1. Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3 Advanced
1 Warmer
a. Name as many fast food outlets as you can in one minute. Please write your answers inside the burger.
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
b. How many of these restaurants sell burgers and fries?
c. How many of them sell salads and other healthy options?
2 Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
outlets sceptical fertile emerging diversified
philosophy opting for diners suing franchisees
1. ___________________ are people or companies that have the license to sell a particular type of goods or
services. (para 1)
2. A ___________________ is a system of beliefs that influences someone’s decisions and behaviour. (para 1)
3. ___________________ are people who are eating a meal at a restaurant. (para 3)
4. When you are ___________________ something, you are making a choice or decision from a range of
possibilities. (para 4)
5. When you are ___________________ someone, you are making a legal claim against them, usually to get
money from them because they have done something bad to you. (para 4)
6. If a company has ___________________, it has developed new products or activities in addition to the ones
already provided. (para 5)
7. ___________________ are shops or places where a particular product is sold. (para 5)
8. Someone who is ___________________ has doubts about something that other people think is true or right.
(para 8)
9. A ___________________ market is one that is able to produce good results. (para 8)
10. An ___________________ market is one that is just beginning or starting to become noticed. (para 10)
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
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2. Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3 Advanced
Burger King sales fall again launching new products. They haven’t been able
to break into the breakfast market – McDonald’s,
Andrew Clark in New York kind of, owns the breakfast space.”
4 February, 2010
7 The picture is better in Britain, which has been
1 The world’s second-largest hamburger chain, among the few bright spots for Burger King.
Burger King, is struggling to control a seemingly Faced with weak sales back in 2006, Burger
unstoppable erosion in sales and is under fire King invested $3m to “fortify” its UK operation
over an unimaginative menu, conflicts with and a marketing push has since paid off. A
franchisees and a ‘narrow philosophy’ of sticking spokesman said new products such as Angus
to flame-grilled meat sandwiches and fries. Burgers and the spiced-up Angry Whopper have
played well, “Comparable sales trends have
2 While its larger rival, McDonald’s, has prospered been favourable even amidst these difficult
from families ‘trading down’ in the recession,
economic times as consumers continue to seek
Burger King has been floundering. For the third
our quality affordable food offerings.”
consecutive quarter, like-for-like sales in Burger
King’s 12,078 restaurants were down with a drop 8 But on Wall Street, Burger King has been losing
of 2% globally and 3.3% in North America. support from investors since a profits warning
last April. “There’s a lot of discontent, a lot of
3 Its customers, particularly in the US, tend to
sceptical investors out there,” said Steve West,
come from poorer economic groups, including
a restaurants analyst, who points out that the US
a large proportion of black or Hispanic diners,
ought to be a fertile market. “Americans, at the
who have been hit particularly badly by
peak of the boom in 2006, spent almost half of
unemployment. Burger King’s shares have
their food dollars in restaurants. We’re lazy, we
slumped by 19% over the last year, while
don’t know how to cook. We eat out a lot.”
McDonald’s stock has surged by 12%.
9 In an effort to improve sales, Burger King has
4 Faced with tough economic conditions, Burger
used a grinning, crowned character called ‘the
King has opted for value. In Britain, it offers
King’ in its adverts. But the Wall Street Journal
cheeseburger meals for £1.99 while in the US
remarked this week that while some people
it has been selling double cheeseburgers for
found this “cool”, others thought it “creepy”.
$1 each – a strategy that has infuriated Burger
King franchisees who are suing the corporation 10 Burger King is also introducing a bold ‘industrial
for forcing them to sell burgers at a loss. look’ for its stores with corrugated metal, brick,
The National Franchisee Association, which wood and concrete, flame chandeliers and
represents 80% of the firm’s 850 US restaurant liquid crystal menus. As part of an effort to
owners, accused it of forcing price cuts ‘down tap emerging markets, the first Burger King in
the system’s throat’. Russia opened last month.
5 And while McDonald’s has diversified into 11 In a few locations, such as Miami’s South Beach,
salads, paninis and cappuccinos in the hope of Burger King has gone into the bar business by
satisfying so-called ‘soccer moms’, the Burger offering beer alongside burgers. And it has made
King menu remains firmly rooted in burgers, some modest moves to provide healthier items
fries and fizzy drinks. Rather than broadening – Burger King added apple chunks to its US
its customer base, Burger King has focused children’s menu last year and introduced chicken
on squeezing more out of the chain’s so-called with lower sodium. But critics say these moves
‘superfans’ who visit outlets more than nine are coming too late.
times each month. 12 “Burger King aren’t really doing anything wrong,”
6 “Burger King has adopted a narrow philosophy says Paul. “It’s more a matter that McDonald’s,
while McDonald’s is going after everyone,” says in particular, seems to be doing everything right.”
Ron Paul, president of a food industry consultancy, © Guardian News & Media 2010
Technomic. “I don’t think they’ve been as strong at First published in The Guardian, 04/02/10
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
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3. Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3 Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Choose the correct answer according to the information in the article.
1. Burger King’s sales have ...
a. … fallen more in Europe than in the USA.
b. … fallen more in the USA than in Europe.
c. … fallen in Europe but remained steady in the USA.
2. In the USA, many people who dine in fast food restaurants ...
a. … are unemployed.
b. … come from poorer economic groups.
c. … are immigrants.
3. Burger King has been concentrating its sales drives on ...
a. … ‘soccer moms’.
b. … blacks and Hispanics.
c. … ‘superfans’.
4. Burger King franchisees are angry because ...
a. … Burger King’s low prices are forcing them to sell burgers at a loss.
b. … McDonalds is forcing them out of the market.
c. … they have lost sales due to the recession.
5. In Britain, Burger King has ...
a. … increased prices in an attempt to go up-market.
b. … broken into the breakfast market.
c. … launched new successful products.
6. Burger King’s crowned character ‘the King’ has been ...
a. … a moderate success.
b. … scaring children away from restaurants.
c. … removed from its marketing campaigns.
4 Language: Opposites
Find words in the article that have the opposite meaning to those in the table.
+ -
positive negative
prosper
slump
worse
dark
strong
unfavourable
unaffordable
loss
right
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
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4. Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3 Advanced
5 Planning and presentation
You have been asked to suggest new products for Burger King in order to improve sales and increase
their customer base. Write your notes in the table below and then present your results, plus ideas for a
marketing concept, to the class.
product name target customers ingredients packaging price
1
2
3
4
6 Webquest
Compare Burger King’s ‘the King’ character with McDonald’s ‘Ronald McDonald’ character.
http://www.bk.com/en/us/company-info/index.html
http://www.ronald.com/
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd.html
What can you find out about the two companies’ business philosophies from their websites?
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
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5. Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3 Advanced
KEY
2 Key words 4 Language: Opposites
1. franchisees
2. philosophy + -
3. diners positive negative
4. opting for prosper flounder
5. suing
surge slump
6. diversified
7. outlets better worse
8. sceptical bright dark
9. fertile strong weak
10. emerging favourable unfavourable
affordable unaffordable
profit loss
3 Comprehension check
right wrong
1. b
2. b
3. c
4. a
5. c
6. a
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
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