The Burger King turnaround in the US

BOSTON – After years of decline, Burger King is experiencing a revival in the American market — and it's all thanks to changes to its flagship product: the Whopper. The hamburger chain reported an 8.5% increase in same-store sales in the US in the 2nd quarter, surpassing McDonald's, which saw a 0.8% increase in the same period. This was the largest difference in the indicator between the companies in over a decade.

With the result, Burger King once again became the second-largest hamburger chain in the US in terms of sales, surpassing Wendy's.

Behind the positive performance is a process of renewal of the Whopper. For years, customers complained about the quality of the sandwich, criticizing the meat, bread, and mayonnaise. The mountain of criticism led Restaurant Brands International — which controls Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons — to make changes to the Whopper for the first time in 10 years.

The new Whopper replaced the soft bread with a more premium one, uses creamier mayonnaise, and is served in a box instead of being wrapped in paper. The company also announced that it will replace the Whopper of any customer who complains about the quality of the sandwich.

“Many people are saying they're coming back [to Burger King] for the first time in a long time,” Tom Curtis, Burger King President in the US and Canada, told CNN. “The next generation of burger lovers is being exposed to Burger King, and that means we have a good path ahead of us in the coming years.” Curtis was also used as an “asset” for the chain to mark this resurgence.

He starred in a Burger King ad where he ate a Whopper and praised the product. The video wasn't intended to extol the executive, but rather to poke fun at the main rival.

In February, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski released a video trying the chain's new sandwich, the Big Arch. However, the apparent lack of skill and enthusiasm of the executive in the video provoked a negative reaction on social media. The video even received a comedic note from the community: “In the video, he [Kempczinski] says he's going to take a big bite and eat the whole sandwich for lunch. However, he only takes a small bite and we don't see him swallowing the piece. Some people believe he didn't eat the burger.”

It's that: if the CEO doesn't eat the company's product, why should the customer go there? According to Technomics, a consulting firm specializing in the food sector, Burger King has been performing better among consumers in terms of advertising identification, brand image, and food quality than at any time since 2019. Curtis' actions, such as answering customer calls and provoking a competitor on social media, may have influenced the improvement in the brand's perception.

While Burger King is rising, its rivals are struggling. McDonald's US sales fell 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, and store traffic declined in the same period. Kempczinski told investors that US results were “below our expectations.” After the poor results, the chain appointed a new US president, Skye Anderson.

Wendy's is in an even worse situation, with a 7% decline in sales in the 2nd quarter. CEO Bob Wright criticized the company during a call to announce the results, saying that “our quality […] deteriorated, our value proposition weakened, and we didn't consistently deliver the experience that customers expect from Wendy's.”

Even with the improvement driven by changes to the Whopper, Burger King wants to continue the process of change and already has its next target: stores. Restaurant Brands International CEO Josh Kobza said on the 2nd quarter call that Burger King has a series of stores that “don't have our modern image.” The chain has 6.7 thousand units in the country, many of which are old stores with poor lighting and maintenance issues.

However, over 50% of stores in the US have already undergone renovations. The company aims to update 85% to 90% of all units in the country to modern standards by 2028 – with the presence of digital kiosks for orders, faster drive-thru service, parking spaces for app pickup, integrated shelves for app orders, and updated internal and external aesthetics.