commerce platform to sell it whoppers burger online has extended duration of ebay vouchers till 16th November.

The burger chain has also eliminated ‘Beef’ from its menu due to the religious reasons in India. The restaurant will be serving chicken, mutton and vegetarian burgers in the country priced almost same to the other competitors in the QSR segment.

"Burger King is targeting India as its largest market in the world as rapidly growing Indian middle class are witnessing a sea change in their eating habits” said, Rajeev Varman, CEO, Burger King India.

At the same time, this debut of the chain's New Delhi branch marks the 100th country to have a Burger King restaurant.

Burger King, the world’s second largest burger chain is opening its store at Select CityWalk on November 9.

The burger chain is planning to open 12 outlets in India within a year. After opening of its first store in Delhi, the brand will do subsequent launches in Mumbai and 10 other locations.

The burger chain has also partnered with e-commerce platform to sell it whoppers burger online. After pre-ordering the Whopper online for Rs 128, selected consumers will be able to redeem their coupons at Burger King outlets.

The chain has world's most popular five-inch diameter burgers, for a limited time period, which will coincide with the company's store launch.

"Burger King India has a small member team of approximately 25-30 people for Burger King India operation who has worked a lot on choice of right location for placing the world’s most successful brand", said a source.

Also Read: Rumours taking rounds over Burger King's probable location in India

Burger King which is entering Indian market in November is introducing Beef free whopper burger in the country.

The group has signed a joint venture with Everstone Capitals to start its operations in India.

This is for the first time that Burger King’s customer will have a taste of Beef free whoppers.

The burger chain is taking the step, keeping in mind religious practices of Hindus and Muslims who make for most of the country’s population.

However the Miami-based burger chain has not cleared its first location for opening. According to an official familiar with the news, “The burger chain will either open its first outlet in Delhi-NCR or Mumbai.”

Earlier, Raj Varman, CEO, Burger King India, said, “Asia-Pacific is the smallest contributor but with the largest potential. The 60-year-old burger chain is currently putting together building blocks to roll out stores in India by the last quarter of this year.”

Burger King and Everstone may look to sub-franchise the brand for airport and railway retailing at a later stage. 

Burger King, the American fast food giant is planning to open outlets in India by year-end as it aims to make India, along with China its biggest market in Asia-Pacific.

The restaurant brand is planning to open outlets in Mumbai and Delhi in its first round of operation. Elias Diaz Sese, President, Asia-Pacific, Burger King, said, "China and India will be the two growth engines for us.”

Burger King has a joint venture with the Everstone Group, an India-focused, Singapore-based private equity and real estate group to open a few hundred stores here over the next ten years.
Raj Varman, CEO, Burger King India, said, “Asia-Pacific is the smallest contributor but with the largest potential. The 60-year-old burger chain is currently putting together building blocks to roll out stores in India by the last quarter of this year.”

Burger King and Everstone may look to sub-franchise the brand for airport and railway retailing at a later stage.