Advertisement

Burger King joins wave of fast-food chains developing a 21st century image

Burger King is revamping its menu to meet demands by women and families who have somewhat deserted its restaurants in recent years.

Changes to the food lineup, reported by the Miami Herald, will aim to make salads and smoothies as much of a fixture as the flame-broiled Whopper.

A new homestyle burger on a brioche bun, with thick-cut bacon, romaine lettuce and spicy pepper grill sauce, is among the items currently being tested.

The locations will also get a makeover, following in the footsteps of cheap eateries that have taken pages from the Starbucks playbook, from McDonald's to A&W to Subway.

So, like many others, Burger King is planning to reinvent itself. Clever promotions aren't enough for owners 3G Capital.

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce," began the memorable Burger King commercial jingle written by Barry Manilow in 1973. "Special orders don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way."

The human Burger King mascot, introduced in 1955 at the first location in Miami, and reincarnated as a post-modern masked character in the past decade, was also given a pink slip, along with the advertising agency.

Burger King has a smaller presence in Canada, where it went from one location in Windsor in 1969 to more than 300 across the country, about 120 of which have been added since 1998.

Competition from Harvey's spurred the introduction of the BK Veggie burger, which was subsequently rolled out in other countries. Canadian locations were also first to incorporate two-level children's playgrounds.

But recent bottom-line declines for Burger King were blamed the fact its customers had become predominantly young males. Viral online promotions, which included tie-ins with Xbox 360 games, accentuated that testosterone-fuelled image. As a result, though, women and families became less frequent visitors.

An increased focus on the food, rather than the brand identity, is being banked on to broaden its appeal. Still, the transition is also expected to take some time.

A measure of its eventual success might be if customers avoid the BK Breakfast Bowl of eggs, sausage and cheese, introduced in Canada last fall, in favour of oatmeal with dried fruit and maple sugar.

(Reuters Photo)