Posted
on December 4, 2015
I
just found out that Burger King is as old as I am!
On
this date in 1954, the first Burger King opened in Miami, Florida.
 |
| Food was a bit cheaper back then! |
It
all started like this: A couple of fellows (David Edgerton and James
McLamore, if you care, which you probably don't) owned franchises of
a Florida-based burger chain called Insta-Burger King. Their
restaurants were in Miami.
A
franchise is when an individual or group is authorized to open and
run a particular “brand” of restaurant (or other commercial
venture) by a parent company.
Unfortunately,
Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties. Edgerton and
McLamore decided to buy the company and simplify the name to just
Burger King.
They
were able to operate the company at a profit and, eventually, sell it
to another owner. Each time it changed hands, Burger King (often
called BK) became more global.
 |
| This is the first Burger King in Russia. (above) |
Now
a Brazilian company owns a majority stake in BK, and Burger King has
been merged with a Canadian-based doughnut chain (Tim Hortons). As of
2013, there are Burger Kings in 79 different countries, including
Australia (where the restaurants are called Hungry Jack's instead of
Burger King!).
So
the little Florida company grew into something truly international!
Is
Burger King a king among fast food restaurants?
According
to an article at “Eating Rules,” McDonald's has more
locations that Burger King, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box,
Fatburger, Sonic, and In-N-Out COMBINED!!! So it's definitely not the
“king” as far as the most successful.
Also,
Burger King's signature burger, the Whopper, was wwaaaayyyyy high on
the Eating Rules comparison chart as far as calories and fat goes,
and its French fries were high-high in those categories, too.
McDonald's actually scored as being a lot more healthy in those
particular comparisons!
Of
course, burgers so big they're called “whoppers” aren't the only
thing BK sells. There are some much healthier foods on offer, as this article at Popsugar explains.
I'm
thinking that Burger King MAY be king of the Halloween burger! Have
you seen this black burger? (The bun is apparently colored – and
flavored – with A1 Steak Sauce.)
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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