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Burger King's New Concept: Smaller Restaurants, Menus

Tribune photo by JEFF HOUCK

Juan Mores, 21, of Brazil, (left, in hat) stands with the Burger King mascot at the opening of the Whopper Bar at Universal's CityWalk in Orlando on Tuesday. Mores was the first person to order a Whopper at the new quick-serve restaurant, the first of its type for the company.

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By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 10, 2009

ORLANDO - Three decades ago, Burger King invited customers to, "Have it your way." Today, the Miami-based corporation unveiled a new Whopper Bar restaurant concept at Universal CityWalk that gives diners the option to choose from 22 sandwich toppings.

The new 700-square-foot, quick-serve restaurant is a scaled-down version of a traditional 3,500-square-foot Burger King franchise. Also pared down is the menu, which uses the iconic Whopper sandwich as the cornerstone of the food offerings.

The company is using the new concept to remake its image with different uniforms for crew members, a more modern and industrial design and a separate T-shirt studio that lets "superfans" buy customized BK garb.

Along with basic burgers, premium "bar favorites" include a Bourbon Whopper (made with bourbon-flavored sauce), an Angry Whopper (with spicy sauce, jalapeno cheese and onions) and a three-cheese Steakhouse XT burger.

The company's grand opening was full of fanfare today as corporate executives and media gathered outside the restaurant. Even The King, Burger King's giant-headed mascot, got an escort from two leggy models in slinky black dresses. (For the record, Juan Mores, a 21-year-old tourist visiting from Brazil, ordered the first Whopper Bar burger.)

Chuck Fallon, Burger King's president for North America, said the restaurant's smaller operating footprint and streamlined menu makes the concept flexible enough to fit in such non-traditional spots as cruise ships, casinos and sports stadiums.

Fallon said the Whopper Bar was inspired by a restaurant in Germany that uses storefronts on opposite sides of its building to serve different menus to customers.

"That was six months ago we saw that," Fallon said. "In our world, that's a lightning-fast turnaround to be able to open today."

Reporter Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324

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