Latest news with #Kobza


Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Burger King Launching New Whopper Based On Customer Requests
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Burger King announced the debut of its BBQ Brisket Whopper, the first menu item created through its newly launched "Whopper by You" platform. The platform, which will be available to customers across the United States starting next Tuesday, will allow guests to submit ideas for new Whopper sandwiches, directly influencing menu innovations. The BBQ Brisket Whopper—featuring slow-cooked BBQ brisket, crispy onions, American cheese, sweet and golden BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, creamy mayo, and a flame-grilled quarter-pound beef patty—arrives as a response to customer requests and is also available in a Whopper Jr. version. Why It Matters The introduction of the "Whopper by You" platform marks a shift in how Burger King incorporates customer feedback into its core menu development. This new initiative builds on previous engagement strategies, such as the 'Million Dollar Whopper' competition, giving consumers a more active role in menu innovation. Burger King sign at the Westfield Confluence shopping center. Burger King sign at the Westfield Confluence shopping center. ALBIN BONNARD/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images What to Know Participants in the "Whopper by You" program can also access exclusive rewards, including special Royal Perks, which may feature offers like $0.01 Whoppers each week for a year or free sandwiches with purchase. A Royal Perks account is required, and participants must be 18 years or older. Burger King fans can submit their own Whopper ideas through the online platform at starting July 15. The BBQ Brisket Whopper, which will also be available as a Whopper Jr., will be at participating U.S. restaurants while supplies last. The new product launch and customization platform follow global localization efforts and reflect Burger King's intent to directly involve guests in its menu development process. In Japan, the fast food chain added a new localized item—the Spicy Whopper, featuring chili bean paste—to its menu on July 8. During the fast-food chain's first quarter earnings call this year, CEO Josh Kobza stressed Burger King's international growth. "We're in around 200 brand country combinations, and our top 10 markets are about 60% of our international system-wide sales. So a lot of different dynamics in each of those countries," Kobza said. "I think when you look at the Burger King brand in international, it's a bit different. It has some really great qualities that position it to grow so well. We've got a strong brand positioning. We've got modern restaurants in almost all of our markets. We have a lot more digital business as well." Moving forward, Kobza has said that Burger King's food will help streamline its global growth. "We have pretty great brand perception and really good food quality perception in those markets, where we balance some of our favorites like the Whopper with strong localization that each of our teams bring," Kobza said. Newsweek reached out to Burger King for comment via email. What People Are Saying Joel Yashinsky, Chief Marketing Officer at Burger King US&C, said in a statement: "As the brand known for 'Have It Your Way®,' we want to continue letting our Guests tell us what they want – and when it comes to our iconic Whopper sandwich, they have a lot of ideas. We're excited to kick off the 'Whopper by You' platform with the BBQ Brisket Whopper, a flavor profile that our Guests requested and we are very excited to answer with an overwhelming 'You Rule'!" What Happens Next The new BBQ Brisket Whopper and "Whopper By You" program launch next week. Burger King is also set to bring back its summer favorite, the Frozen Cotton Candy Cloud.

Miami Herald
06-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Burger King, Popeye's CEO sounds the alarm on troubling issue
Fast-food chains in the United States and across the world have struggled. Customers have increasingly pushed back against what they perceive as high prices. The problem is that in many cases, the various fast-food giants are just passing on their increased costs. Labor costs have gone up all across the United States, while the price of every item that makes up your fast food meal has likely increased as well. Related: Iconic pizza chain's franchisees close multiple restaurants It's a double-edged sword where consumer feel they are being taken advantage of, while the businesses are simply trying to maintain their profit margins. People expect their fast-food burger meal to be cheap. They want value meal options and price points for complete meals that are at least under $7, but in many cases under $6 or even $5. Chains like Burger King and Popeye's, which are both owned by Restaurant Brands international (QSR) , also don't really have the luxury of playing with portion size. People know what a Whopper looks like, and the same goes for Popeye's chicken. