Why is (U.S.) Burger King so terrible?

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retailfanmitchell019
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Re: Why is (U.S.) Burger King so terrible?

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

storewanderer wrote: May 28th, 2023, 2:05 pm
All of that- is perfect analysis.

Sometimes the best chain doesn't win. And this is one of those cases.

What I find interesting is how they have been able to STAY in business over the years. They have had franchisee issues/medium/large size franchisees going bust at a higher rate than various other concepts. Back in the 90's they lost Sacramento as the franchisee had some kind of problem (IRS or something maybe) and many of the locations ended up going to competing concepts, some even ended up as McDonalds. Sacramento was obviously not a market you wanted to be absent from so Burger King corporate went in there and opened up a couple dozen new build corporate units throughout the area to save the market (those units have since been refranchises). I suspect this pattern has been repeated across multiple markets over the years to save the chain and keep it as one with a national presence.
It reminds me:
From 1956 to 1995, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) had its own Burger King, totally unrelated to the US chain. When the Whopper announced its intention to enter Canada in the 1960s, the Edmonton Burger King came to an agreement allowing the US chain to use the Burger King name everywhere in Canada, except for the northern two-thirds of Alberta (where Edmonton is). In 1995, the Edmonton Burger King went out of business, selling the naming rights to the US Burger King, allowing them to immediately enter Northern Alberta, the last region of North America they were barred from operating in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_King_(Alberta)
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Re: Why is (U.S.) Burger King so terrible?

Post by ninersdd »

Burger King has definitely closed several restaurants in the Sacramento area in recent years. Arden and Fair Oaks closed in 2013, which was torn down completely and became McDonalds a couple of years later. More recently, in 2018 or so, the one across the street from Town and Country Village closed, which in turn enabled the Starbucks at the center to move in from across the street(which has a drive thru). Two have closed in Placer County over the last year, in Roseville and Loomis. Looks like the nearby Starbucks will move into it in Roseville with the drive thru. With the Burger King closing off the freeway in Loomis, with a Starbucks next to it without a drive thru, it wouldn't surprise me if that happens with it taking that spot.

Edit: Also forgot another one on Arden and Watt closed in 2020 also(former Krsipy Kreme). Its now a Daves Hot Chicken.
Last edited by ninersdd on May 29th, 2023, 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Why is (U.S.) Burger King so terrible?

Post by storewanderer »

ninersdd wrote: May 28th, 2023, 8:41 pm Burger King has definitely closed several restaurants in the Sacramento area in recent years. Arden and Fair Oaks closed in 2013, which was torn down completely and became McDonalds a couple of years later. More recently, in 2018 or so, the one across the street from Town and Country Village closed, which in turn enabled the Starbucks at the center to move in from across the street(which has a drive thru). Two have closed in Placer County over the last year, in Roseville and Loomis. Looks like the nearby Starbucks will move into it in Roseville with the drive thru. With the Burger King closing off the freeway in Loomis, with a Starbucks next to it without a drive thru, it wouldn't surprise me if that happens with it taking that spot.
The one at Auburn-Foresthill Exit closed a few years ago as well. That one closed/reopened multiple times. It may have been with the Reno franchisee at some point. Other than in Roseville, nothing in Placer County was ever a corporate unit. Loomis opened as a franchise unit under a different franchisee around the time the whole mess was going down in Sacramento with the franchisee who ran into problems (I think that franchisee also had multiple Denny's units, can't remember the exact story or what happened to those units).

The one out at Nyack finally closed in recent months as well (that one was with the Reno franchisee and generally a one employee operation).
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