Seven months after Burger King announced its official turnaround strategy, the fast food chain is selling more Whoppers than ever before.
The rise in sales can be somewhat attributed to Burger King removing the Whopper from discount menus in February 2022. Jose Cil, Restaurant Brands CEO, said Burger King’s Whopper is made from a quarter pound of grilled beef. It’s an iconic product that has been on the core discount platform for too long. Burger King had said it would offer limited discounts on the burger in the future.
The rise in sales can be somewhat attributed to Burger King removing the Whopper from discount menus in February 2022. Jose Cil, Restaurant Brands CEO, said Burger King’s Whopper is made from a quarter pound of grilled beef. It’s an iconic product that has been on the core discount platform for too long. Burger King had said it would offer limited discounts on the burger in the future.
The surging Whopper sales are also attributed to the “Whopper Whopper” jingle; the song went viral and saw memes across Twitter and TikTok. Burger King released the song in response to its popularity. Tom Curtis, Burger King U.S. President, said they are selling more Whoppers than they ever had. “It’s had a really positive impact that we didn’t pay for or foresee on the business.
The executive said improvements to restaurant operations and new marketing campaigns are boosting sales and customer satisfaction. He explained that what’s happened in the last six months is that sense of ‘We’re in this together’ that the company has with its franchisees. Curtis believes it’s unique in the business and differs from some of the competition as well.
Burger King spent a year simplifying operations to improve efficiency and order accuracy. It reformulated and renamed its chicken sandwich. The brand turned its attention to an in-store training program after announcing its “Reclaim the Flame” strategy at a franchisee convention in September 2022. Burger King instructed workers to greet customers, make Whoppers properly and give out the iconic crown. Curtis shared that it was the most important thing they did coming out of the convention.
The fast food chain also held roundtables for general managers in 45 cities. The general managers underwent training on how to execute a five-week-long deep clean of their restaurants. Curtis feels these things are foundationally important, and it resulted in a 20% uplift in guest satisfaction. Furthermore, Burger King launched its “You Rule” marketing campaign.