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter That puts the company in the challenging position where it has to both maintain its profit margin and not raise prices. It's a situation that may very well be impossible. RBI CEO Josh Kobza talked about the problems facing not just his company, but also his rivals. Kobza had to walk a narrow line during his company's first-quarter earnings call. He had to be upbeat, while also explaining away mediocre results and preparing Wall Street for potentially more mediocrity to come. "Through the first few months of 2025, we've been navigating a highly dynamic macro backdrop, one that's evolving differently across each of our key markets. As a global franchisor, offering convenience and everyday value for guests, we're certainly better positioned than many others to navigate this evolving environment, but we're not immune, and our Q1 results reflect that," he shared. Overall, RBI, which also includes Tim Horton's, held its own in a challenging climate. More Retail News: Home Depot spends billions on major acquisitionHershey makes major change candy lovers may not have seen comingStarbucks brings back fan-favorite menu item after 2-year hiatus "First quarter consolidated comparable sales were 0.1% or just over 1%, excluding the impact from Leap Day, and net restaurant growth was 3.3%. This translated into system-wide sales growth of 2.8% and organic adjusted operating income growth of 2.6%. We anticipated that Q1 would be our softest quarter of the year and believe that some of the macro noise may have driven further softness," he added. Those numbers aren't bad, but they're below where Kobza wants them to be. When everyone else doesn't perform very well, it makes your slight gains look better. It's sort of like not having tall friends if you are on the short side. "We continue to perform reasonably well compared to many of our global peers, reflecting the underlying strength of our brands and the quality of the plans we are executing to improve on the fundamentals that our guests care about most. We know relative performance alone isn't enough and doesn't pay the bills for us or our franchisees, though, which is why we're focused on delivering improved absolute results through the balance of the year," the CEO said. Kobza noted the pricing pressure his various brands have been facing. "In any environment, our guests are focused on quality, service, and convenience at a fair price. And our teams are focused on exactly that, improving the value proposition for our guests at each of our brands and making that experience better each time they come in," he added. Related: Popular restaurant chain closes all locations, no bankruptcy That's a challenge, given what consumers want - maybe not more for less, but at least the same for the same. He highlighted that various RBI brands have been delivering on that challenging problem. "Whether that is newly remodeled restaurants of Burger King and Popeye's or improved service standards at Tim Hortons in the p.m. daypart, we're spending our time on what matters most," he said. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Burger King to remodel 400 of its US restaurants in 2025, hundreds more to come
Burger King sees its plan to remodel about 400 of its locations this year as a way to help it rule fast food. The fast food chain is in the midst of a multi-year plan to modernize its restaurants and has seen sales at remodeled locations increase in the mid-teens, said Joshua Kobza, CEO of Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands International, during a May 8 earnings call, according to a transcript from S&P Global Market Intelligence. "We still have a lot of remodels to get done," he said. "We've got a lot of restaurants that aren't at the modern image." Starbucks: Coffee chain has new drinkware collection with FARM Rio: See Brazil-inspired designs Burger King is expected to complete about 2,000 remodels by 2028; at that point, more than 85% of the U.S. restaurants would reflect the new "Sizzle" modern image, which emphasizes digital ordering and drive-thru. That initiative is part of Burger King's "Reclaim the Flame" plan, announced in September 2022 to enhance and renovate its U.S. restaurants. The Miami-headquartered Restaurant Brands International (RBI) plans to spend up to $700 million through 2028 as part of its plan to revitalize Burger King. In addition to Burger King, RBI also owns Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs. Restaurant updates have helped Burger King weather better than some of its competitors a fast-food industry sales slump in the three month-period ending March 31, company executives said. Burger King reported a 1.1% decrease in comparable sales in its U.S. restaurants for the period, outpacing McDonald's, which saw a 3.6% decrease. Wendy's reported a 2.6% decline for the quarter. "Burger King U.S. continued to outperform the broader burger QSR (quick service restaurant) category, reflecting the ongoing progress of our 'Reclaim the Flame' plan in capturing share," Kobza said. Still, there are some Burger King's restaurants struggling. Consolidated Burger Holdings of Destin, Florida, which operates 57 Burger King locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 14 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida, according to court documents. The restaurants will continue operating as the company seeks a potential buyer. Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Burger King remodeling 400 restaurants, with more to come by 2028


USA Today
13-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Burger King to remodel 400 of its US restaurants in 2025, hundreds more to come
