Burger King UK opening a site a week

Burger King UK chief executive Alasdair Murdoch has told MCA that the brand has taken “strides in the right direction” during his first year as chief executive of the Bridgepoint-backed group.

Burger King will open roughly one site a week throughout 2019, Murdoch said, taking its portfolio to c540. These will be a mixture of franchise sites and those Burger King UK will manage itself. The company, which owns the master franchise rights for the brand in the UK, currently operates 80 equity stores.

The most recent openings have been under the new-look Burger King format, with design elements aiming to dial up the restaurant experience. Kiosk ordering technology features in all new openings, with around 30 sites converted so far.

Murdoch said: “It’s very early stages for us with this technology and obviously others are much further ahead with it but we’ve seen some good traction from it. There is a clear demand from consumers and what is interesting is that it actually improves customer engagement because the staff are focussed on the interaction rather than taking the order.”

Murdoch said average spend was also up as customer felt less pressure to rush their order and that younger customers in particular were clearly more comfortable dealing with technology.

The group is also seeking to gain share in the competitive breakfast market. It is trialling an offer at its Marylebone site featuring 99p coffee and a £1.99 deal for a coffee and bacon roll. It will be rolled out across all equity sites from next week and will feature in all refurbishments.

Menu innovation and marketing have been key planks in the strategy over the past year, with the recent Whopper giveaway campaign driving huge engagement. New products and relaunches have been well received, Murdoch said.

In the US the introduction of a plant-based Whopper has generated a lot of noise. Murdoch will not be drawn on whether this will be introduced in the UK, beyond saying they are watching with interest and this is a clear growth area for UK consumers.

While he will not reveal sales figures, he says the brand has seen a rise in transactions year-on-year and very encouraging improvements in customer scores.

He is clear that while there is great momentum in the business, there is a long way to go, adding: “We are a new team setting up from scratch and we have had a huge amount to do but the foundations are now in place. The franchises and the area managers are really engaged with the direction we are taking and customers are rediscovering us. There is a lot of affection for the brand for us to capitalise on.

“What has been very important for me from the start is that we are trying to be Burger King, we are not trying to be anyone else.”