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What's up with Burger King? (1 Viewer)

Michael_K_Sr

Screenwriter
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Aug 14, 2005
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MichaelK
No, I'm not talking about the guy in the freaky plastic King mask. I'm talking about the company. It's hard to believe there isn't a single full service Burger King restaurant in all of downtown Chicago. There's only a single Burger King Express in a food court...the kind you might see at an airport. When I first started working downtown there must have been a dozen locations. Now none remain. It makes you think the company has some serious financial problems. What's more, at least half of the locations out in the suburbs where I live seem to be closed as well. A couple have signs that they are closed for "renovations", but those signs have been up for 3-4 months or more. What gives?
 

ThomasC

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What's your definition of downtown Chicago? A search for BK restaurants within 5 miles of Chicago on BK's website came up with 14 locations.
 

Michael_K_Sr

Screenwriter
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Chicago 'burbs
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MichaelK
Don't know of too many people willing to take a five mile walk on their lunch break to a BK or anywhere else for that matter. The business district has but a single limited menu walkup location.When you are talking about the nation's #2 burger chain and the largest city in the midwest, 14 restaurants within 78 square miles is nothing. Even a town like Omaha has 18 restaurants within a five mile radius. The point is that all of these restaurants have vanished over the last 5-6 years and show no signs of coming back.
 

Dennis*G

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Messages
524
we used to have 5 BK's in our city, now there are 2. This is a city with 100,000 people. All of our Hardees have closed also. About 6 mcdonalds though. That was about 2 years ago the BK's closed.
 

Ruz-El

Fake Shemp
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Deadmonton
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Russell
Anyone see the low carb whopper? It's the meat and lettuce, no bun. And more expensive than a Whopper. I saw it a couple of years ago, when Burger King was a novelty.

In Edmonton, there was a local company that had set up a bunch of "Burger Kings" and they owned the rights to the name. As a result, the US Burger king couldn't open in Edmonton. It wasn' until about 10 years ago that BK got the rights, and the local company became "Burger Baron". The local company has both cheper and way tastier burgers.

Now that you all know this, I expect you to run with this knowledge and share it with the world!
 

Andrew Bunk

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Messages
1,825
That's what happens when you let people have it their way. They bankrupt you! :)

Seriously, I've noticed the McD-to-BK ratio has gone seriously out of proportion in the Chicago area since I was a kid.

Helll, even when I lived in Manhattan 9 years back, I can only think of one BK I saw regularly (about 14th and 6th Ave IIRC), but there lots of McD's and Wendy's.

Personally, I haven't gone to a BK in quite a while. Their burgers are still OK, but their fries have sucked for a very long time. I cannot remember the last time I got hot fries from BK. Maybe that's the problem.
 

JamesED

Second Unit
Joined
May 23, 2004
Messages
263
I never cared for Whopper, so they lost my (seldom) business when they dropped the BK Broiler. I haven't even bothered trying their spicey chicken sandwich. Is it any good? I love Wendy's, and new McDonald's one is different, but also pretty good.
 

Joseph S

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Dec 23, 1999
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The fries are horrible and the #1 reason I never even consider going there. I love the ads, but I haven't been to BK in years at this point.
 

Bryan X

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Feb 10, 2003
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Yeah, their fries are by far the worst. But frankly, no one can touch McD fries when they do them right.
 

Michael_K_Sr

Screenwriter
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Aug 14, 2005
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Chicago 'burbs
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MichaelK
I didn't say that I frequent the place! :laugh: I'm up for a good steak or pizza over a chain eatery any day of the week. It's just whenever BK comes out with a new advertising camapaign, I'm always struck by their heavily reduced presence out here.
 

Inspector Hammer!

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Mar 15, 1999
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Houston, Texas
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John Williamson

Funny, everytime I hear Chicago I think of Ferris Buellers Day Off. ;)

I knew that spooky-ass King would have a negative effect on business in the long run, hell, he kept me away.

:D
 

MarkHastings

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2003
Messages
12,013
Even though BK is #2, I definitely think Wendy's is edging them out. I'm sure that's why BK is doing all of this new "hard core" advertising.

I would definitely put Wendy's ahead of BK. I'm not crazy about BK's burgers, but their chicken sandwiches are great, but as most have said, their fries are what turn me to McD's and Wendy's.
 

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