Burger King - statistics & facts
It may have the crown, but Burger King is not the reigning king of fast food. That title is more commonly held by McDonald’s, which, at 38 billion U.S. dollars, had the second highest brand value of any restaurant chain worldwide. Burger King did make the ranking but had a fraction of McDonald’s value at 5.2 billion U.S. dollars. However, this is not for lack of trying - Burger King has targeted McDonald’s in its marketing campaigns since the 1980s. This includes the "Whopper Detour," which used mobile geofencing to redirect customers away from McDonald’s to promote Burger King’s redesigned app.
Despite having undergone five changes of ownership since its founding, Burger King has retained a strong brand identity. This was highlighted during a 2023 Statista survey where Burger King ranked joint first in a list of restaurant chains with the highest brand awareness in the United States.
Focusing on the U.S., Burger King announced in 2024 that it was going to invest additional money into accelerating the modernization of its locations, with aims to have 85 to 90 percent of restaurants renovated by 2028. While it has been struggling in recent years, Burger King is clearly striving for growth and modernization, whether this brings with it higher sales remains to be seen.
How successful is Burger King’s parent company?
Although it was originally founded in the U.S., Burger King’s current parent company, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), is headquartered in Canada. While RBI was one of the global food and drink service companies with the highest sales in 2023, its sales of around 7.2 billion U.S. dollars ranked low on the list, comparatively, McDonald’s generated over three times this amount. Although RBI has focused heavily on expansion in recent years, the number of Burger King restaurants worldwide actually decreased in 2023 to around 19,400.Despite having undergone five changes of ownership since its founding, Burger King has retained a strong brand identity. This was highlighted during a 2023 Statista survey where Burger King ranked joint first in a list of restaurant chains with the highest brand awareness in the United States.
Burger King’s strategy for success: Evolving with consumer tastes
These days consumers do not have to be vegetarian or vegan to want to eat plant-based alternatives. Burger King has met these consumer demands more than many of its quick service competitors. The chain has trialed meat-free restaurants in countries including Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Chile, Spain, and the UK. Additionally, in Germany, it rolled out a plant-based version for every meat option on its menu. While this strategy has not been implemented to appeal to fast food consumers in the U.S., Burger King does offer the Impossible Whopper® on its menu.Focusing on the U.S., Burger King announced in 2024 that it was going to invest additional money into accelerating the modernization of its locations, with aims to have 85 to 90 percent of restaurants renovated by 2028. While it has been struggling in recent years, Burger King is clearly striving for growth and modernization, whether this brings with it higher sales remains to be seen.