Burger King to remodel 400 of its US restaurants in 2025, hundreds more to come Show Caption Hide Caption Burger King sued for fraud over Whopper ads Burger King is heading to federal court over allegations that it falsely advertised the size of its iconic Whopper sandwich. unbranded - Newsworthy Burger King sees its plan to remodel about 400 of its locations this year as a way to help it rule fast food. The fast food chain is in the midst of a multi-year plan to modernize its restaurants and has seen sales at remodeled locations increase in the mid-teens, said Joshua Kobza, CEO of Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands International, during a May 8 earnings call, according to a transcript from S&P Global Market Intelligence. "We still have a lot of remodels to get done," he said. "We've got a lot of restaurants that aren't at the modern image." Starbucks: Coffee chain has new drinkware collection with FARM Rio: See Brazil-inspired designs Burger King is expected to complete about 2,000 remodels by 2028; at that point, more than 85% of the U.S. restaurants would reflect the new "Sizzle" modern image, which emphasizes digital ordering and drive-thru. That initiative is part of Burger King's "Reclaim the Flame" plan, announced in September 2022 to enhance and renovate its U.S. restaurants. The Miami-headquartered Restaurant Brands International (RBI) plans to spend up to $700 million through 2028 as part of its plan to revitalize Burger King. In addition to Burger King, RBI also owns Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs. Restaurant updates have helped Burger King weather better than some of its competitors a fast-food industry sales slump in the three month-period ending March 31, company executives said. Burger King reported a 1.1% decrease in comparable sales in its U.S. restaurants for the period, outpacing McDonald's, which saw a 3.6% decrease. Wendy's reported a 2.6% decline for the quarter. "Burger King U.S. continued to outperform the broader burger QSR (quick service restaurant) category, reflecting the ongoing progress of our 'Reclaim the Flame' plan in capturing share," Kobza said. Still, there are some Burger King's restaurants struggling. Consolidated Burger Holdings of Destin, Florida, which operates 57 Burger King locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 14 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida, according to court documents. The restaurants will continue operating as the company seeks a potential buyer. Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.


Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Burger King menu's new Whopper blends Mexican, American tastes
Burger King has made the Whopper the cornerstone of its innovation. The famous burger, which was actually launched about a decade before the McDonald's Big Mac, offers a sort of blank canvas for innovation. Related: Pepsi quietly discontinued a fan-favorite soda flavor At its core it's a fairly simple burger. The iconic sandwich has a flame-grilled beef patty, sesame-seed bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and sliced onion. Any of those toppings can be swapped out to make something entirely new. The chain has been very innovative in its use of the Whopper, which has really been the core of the chain's "Reclaim the Flame" effort to redo its restaurants and change its reputation. "By emphasizing operational excellence and investing in modern, welcoming restaurants, we're setting the brand up for long-term success. Recent menu initiatives - such as the Addams Family Menu (featuring Wednesday's Whopper), the Million Dollar Whopper campaign, and the Melts platform - have reinforced that guests crave innovation and high-quality food at a great price," CEO Josh Kobza shared during the chain's fourth-quarter earnings call. Melts are Whoppers that use bread instead of a bun. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Aside from introducing a Breakfast Whopper (although there have been limited-time-offer Breakfast Melts), Burger King has done nearly everything imaginable with its signature sandwich. Now, it has added a new version of the classic to one of its menus, but not in the United States yet. Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Burger King in Japan has often added menu items that would seem out of place in the United States. Sometimes the chain uses ingredients that are popular locally but have not crossed over to the chain's home market. In this case, the "Home of the Whopper" has added a new variant of the famour burger in Japan that seems like it would fit in immediately on the American menu. The chain's Japanese operations shared a Tweet on the new burger (translated from Japanese). This is not the first time Burger King has sold a "Mexican" Whopper in Japan. Earlier versions of this burger, in single, double, and cheese versions, were offered in 2023 and 2024. The chain has not yet brought the offering to its U.S. stores. Burger King faced some franchisee-related struggles in the U.S. in 2024, but its global business has been growing steadily. "Shifting now to international, which continues to be a strong growth engine, [we are] closing the year with over 15,600 restaurants and over $18 billion in system-wide sales, approximately 60% of which was driven by our top 10 markets. We feel very good about the relative performance of our international business versus our global peers," Kobza said. Overall, Burger King's restaurants have been performing well. "In 2024, international comparable sales grew 3.3%, including 4.7% growth in the fourth quarter. We saw solid growth in many of our largest markets, including Australia, Spain, the U.K., and Brazil, thanks to well-executed calendar initiatives, compelling core value offerings, and great restaurant-level execution," he added. Related: Another burger, fast-food chain closing all locations The chain has also been adding restaurants. "We achieved net restaurant growth of 6.1%, despite temporary headwinds from geopolitical pressures in certain markets, as well as net closures in BK China. While we don't have an update on BK China today, we're optimistic we'll have a resolution relatively soon," he added. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.