RISE - Menu Monitor

Burger King franchisee Heartland Food Corp. sold over 240 restaurants to GSO Partners in a deal worth approximately $155
million. Heartland operated franchises in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Florida. In related news,
franchisee Nath Cos. Inc. of Minnesota sold 88 of its 89 Burger King outlets to Kinderhook Industries LLC of New York. Nath
Cos.’s restaurants were located in the Twin Cities market as well as Florida, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Terms of the
agreement were not disclosed. (The Miami Herald 12/27/06; Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 12/29/06; NRN Daily
NewsFax 12/28/06)
Burger King franchisee Duke and King Acquisition Corp. purchased 24 Burger King restaurants from Swisshelm Group. The
acquisition boosted the franchisee’s system to 112 outlets. (NRN Daily NewsFax 3/20/07)
A Burger King franchisee is suing a landlord for failing to keep rats out of the franchisee’s restaurant in New York. The
restaurant closed the day after it was featured on the television program “Inside Edition.” (NRN Daily NewsFax 3/29/07)
Burger King franchisee Duke and King Acquisition Corp. acquired 24 outlets from Swisshelm Group in Springfield, MO, for an
estimated $15–$20 million. This brings the total number of outlets owned by Duke and King to 112. Duke and King operates
restaurants in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas. (NRN Daily NewsFax 3/20/07)
International Activities |
Burger King’s UK system will discontinue TV advertisements aimed at children and the placement of commercials in all
children’s programs by mid-December. The changes were made in response to the UK’s critics of fast-food advertising and as
a preemptive step in the face of impending stricter regulation. The country’s equivalent to the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission is reportedly meeting to consider a ban on all fast-food advertising broadcast before 9 p.m. (NRN Daily NewsFax
11/15/06)
Burger King Corp. plans to venture into Japan. The company’s first unit is slated to open in Tokyo in early 2007. (Company
Release 12/15/06)
Burger King has been asked to pull an ad campaign in Spain after Spain’s Health Ministry said it violated a Spanish initiative
against obesity. The TV ad features the chain’s Double-Cheese Bacon XXL burger with the slogan, “It’s awful being a
vegetarian, right?” The ministry believes the ad goes against a federal agreement signed by the Spanish Federation of
Hoteliers and Restaurants, a group to which Burger King belongs. Members of the group had agreed that they would abstain
from promoting large portions of food in advertisements. Burger King said that it has no plans to halt the campaign.
(International Herald Tribune 11/16/06)
Burger King inked an agreement with Burger King Japan Co. Ltd. to open the chain’s first restaurants in Japan. BKJ is a
partnership between Tokyo-based Lotte Co. Ltd. And Japanese company Revamp Corp. The group expects to open its first
unit in Tokyo early next year. (NRN Daily NewsFax 12/18/06; Company Release 12/15/06; GlobeSt.com 12/15/06)
Burger King’s UK sales are down by at least 10% due to the cessation of advertising to children. The company had previously
claimed that the impact would be minimal and that its target consumer group has always been people 18–34 years old. (NRN
Daily NewsFax 12/28/06)
Burger King Holdings Inc.’s subsidiary BK AsiaPac Pte Ltd. inked a deal with PT Sari Burger Indonesia open outlets in
Indonesia. The first unit is slated to open in Jakarta by June. (Company Release 1/04/07)
Burger King plans to develop restaurants in Poland. The first Burger King to be built in Poland is slated to open in the second
quarter of 2007 and will be located in Zlote Tarasy, Warsaw’s new mall. Additional unit openings are scheduled during the next
five years. (Company Release 3/12/07)
Burger King signed an agreement with AmRest Holdings N.V. for the first Burger King outlet in Poland. The unit is slated to
open in Warsaw later this year. AmRest is a Poland-based franchisee of KFC and Pizza Hut. (AFX International Focus
3/12/07; NRN Daily NewsFax 3/14/07; Foodservice Equipment & Supplies 3/14/07)
Burger King Holdings Corp. awarded North Asia Strategic Holdings Limited the rights to develop outlets in Hong Kong and
Macau. The first unit will debut in downtown Hong Kong by December 2007. In other news, the chain inked a deal with Hana
International Company Limited to open Burger King units in Egypt and other North African countries. The first Burger King
restaurant will open in the first half of 2007 at a mall in Cairo. Two more outlets will follow later this year. (Company Release
3/23/07; Company Release 3/29/07; Forbes.com 3/29/07)
Burger King signed a development agreement with Hana International Company Limited to build the Burger King brand in
Egypt and other North African countries. The first restaurant will open in the first half of 2007 in the City Stars mall in Cairo.
Financial details were not disclosed. (Company Release 3/29/07)
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