At BK, having it you’re way now comes with a crown.
Burger King employees have been ordered to tell customers “You rule” and to offer them a cardboard crown as a gesture of thanks for ordering a whopper or anything else on the menu.
The Florida-based fast food chain is planning to send monitors to its restaurants to ensure that workers are complying with the new directive, according to a report.
“You rule” has been the decades-long tagline on Burger King’s advertising campaigns.
“Say it’s a guy who’s like 38 years old, no kids in the car, and I got to say to him: ‘Do you want a crown?’ You can’t help but smile when you say that, and he can’t help but laugh back,” Deborah Derby, the CEO of Carrols Restaurant Group, Burger King’s largest US franchisee, told Bloomberg News.
“It forces that extra two minutes of engagement.”
Derby said that the interaction between employee and customer creates a “positive aura.”
She said that the company is keen on getting customers their food within 90 seconds of order placement but employees who engage with patrons positively can earn a bit more time provided that the order is correct.
Derby’s company was acquired by the chain’s parent company Restaurant Brands International last week for $1 billion in cash.
That will give Toronto-based RBI ownership of 1,022 Burger King restaurants across 23 states as well as 60 Popeyes locations in six states.
The locations previously owned by Carrols generated roughly $1.8 billion in sales for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2023.
Burger King management has placed a premium on restaurants that have proven their capabilities in leaving customers satisfied.
The chain is only allowing the top franchise operators — those who have on average generated profits 65% higher than the rest of the system — to expand their footprints.
Burger King has stated that it measures franchise performance on its ability to serve food quickly at the right temperature and “with great service.”
The Post has sought comment from RBI.
The restaurant industry has come under pressure in recent months as weaker household budgets force some customers to swap restaurant food for cheaper, home-cooked meals.
Burger King’s same-store sales grew 7.2% in the third quarter of 2023 — falling short of Wall Street estimates.
Shares of RBI fell by some 1.4% on Monday.
