Burger King has been a staple in the fast food industry for over six decades. With their famous flame-grilled burgers and signature Whopper, it’s hard not to love this fast food chain.
But did you know there are some amazing facts about Burger King that you might not be aware of?
From the secret menu to the unique marketing campaigns, we’ve compiled a list of 15 interesting new facts that will have you craving a juicy burger in no time.
So, sit back, relax, and get ready to be amazed by these fascinating tidbits about Burger King.
The first Burger King restaurant was opened in Miami, Florida in 1954.
1 By James McLamore and David Edgerton. The original restaurant was called “Insta-Burger King” and featured an Insta-Broiler, which cooked burgers much faster than traditional grills.
This helped the restaurant become popular quickly, and the chain began expanding throughout the United States and internationally. Today, Burger King has over 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
The original name of the restaurant was “Insta-Burger King,” named after the Insta-Broiler machine that was used to cook burgers quickly.
2 However, in 1954, the original owners, James McLamore and David Edgerton, decided to change the name to simply “Burger King.” This was to better reflect the focus on burgers as the main product, and to avoid any potential trademark conflicts with a rival chain called “Insta-Burger.”
The name change was followed by a complete rebranding of the restaurant, including the introduction of the iconic Burger King logo that is still in use today.
Burger King is the second-largest fast-food hamburger chain in the world, after McDonald’s.
3 According to data from 2021, Burger King has over 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries worldwide, serving over 11 million customers daily.
However, it’s worth noting that there are other fast-food chains that compete with Burger King in the hamburger market, such as Wendy’s and Five Guys.
The Whopper was first introduced by Burger King in 1957, and it quickly became one of the most iconic burgers in the world.
4 The Whopper is a flame-grilled hamburger that is topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mayonnaise, and served on a sesame seed bun. Over the years, Burger King has introduced different variations of the Whopper, such as the Bacon and Cheese Whopper and the Impossible Whopper, which is made with a plant-based patty.
The Whopper remains one of the most popular menu items at Burger King to this day.
Burger King’s flame-grilled burgers are cooked on a specially designed conveyer belt grill that cooks both sides of the burger at the same time.
5 The grill is designed to mimic the taste and texture of outdoor grilling, and it helps give the burgers their distinctive smoky flavor.
The conveyer belt grill also allows for more consistent cooking times and temperatures, which helps ensure that the burgers are cooked to perfection every time.
Yes, that’s correct! The original Burger King logo featured a cartoon king sitting on a burger, which was designed to convey a sense of fun and whimsy.
6 However, in 1969, the company decided to update its logo to a more modern design, which is the one that is still used today. The current logo features the words “Burger King” in bold, capitalized letters, with a blue crescent shape above it.
The shape is meant to represent a burger bun, while the colors are intended to evoke feelings of warmth and comfort. The new logo was part of a broader rebranding effort by Burger King to modernize its image and appeal to a wider range of customers.
In 1975, Burger King introduced the first drive-thru service at one of its restaurants in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
7 The drive-thru was designed to offer customers a faster and more convenient way to order food, without having to leave their cars. The concept was a hit, and drive-thru service quickly became a standard feature at Burger King restaurants across the United States and around the world.
Today, drive-thru service accounts for a significant portion of Burger King’s sales, and the company has continued to innovate in this area with features such as mobile ordering and curbside pickup.
In the mid-1980s, Burger King launched a highly publicized advertising campaign centered around a fictional character named Herb, who was described as the one person in America who had never eaten a Burger King burger.
8 The campaign featured television commercials, print ads, and in-store promotions, all centered around the question “Where’s Herb?” and encouraging customers to try and find him. Burger King even offered a $5,000 reward to anyone who spotted Herb in one of their restaurants.
While the campaign was not universally beloved, it was certainly memorable, and it helped establish Burger King as a major player in the fast-food industry.
In an effort to compete with other fast-food chains that were offering delivery services, Burger King launched its own delivery service called “BK Delivers” in 2012.
9 The service was initially launched in select cities in the United States, and it allowed customers to place orders online or by phone and have their food delivered directly to their homes or offices.
The service was later expanded to other cities around the world, including countries like the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Brazil. However, in 2019, Burger King announced that it was discontinuing the BK Delivers service in the United States, citing difficulties in making the service profitable.
Nevertheless, Burger King continues to offer delivery services in certain markets through partnerships with third-party delivery companies.
The Kuro Burger, which means “black burger” in Japanese, is a burger sold by Burger King in Japan that features a black bun.
10 The bun gets its distinctive colour from bamboo charcoal, which is added to the dough during the baking process. The burger also features a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a special sauce.
The Kuro Burger has been part of Burger King’s menu in Japan since 2012, and it has become a popular menu item among customers looking for something unique and different. Burger King has also introduced other coloured buns in Japan over the years, including a red bun and a green bun.
Burger King has a secret menu that is not advertised on its regular menu, but that is available to customers who know about it and are willing to ask for it.
11 Some of the items that are rumoured to be part of the Burger King secret menu include the “Suicide Burger,” which is a burger with four beef patties, four slices of cheese, bacon, and special sauce; and the “Frings,” which is a combination of fries and onion rings in the same order.
Other items that are rumoured to be part of the secret menu include the “Rodeo Burger,” which features onion rings and BBQ sauce; and the “Quad Stacker,” which is a burger with four beef patties, four slices of cheese, and bacon.
It’s worth noting that not all Burger King locations may be willing or able to make these items, so it’s always a good idea to check with your local restaurant before ordering from the secret menu.
Burger King has been known for introducing some unusual and unique menu items over the years.
12 Including the bacon sundae, which was introduced in 2012 and featured vanilla soft serve ice cream, fudge, caramel, bacon crumbles, and a piece of bacon on top. Another unusual menu item was the black Halloween Whopper, which was introduced in 2015 and featured a black bun that was flavoured with A1 sauce.
The black colour was achieved by adding food colouring to the bun, and the burger also featured a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and mayonnaise. While some of these menu items may not be to everyone’s taste, they have certainly helped Burger King stand out from its competitors and generate buzz and excitement among customers.
In 2017, Burger King created a controversial commercial that included a line of dialogue that triggered Google Home devices and Android phones to read the Wikipedia entry for the Whopper burger.
13 The commercial featured an actor holding up a Whopper and saying, “Okay Google, what is the Whopper burger?” This caused Google Home devices and Android phones within earshot of the commercial to activate and read out the Wikipedia entry for the Whopper.
The commercial was criticized by some for being intrusive and annoying, while others praised it for its clever use of technology. Google eventually disabled the feature that allowed the commercial to trigger its devices.
Burger King’s “Have it Your Way” slogan was introduced in 1974.
14 The slogan was meant to emphasize the idea that customers could customize their burgers to their liking, choosing from a variety of toppings and condiments.
The slogan was widely popular and helped to differentiate Burger King from its competitors, such as McDonald’s, which had a more standardized menu.
The “Have it Your Way” slogan has since been used in various marketing campaigns and has become synonymous with the Burger King brand.
In 2018, Burger King launched a campaign called “Whopper Neutrality” to raise awareness about net neutrality.
15 Which is the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally. The campaign featured a video in which customers at a Burger King restaurant were charged different prices for the same Whopper burger, depending on how quickly they wanted to receive it.
The video was meant to illustrate the idea that without net neutrality, internet service providers could charge different prices for different types of internet traffic, such as streaming video or social media.
The campaign was widely praised for its creativity and its success in bringing attention to the issue of net neutrality.
