Burger King and Franchisees brawl over $1 Double Cheeseburger Promo

Burger King franchisees sued the burger restaurant chain this week over its $1 double cheeseburger promotion, saying they lose money on the sandwich deal and the company can't set maximum menu prices. The National Franchise Association, which is a group that represents over 80 percent of Burger King's U.S. franchise owners, said the $1 Double Cheeseburger promotion forces restaurant owners to sell the quarter-pound burger at a 10-cent loss at the minimum.

Too expensive to promote

Costs vary according to location, but the $1 double cheeseburger costs franchisees at least $1.10 typically, said Dan Fitzpatrick, a Burger King franchisee from South Bend, Ind. who is a spokesman for the association. The actual food costs about 55 cents for the meat, bun, cheese and toppings. The balance of the cost is for expenses such as rent, royalties and worker wages.

After the company tested the $1 deal in markets across the country, the discounted burger went national last month, in spite of the fact that franchise owners, which run 90 percent of the company's 12,000 locations, rejected the product twice before when offered, because of the expense.

A spokeswoman for Burger King, the nation's No. 2 hamburger chain, said the Miami-based company believes the litigation is "without merit," particularly after an earlier appeals court ruling this year showing the company had a right to require franchise owners to participate in its value menu promotions.

Restaurants looking to boost business

Restaurants in general, and particularly fast-food chains, have been slashing menu prices because of the poor economy. McDonald’s the nations #1 Burger chain has been aggressively promoting it’s $1 “Value Menu” for some time.

Restaurant executives at both fast-food and casual dining chains are hoping the deep discounts and combo deals will bring in diners who are spending less when they eat out, and lots have just been staying home altogether.

When the $1 double cheeseburger was announced this fall, analysts felt it could increase visits to Burger King by as much as 20 percent. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Southern Florida.

Continuous Retail Improvement through the Holidays

This was the feature article in the Nov 3, 2009 Issue of Condevco's "Meter" Newsletter.

As we begin to get ready for the holiday season, hope springs eternal, or it should. It’s time to look at what we can do to make these holidays happy, for our customers, Associates and our businesses bottom lines.

As we have been discussing, this hasn’t been a banner years for business in general. In our specific business, gasoline prices are rising again, and there is always the possibility of a price spike shocking customers into not spending inside the store, like in the summer of 2008.

As of Friday October 30th Retail gasoline was at its highest average price in over a year. (See the article below) Using the “Sports quote of 2004” according to USA Today, which has become ubiquitous and irritating in ALL phases of conversation by now in 2009; “It is what it is” Gasoline Prices are what they are… But that doesn’t mean you need to let that affect how you get ready for and operate through the holidays inside your store and on your store site. In other words, the things you CAN control.

Wikipedia defines Continuous Improvement Process (CIP, or CI) is a management process whereby delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. In other words, “It is what it is, but it doesn’t have to be!”

With the holidays approaching and the big retailers having been in full holiday mode for weeks, it’s time to look at where your stores are now, and make the decision to continually improve the retail offering (the infamous “Value Proposition”) straight through to January.

That means keeping any seasonal decorations repaired and cleaned and looking fresh, perhaps a store mini-reset halfway through the season with some new items, and getting your customer service associates to “Buy In” to the fact that the next eight weeks can be the best eight weeks of the year.

Should you start selling Blu-ray players or flat screen TV’s? Probably not, but making sure you have the holiday-themed candy and drinks in the foreground is good. This is an excellent time for new uniforms, painting the curbs, and making sure those nozzles and hoses are clean and working well.

This is a chance to really make a positive impression on your customers. It doesn’t cost much to make a big difference in how “Jolly” your customer’s perception of your stores is.

This is a great time of year for ice sales and fill-in party supplies. ATM’s and Money orders are big services.

Let Darcee and Ron, the team from Condevco help you on the way to Continuous Retail Improvement (Click To Inquire)