Business
Top 10 Untold Truths of Burger King!!! (Part 2)
You might feel like Burger King is a fast-food restaurant that’s been around forever. Serving the famous Whopper since the 1950s, Burger King is pretty much an open book. But while you might think you know everything there is to know, there is always something to be learned. Here are the Top 10 Untold Truths Of Burger King (Part 2).
10. New Year, New Burger King
Usually, when you start a company, it’s all about branding. You want to build a recognizable brand with a distinct logo, to make a name for yourself. However, when you’re as big as Burger King, you can pretty much do anything with that logo, and people will still know it’s you. Over the years, Burger King’s logo hasn’t changed that often, but it has seen some pretty considerable alterations. For the first time since 1999, BK took the leap and rebranded with a revamped logo, new uniforms, and simplified packaging. They wanted a logo that was confident, simple, and fun, which is pretty much what they did. It consists of two hamburger bun halves sandwiching the words Burger King, with the brand’s colors of red and orange. However, they didn’t think too much outside of the box since it pretty much compares to the logo used by the brand throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. By doing so, they wanted to pay homage to the brand’s heritage and that they were inspired by how the logo has grown to have an iconic place in culture, explained the creative agency responsible. The unexpected rebranding was done in hopes of attracting more and new customers and to get people to crave Burger King’s food with a “mouthwatering, big and bold, playfully irreverent and proudly true design.” Merchandising, menu boards, restaurant signage, and marketing assets will all get a makeover to become the new Burger King.
9. 2020 Burger
It would be quite an understatement to say that 2020 wasn’t the most joyful of years. A lot of bad things have happened, and we’re not entirely sure we’re over them yet. While we’re all trying to find ways to cope, Burger King has found a solution. You know how they say laughter is the best medicine? Well, as an “end of the year” special, Burger King Brazil decided to commemorate the disastrous year by creating a burger that would look and taste like 2020. It’s safe to say the final result wasn’t exactly a 5-star gourmet burger, to say the least. DAVID São Paulo, an ad agency, polled social media fans across the country to identify ingredients that would best define what 2020 meant to them. Just like 2020, the burger was horrible, hard to digest, and hard to swallow. The mighty 2020 burger consisted of overcooked noodles, sardines, chicken feet, Tutti-Frutti Jell-O, jackfruit, and even a thick caramel sauce. To top it all off, a burned bun. The perfect crisp end to a bitter year, that’s for sure. Now, it goes without saying that, obviously, this monstrous burger was not marketed in Burger King restaurants – because, well, gross – but they did give the opportunity to some “lucky” fans to try out the 2020-themed burger. Needless to say, it was as disgusting as it sounds. Would you be brave enough to try such an unpalatable burger?
8. Tik Tok Surprise
In the age of social media, with platforms such as Tik Tok, it has become easier to play pranks on people. However, it’s also been a lot easier to spread some love and positivity all around. Tik Toker Jimmy Darts did both of these things when he went to his local Burger King’s drive-thru. The viral prankster, mostly known for his fast-food stunts, was dared by his followers to go through the same drive-thru 10 times in a row, ordering the same thing over and over, without ever acknowledging the fact that he had been there before. After accepting the challenge, Darts headed down to Burger King, rolled up to the window, ordered a Whopper Jr., then drove right back into the line to do it again. Right away, the drive-thru employee recognized him and acknowledged him, but he simply dismissed her. By the third time around, the employees began to grow concerned with his behavior and even questioned why he was still there. And it wasn’t until the seventh time around that another employee actually tried to help the poor man out. He offered him one last Whopper Jr. and invited him to come inside and talk. Much to the employee’s surprise, Jimmy brought his handful of burgers into the restaurant and shared them with him – but his kindness didn’t stop there. In a follow-up video, Jimmy named him the “best employee ever” and treated him to $1,000 in cash – now that’s a huge tip right there. Moral of the story: Be nice to people.
7. Giant Burger King Crowns
Burger King is known to give away its iconic cardboard crown for free. After all, how can you be king if you don’t have a crown? While it’s already a well-known custom, Burger King Germany has found a way to take things one step further. As we all know, social distancing has become a very unfortunate but very important practice in our everyday lives. We now need to be several feet away from people at all times, and it can sometimes be hard to respect or even measure. As most locations were starting to reopen slowly, German Burger King outlets saw the struggle and came up with giant, oversized cardboard crowns to promote social distancing back in May of 2020. The do-it-yourself social-distance crown was originally created as agimmick for a German TV spot and was later adopted for a test run by Burger King. A representative told one journalist that they wanted to “to re-enforce the rules of high safety and hygiene standards that BK restaurants are following” and that the crowns were a “fun and playful way to remind guests to practice social distancing while they are enjoying food in the restaurants.” Even though it was first done as a joke, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to keep these going forward. Sometimes, you truly want to enjoy your Whopper in peace, pandemic or not. You know, something to think about, perhaps.
6. New BK Dollar Menu
Finally! The day has come! Burger King has been listening to our prayers and they finally caved – they brought in a new dollar menu! To follow the lead of other fast-food chains and also to accommodate customers who have been struggling financially due to the pandemic, Burger King finally decided to oppose the trend of selling more expensive fast-food items and set the record straight. The all-new “Your Way” value menu features select menu items priced at $1 apiece – and that’s it. No need to make an additional purchase to get that price. Unlike some Golden competititors, there is no false advertising by calling it a “dollar menu” when in fact, some items are more expensive. There’s none of that at Burger King. The menu includes four items: a bacon cheeseburger, a Chicken Jr. sandwich, fries, and a soft drink. But the best part about this news was yet to come. During the month of December 2020, Burger King was so determined to promote and celebrate its new menu that some randomly-selected customers would receive $1 in their Venmo account, courtesy of Burger King. Not only could you get your meal for only a buck, but BK would actually give you the dollar to pay for it. Talk about a sweet, sweet deal.
