What could be better than a Burger King Whopper, some fries, and an ice cold coke? Well, if we’re speaking in literal terms a lot of things are better than that. However, Burger King has come up with a new promotion that’s going to debut in Miami, Florida next month: a Burger King bar. That’s right, not only will customers be able to buy their favorite Burger King sandwich, but they’ll also be able to enjoy it with their choice of Budweiser, Miller Light, or Bud Light Lime beer for a cost of $4.25. Plus on top of all that, it will be open 24 hours a day. The article from CNN.com states:
It will be the chain's first U.S. location to sell beer, and the restaurant will offer a delivery service for local customers, a walk-up window for orders on the go and an outdoor dining area.
Experts mention that it may not be long until other fast food joints jump on the bandwagon and introduce alcohol to their menu. Personally, I’m not too sure how I feel about this whole situation. I suppose it would open up an entirely new market for fast food chains and would possibly bring in loads of new customers. According to the article, Burger King’s next targets are the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.
"In the restaurant industry, if it works for one, others will try," said Forte. "Other operators are watching from the sidelines to see how effective this is for Burger King and then may consider it."
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I agree with Alex that this opens an entire new market for fast food businesses. Targeting an older crowd allows the restaurant access an even greater amount of people. I feel as though this experiment will do well and will thrive wherever it opens. A
ReplyDeleteFor years the fast food industry's biggest harbinger for money has been the drive thru - bringing in money by providing a quick way to get food for the family/individaul on-the-go. Doesn't this new venue open wider possibilities for drinking and driving?
ReplyDeleteThis, also, seems to present a conflict of interest, serving alcohol at fast food restaurant. It detracts from the other interests they have had; ie. being fast food, being family friendly, etc. (AE)
I agree that a fast food bar could be a dangerous idea because the possiblility of serving alcohol to people who show up to get something to eat (and now drink) quickly and head back out onto the road. While it may not be a great idea because of the inherent danger of quickly distributing alcohol i can certainly see the potential for profit amongst older customers. A,E
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me like Buger King was not doing very well in the kid friendly market, and so they decided to shift focus.
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ReplyDeleteI think that in college towns this could be a very smart move. I grew up in East Lansing, and every time I passed by a McDonald's or Burger King downtown on a Friday or Saturday night, the place would be swamped. I can definitely see college students who are already drunk buying another beer with their burger. I'm not sure how much this would help in small towns, especially if you take into account the cost of getting and keeping a beer and liquor license. Of course, that price varies dramatically, so I guess it depends on the location. I definitely hope that the corporation doesn't force franchisees to get licenses. That would be a big deal. Especially, after they got into so much hot water for forcing franchisees to sell the double cheeseburgers for 1$, a ten cent loss. A,E
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ReplyDeleteIf profits take a jump for Burger King with this idea, then I can definitely see the McBudweiser or a McLight in the near future. Trying new things is a way to gain customers and win the competition. Other fast food restaurants will be trying to "keep up with the Jones'," in other words. There could be a fast food alcohol race. (A)
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though Burger King is trying to become more of a sit down restaurant with their outdoor patio and alcoholic selection. It will invite a different crowd. It almost seems like it may move from a kid-focused restaurant to a mid-20's crowd. I don't know how parents will feel about taking their kids to Burger King. It could hurt them depending on how much of their old crowd they lose and how much of a new crowd they'll gain.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good idea on Burger King's part. None of the other fast food restaurants do this and the consumers that like beer and burgers will flock to BK, because they can't go to McDonald's and get that. Also, in this recession, a lot of people are settling for fast food because it is cheap, so when they see they can get a beer with their cheap meal, it only adds to the incentive of going to Burger King. I feel that Burger King will begin to see their profits increase as they begin to put more of these bars in their restaurants. As a result, other food chains will begin to follow suit, and I believe we will begin to see more and more bars in fast food restaurants in the near future. (A,E)
ReplyDeleteOther fast food restaurants are standing on the side line, like the article mentions above, to see if Burger Kings new idea will work so they can begin working to copy or improve the idea of the bar in the restaurant. This new idea will defiantly bring about a totally new market and total new system for fast food restaurants. Introducing the idea in areas that tourist are mainly attracted too was a great idea because people are more likely to use the services while in vacation. Burger Kings new idea will have an increase in their sales and clients, a new audience will be attracted rather than just kids and adults.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Burger King as found an idea that may actually work very well for them. I think that many people will spark to the idea of having a cheap fast food meal accompanied with an alcoholic beverage of their choice. It is not uncommon for people to drink an alcoholic beverage with their meal when they go to other restaurants, so having it available at fast food restaurants will be very beneficial financially for Burger King. However, it may cause a few problems, in reading this article, I noticed that it stated that orders on the go will be available. I feel like this wil offer up the opportunity for more drunk driving. This could turn out to be a disaster just as much as it could be a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI won't even comment on how utterly ridiculous I think this is. Yes, I do agree that this probably will open up a new market ultimately bringing more business in but I would think twice about what a disaster this might create. I really hope that Burger King enforces a purchase limit on liquor products and other cautionary policies.
ReplyDeleteIt is just like any other restaurant that sells alchohol. They said they will have a walk-up window not a drive up. Obviously that would be illegal. This is smart decision and will undoubtedly bring in more customers and is a wise decision on Burger Kings Part.
ReplyDeleteThis move by Burger King is pretty much unprecedented. We won't really be able to predict what this does for business until we've observed for a while.
ReplyDeleteIf we're making assumptions, though, I for one can't really see it bringing in a significant amount of business. I don't know the stats on the number of drive-thru customers vs. the number of walk-in customers, but I'll bet that the drive-thru brings in more business, especially since the drive-thru is the only part of the store open late at night, if anything. Since open alcoholic containers are against the law, the drive-thru obviously can't offer it. The only extra business will be from the walk-ins.
Assuming I'm wrong, however, and Burger King's profits soar, you can bet that other fast food chains will follow suit. While it would be undoubtedly good profit wise, I think this provides more opportunity for drunk driving. Therefore, I can't really make up my mind on how truly good this move is.
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