The King Delivers: Burger King’s New Delivery Service

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The world of fast food has always been about convenience for customers in terms of pricing, locations, accessibility, etc. Burger King has decided to take it a step further by introducing a delivery service in major U.S. Metropolitan areas. The service is now offered in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Customers must order a minimum of $10 worth of food to be eligible for the delivery service.

Ordering food for delivery has been trending for quite some time now thanks to websites like Grub Hub. Although delivery service has been around for many years at places like Pizza Hut and Dominos, it has risen in popularity with more restaurants offering it as well as providing convenient ways of ordering such as via the phone, Internet, or mobile app.  Out of the major fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, Wendy’s), Burger King is the first one to test the market for delivery service.

Currently, Burger King is in the maturity stage of its product life cycle because its competitors are well established and they are focused on innovation. They are forecasting a positive return for their delivery service and hope to be the trendsetters among other fast food giants. The very popular drive-thru option was introduced in 1975 at both Burger King and McDonalds and became a standard at fast food restaurants. McDonalds is clearly untouchable in terms of competition with sales four times greater than Burger King, but Burger King’s delivery service strategy can help them get a step ahead and be the first company to introduce it.

I believe that Burger King is going to have some success with their delivery service with their already established, loyal customers, but will not have a lot of impact on irregular consumers. Although America has always been a nation of fast food, the new trend is eating healthy and being fit. Healthy lifestyles are more and more promoted and gym memberships are on the rise. Burger King’s delivery service does not align with the new trend, but instead makes it easier for people to eat unhealthy.

A way that the company can utilize the delivery service is to introduce healthier menu options. They can then combine the two ideas by promoting the delivery of new salads or other products. Other than that, I do not see this service surviving in the long run. I also do not think that McDonalds will invest in it because if deemed to be successful, then the number one fast food chain would have tried it a lot sooner.

Although Burger King’s delivery service is in the trial stage, they are still following their commitment to convenience for customers. May the odds be ever in their favor.

 

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/burger-king-delivery-chic_n_3141940.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-fast-food-restaurants-in-america-2012-7?op=1

http://www.bk.com/en/us/company-info/about-bk.html

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “The King Delivers: Burger King’s New Delivery Service

  1. I am very interested to see how this works for Burger King. I agree with what you said, they might be successful with their loyal customers, but I don’t think this will help bring in new customers. With sites like GrubHub, the options are endless in terms of delivery food. I can’t imagine too many people picking Burger King over other restaurants. They seem to be targeting big cities which I think will not work well for them. Big cities have so many delivery and restaurant options. I don’t think Burger King can beat out all of those other options. I think Burger King would actually be the last option for many people. Burger King is known to be fast food, typically through a drive thru. People eat Burger King on the go. Burger King has been going through a lot of changes lately to keep up with the changing fast food market. I don’t think this change will help Burger King at all. I just can’t see a fast food chain like Burger King being successful in the delivery business.

  2. Very interesting post on Burger King. I remember reading a previous post about Burger King’s plans to renovate their restaurant interiors to invoke a more homey feel. But like the poster and previous commenter mentioned, I do not see this additional service provided by the fast food chain as being very successful in the long run. It takes the phrase “on the go” to another level, but I do not believe it would work the other way around just because of the nature of their product. Jimmy John’s has a similar approach, but I feel that they fit more within this niche because it is the status quo. You’re more likely to want a gourmet sandwich delivered to you than a cheap meal of burgers and fries. Instead, Burger King should focus on diversifying its product line into possibly healthier options like many of its fast food competitors are focusing on.

  3. I think it is a great and convenient idea for customers, however I also dont see it being successful. Many of the customers who eat fast food eat it on the go because it’s fast! even though deliveries are convenient, I dont think customers are thinking to ordering such when they can just go get it themselves. Fast food restaurants are found in almost every corner, specially metropolitan areas.

  4. I agree with the previous comments about this new way to market with delivery cannot be seen as successful. Most people like delivery from fancy restaurants not fast food restaurants. I personally like to buy from fast food restaurants myself and would probably not ever get delivery. Deliveries are convenient but I don’t think it would ever work for fast food restaurants.

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