5. Google Burger
In this day and age, the industry of food delivery has grown exponentially. We used to only be able to order pizza and sometimes Chinese take-out, but as technology evolved, so did the possibilities. With services like UberEats, you can now practically order anything you want, from any restaurant you want, at almost any given time you want. Ordering food has never been so easy, and it’s about to become even easier – at least for when you’re craving Burger King. As a way to simplify the ordering process as much as possible – even though it was already pretty simple – Burger King announced that customers would now be able to order and pay for Whoppers with a simple Google search at over 5,000 U.S. restaurants. To avoid using third-party delivery apps, BK integrated with Google. All you need to do is search “Burger King” on Google Search, Google Maps, or the Google Pay app and then order delivery or pickup. Simple as that. Ordering food online has become quite an essential part of our routine, especially due to the pandemic. Google even added an order delivery button onto restaurant searches last year, enabling customers to order without an app, so Burger King is simply one step ahead of everybody with this advancement. To BK, the integration with Google is part of an overarching digital strategy that promises to move the brand forward in the coming years.
4. Homegating
Tailgating is one of the most common traditions in America, especially during football games. Grilling food and drinking beer out in the stadium’s parking lot before the big game is one of the best ways to celebrate with your fellow supporters. However, this tradition had to sadly be curtailed this year due to the social distancing measures in place. No big gatherings of any kind was allowed, let alone sharing food in a public place. As a way to still honor tailgating, all while being safe, Burger King partnered up with Coca-Cola to hook up fans who are now “couchside” tailgating this sports season. Yes, homegating is now a thing. The Homegating Bundle Meals were available for delivery every weekend in November 2020 at participating BK locations to give people a reason to stay home and celebrate their sporting events indoors by creating an at-home tailgate party. The meals included some of Burger King’s favorites menu items, all paired with a Coke. The bundle consisted of four small Coke drinks, two Whopper Sandwiches, two Double Cheeseburgers, two Original Chicken Sandwiches, two ten-piece Chicken Nuggets, and four small fries – and all of that for only $20 bucks. Maybe BK should consider keeping this offer year-round – there’s always a good reason for a Burger King party!
3. The BK Curse Protection Burger
Let’s be honest; we could all use a little bit of good fortune in 2021. In Japan, it’s a tradition to visit a shrine or temple at the start of a new year to pick up a yakuyoke charm that protects its holder from evil spirits. However, because of the pandemic, it became harder for some people to go out and get theirs, so Burger King stepped up and brought the good charm directly to them. The chain released a new burger called the Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper. Yakuyoke translates to “dodging curses” or “protection against misfortune.” The burger is pretty much like a regular Whopper: topped with cheddar cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and onions all within a toasted sesame bun, but the real curse-warding magic comes from the burger sauce. It contains garlic chips and chili powder from Kyoto called “Nihon ichi karai ougon ichimi” or “the spiciest golden flavoring in Japan.” It’s the spiciest sauce BK has ever used! The red and white paper packaging the Yakuyoke whopper comes in is also useful as it’s reminiscent of the Japanese Daruma, a talisman of perseverance and good luck. Maybe the Yakuyoke burger can make an appearance every year, since it’s available until the end of January. So if you happen to be in Japan and are in need of something to keep curses and evil spirits away, you know where to go.
2. Reusable Packaging at Burger King
Over the last few years, reducing our ecological footprint has become more and more important – as it should – and a lot of companies have tried to come up with new alternatives to minimize their environmental impact across the globe. Burger King obviously wanted to do its part, so they decided to enter a partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop. They launched zero-waste packaging that can be safely cleaned to be refilled and reused. The pilot project will offer customers the possibility to conveniently reduce waste when ordering their favorite Burger King items, like Whoppers or coffee. Launching in the second half of 2021, restaurants in New York City, Portland, and Tokyo will be among the first to try out this new initiative. Each location will feature a collection system, in which guests can return the packaging to be safely cleaned using Loop and reused at any select BK. Customers will need to pay a deposit and get the money back after they scan used soda cups and burger boxes through the app – to ensure they really bring them back. It might not be implemented in every fast-food restaurant just yet, but it’s certainly a step in paving the way to an eco-friendly future.
1. BK Supports Its Competition
As the pandemic progresses, numerous local and small businesses have had to close their doors for various reasons. Whether it’s because of low profits due to a lack of customers, they had it rough, while bigger chains like Burger King managed to stay afloat. It’s definitely not easy to admit defeat, but it’s also not easy to encourage your biggest competitor, and that’s exactly what BK did. Not only did Burger King show their support by asking their customers to buy from local businesses, they also invited them to buy food from other big restaurants, including their biggest competitor – McDonald’s. Burger King UK Tweeted an image that made a lot of people take notice. It read in big, bold letters: Order from McDonald’s, along with a list of other big chains people should support, like KFC, Subway, and Taco Bell. They claimed that continuing to treat yourself to tasty meals through delivery apps was the best way to help each other. With endless restrictions imposed to ensure safety, it’s been hard for businesses to deal with everything. For BK, supporting one another is the way to go.
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