French mouths water with the return of Burger King

France 24 ^ | 11/30/2012

[bruinbirdman]

The announcement that US fast food chain Burger King is set to make a return to France after a 15-year hiatus has caused huge excitement, even if only two franchises are planned for 2013.

Burger King is making a return to France after a 15-year hiatus, in news that has set mouths watering in a country better known for its haute cuisine, fine wine and cheeses.

The US fast food chain’s imminent return after it quit the country in 1997, citing the brand’s poor commercial performance, has been the subject of intense and repeated rumours for years.

And the confirmation on Thursday that the iconic Whopper sandwich was on its way back immediately triggered an avalanche of enthusiasm on the Internet.

By lunchtime on Thursday the hashtag #BurgerKing was “trending” as second most popular on Twitter France.

Some Twitter users were disappointed, however, that the chain will only be opening two restaurants – one at Marseille’s Provence Airport and the other at a motorway service station near Reims in the Champagne region - at least initially.

“It is absolutely essential that Burger King opens a restaurant at the Gare de Lyon [in Paris],” tweeted @alyssaw. “The commuters there are always miserable and could do with some cheering up.”

A Burger King spokesperson on Thursday told FRANCE 24 that the restaurant at London’s St Pancras station was consistently packed with “French visitors coming off the Eurostar.”

FRANCE 24 contacted French fast food news and reviews website www.snacking.fr to find out why Burger King had generated such mystique in France, and why the fast food giant’s return was causing so much excitement.

“Those that remember it, miss it, while a younger generation has grown up never having tasted a Whopper,” said site editor Paul Fedèle.

Fedèle explained that since Burger King had left the country, its main competitor McDonalds had successfully re-branded itself to suit French tastes and had become, along with European chain Quick, the “only burger restaurants of reference in France.”

“What’s creating so much buzz at today’s news is that Burger King represents something different, less ‘Frenchified’, more exotic, more American. There is definitely room on the French market for a new reference in burger culture," he said.

“The French want greater burger diversity and they are nostalgic for the return of a brand that was taken away from them, somewhat brutally, 15 years ago.”

[BlueDragon]

It's good to be King, in France

[Tigerized]

Mmm, mmm. Royale, wit’ cheese.

Oh, wait. That’s McDonalds...

[fso301]

[driftless2]

"yeah, I'll have a Whopper, some fries, a milkshake....and some escargot to go."
"Oui, oui, monsieur."

[SkyPilot]

Burger King circa 2012:

overpriced, staffed by uncaring goons, and your "fellow customers" are the EBT crowd.

No thanks.

[Dr. Sivana]

What do they mean, LESS French?! Is it not Burger King that gave us the Croissan'wich and the French Chicken sandwich with real Bleu Cheese food product? And of course, there are always Fries Francaise! That OTHER chain has mostly SCOTTISH food, ugh.

You Tube video promoting "International" chicken sandwiches"

[napscoordinator]

I love Burger King and I don’t fit the description one bit nor do the staff at my local Burger King. No McDonald’s on the other hand.....

[bmwcyle]

Royal with Cheese

[Flick Lives]

Classic scene!

[P.O.E.]

Last weekend went to the re-opened Gino’s (Home of the Giant) in King of Prussia, PA

Fantastic!

Before, and better than, the Big Mac.

[Lockbar]

Funny they are opening new stores. Five burger kings have shut down in local area in the past 4 months.

[Revelation 911]

greatest scene ever

[from occupied ga]

contacted French fast food news and reviews website www.snacking.fr to find out why Burger King had generated such mystique in France, and why the fast food giant’s return was causing so much excitement.

Yea, but they think Jerry Lewis is funny too.

[BobL]

It’s about time they started getting some decent food in that country.

[BobL]

“Five burger kings have shut down in local area in the past 4 months.”

Just can’t beat the $1.00 McDouble, even if you made them yourself (I had 3 for dinner last night). McDonald’s is killing them and probably trying to put them away for good.

[PJ-Comix]

Does anybody know what happened to the BK Sliders of a few years ago? It was obviously an attempt to replicate White
Castle Burgers but failed. Probably because they tasted terrible.

[PJ-Comix]

Oops! That was the informal name. They were actually called BK Burger Shots but they also were terrible.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I would have took note of what they called a Whopper when I was at the Paris BK if If I knew it would be of trivial importance someday. Didn't realize it was around only around a couple of more years after I was there.

[PJ-Comix]

I wonder if McDonalds sells escargot in its French outlets under the name of McSlugs?

[PJ-Comix]

Q: What do they serve for breakfast at the McDonalds outlets in Bangladesh?

A: Egg McNuthin'.

[Average Al]

McDonald's is getting a lot of push back from their franchisees regarding the corp. demands to offer lose leader items on their menus and the requirements for expensive remodeling standards. You might see more of these closing as well.

[Jeff Vader]

so, what they call a whopper? I don’t know, I didn’t go into burger king.

[Dr. Sivana]

McDonald's is getting a lot of push back from their franchisees regarding the corp. demands to offer lose leader items on their menus and the requirements for expensive remodeling standards. You might see more of these closing as well.

I don't think so. McDonald's is still the gold standard for franchising, so the license would probably be transferred/sold to someone else, or taken by McDonald's itself (they have been known to own their own outlets cyclically).

It is EXTREMELY rare stateside to see a McDonald's close down without a replacement go up within eyesight, usually at a better location.

[Average Al]

Check out this article from last month:

http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-franchisees-unhappy-2012-10