Burger King

About

Burger King is a global hamburger fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is currently owned by “3G Capital” of Brazil, whom bought ownership to the franchise in 2010.^[1] The franchise slogan currently reads, “Have it your way!”

History

In 1953, Keith J. Kramer and Matthew Burns opened a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain named “Insta-Burger King.” In 1954, financial problems forced Kramer and Burns to hand the franchise over to David Edgerton and James McLamore. The two later renamed the restaurant chain to simply “Burger King” after the company once again faltered in 1959, and the franchise became an independent entity for 8 years until ownership was sold to the Pillsbury Company in 1967. Over the next 22 years, poor operation and ineffective leadership caused the restaurant chain to decline, which eventually forced Pillsbury to sell ownership to the company “Grand Metropolitan” in 1989. The company became an independent entity again in the early 2000’s when “TPG Capital” bought ownership for $1.5 billion US dollars. In August of 2014, Burger King officially announced a planned merger with the Canadian restaurant and coffee shop chain “Tim Hortons” in an effort to improve both franchise’s qualities. The merge was successfully completed 4 months later on December 12th, 2014, making Tim Hortons part of “Restaurant Brands International” alongside Burger King.^[2]

Impact

In 1971, Burger King had spread beyond the United States by this time and attempted to open a brand in Australia. However, the name was already trademarked by a takeaway food shop in Adelaide. Burger King then presented Australian franchisee Jack Cowin with alternative names derived from pre-existing trademarks that had already belonged to Burger King and Pillsbury at the time. Cowin ultimately decided on the derivative of Pillsbury’s “Hungry Jack”, naming the new Burger King brand “Hungry Jack’s”, which is currently the only Burger King brand in Australia.

Related Memes

“Ding, Fries Are Done!”

Ding, Fries Are Done is a parody music video based on the Christmas carol song Carol of the Bells, sung by a mysterious singer only known as “Billy.” The parodied lyrics details an average work shift at a local fast food branch, like making french fries and rocking the paper hats at Burger King.^[3]

The Burger King

The Burger King is the advertising mascot for the international fast-food chain Burger King. After appearing in several television commercials, he was used in a variety of YTMNDs, video remixes and image macros often paired with the caption “where is your God now?”^[4]

Ronald McDonald VS. The Burger King

Ronald McDonald VS The Burger King is a hypothetical conflict between Ronald McDonald and The Burger King, the mascots of American fast food chains McDonalds and Burger King. The conflict first appeared in a comic book in the late ’70s, and gained a following online through YTMND.^[5]

See more on Know Your Meme

X Works at Burger King

X Works at Burger King is a series of YouTube parody videos referencing a stand-up comedy skit performed by Dane Cook who shares his experience while he had worked at Burger King, claiming he had his first job there and having notable struggles, such as someone yelling their order into Cook’s headset.^[6]

Search Interest

External References