BURGERS IN THE NEWS

The Tide is Turning....

McDonald's is under the impression their 1/4 pound burger is good enough to compete with fast-casual restaurants such as Five Guys, Smashburger, Umami Burger, Shake Shack, Jake's Wayback Burgers and Giraffas*, just to name a few. 

In fact, they are currently testing a Build-Your-Own (BYO) Quarter Pounder in Laguna Niguel, CA and Illinois. I don’t believe this is a rip-off of the Burger King order system, nor do I believe it is a retaliatory move to combat BK's latest "Big King" burger (the Big Mac copycat). No…this for me is without a doubt McDonald's first move to countering all the damage fast-casual burger restaurants have bestowed upon them. And it's not just the BYO order style that leads me to believe this; it's the pricing changes they are implementing. You see, the McDonald's BYO burgers all use the regular Quarter Pounder patty, but now they will be priced at $5.79, boosting their prices to that of typical fast-casual pricing, seeing as a 7.5 oz. BYO burger at Smashburger is $5.99 and Jake's Wayback Double Burger is $5.49.

McDonald's BYO burgers will offer 20 toppings and sauces (big F'n deal…too little, too late if you ask me). Mickey D's is about 20 years behind the times with their order process. Have you ever noticed how confusing the Value Menus, Kids Meals, and Extra Value Meals are? If you pay more to order a "large-size" Value Meal, is it still a good value? Ugh!

Yes siree folks, the tide is turning slowly, but surely. If this is not the beginning of the end for fast-food establishments, it's most assuredly the beginning of MAJOR changes for the fast-food industry, and I doubt they will ever be the same again. Where will they end up? I have no idea, but I love riding the fast-food burger coaster.

Internet Photo - Experimental Build-Your-Own Quarter Pounder.

*If you haven't heard of Giraffas, you probably will in the near future. The Miami-based Giraffas began as a small burger joint in Brazil when an engineering student (Carlos Guerra) bought it 30 years ago. He kept the name and expanded it into one of the country's largest burger chains. Three U.S. locations opened in Miami in 2011, more are under construction, and they’re franchising beginning this year. The menu focuses on burgers, priced from $7.90 for a Grilled Picanha Single up to $11.90 for the Giraffăo Filét Burger (with cheese, bacon and egg), but they also offer pasta, fish and more. Don't think they'll survive in the U.S. market against such burger giants as McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's? Think again - they are used to competing against the “big three,” as they have been competing in Brazil for years. I'm keeping my eye on this franchise.

It's the little stuff....

Burger King is now DELIVERING in 16 states (no, not jersey) with a minimum order of $10 and orders must be placed between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. with delivery times and prices varying by location.

Internet Photo

Check out these current franchise prices...

Thinking of starting a business? 

May I suggest one of the following?

A & W Restaurants Inc. Burgers, hot dogs, root beer	$912K - 1.62M
Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries Burgers & fries	$174.5K - 626K
BullChicks Burgers & chicken	$120.55K - 338.5K
Burger 21 Burgers	$414.5K - 832.59K
BurgerFi Int'l. LLC Burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, custards	$460K - 995K
Carl's Jr. Restaurants Burgers	$1.2M - 1.74M
Carla's Sandwiches & Burgers Sandwiches, burgers, sides	$192.5K - 479.75K
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. Burgers, fries	$240K - 1.24M Request Info
The Counter Custom Built Burgers Build-your-own-burger restaurant	$750.5K - 2.52M
Culver Franchising System Inc. Frozen custard, specialty burgers	$1.44M - 3.08M
Elevation Burger Organic burgers, fries, shakes	$383.5K - 771.5K
Fatburger North American Inc. Burgers	$498.1K - 850.59K
Freddy's Frozen Custard LLC Frozen custard, steakburgers, hot dogs	$461K - 899K
Hardee's Burgers, chicken, biscuits	$1.14M - 1.53M
Jake's Wayback Burgers Burgers, shakes, fries, onion rings	$172K - 381.5K
McDonald's Burgers, chicken, salads, beverages	$1.02M - 2.18M
Mooyah Franchise LLC Burgers, fries, shakes	$334.95K - 532.2K
Smashburger Franchising LLC Burgers	$560.5K - 909.5K
Sonic Drive-In Restaurants Burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, breakfast, beverages	$1.11M - 3.25M

HERE IS A GRATUITOUS EYE-CANDY PHOTO... ENJOY!

Send me a comment if you think you know what burger this is...  

HINT:  (it's in Montclair, NJ)