Burger King and the fight over the $1 burger

Jul 15, 2009 1 Comment by Jennifer McClelland

After franchisees vetoed a proposal to offer the double cheeseburger on the menu for $1, Burger King’s corporate headquarters will be mailing out customers coupons through August and September to get the burger at the reduced cost.

The drop in price was designed to lure customers away from the dollar menu at McDonald’s and into Burger King. As everyone knows, McDonald’s is the champion of cheap, $1 hamburgers, especially double cheeseburgers. However, yesterday the news broke that franchisees had vetoed the price and corporate had to do something to try to appease everyone.

The burger usually costs $2 or more in most areas, the $1 price was only intended to be temporary.

The coupons will be sent out to nearly 80 million households across the country and will be included in a coupon booklet with nearly $50 in savings to each booklet. Those customers will have 60 days to redeem the coupons.

In a statement, the company said it “remains fully focused on its value offerings and delivering value for the money to its guests,” adding that “many product and menu options are always in development and under consideration.”

The statement didn’t mention that the burger is being sold for $1 in some markets already.

I say, just stick with the $1 Whopper Jr. and throw some cheese on it for free. From a strictly marketing point of view, I believe that promoting fast food starting in August and September is a great way to drum up some business because people get particularly health conscious in the summer when they’re trying to look good at the beach, but they tend to be a bit more relaxed (overall) in the Fall and Winter months.

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Business, Commentary, Consumer

About the author

Jennifer is a quirky, opinionated marketing communications graduate with an emphasis in broadcast journalism and public relations. She spends her free time catching up on the latest news, politics, and world events. Her hobbies include cooking, shopping, surfing the net(while listening to the TV), and hanging out with friends.

One Response to “Burger King and the fight over the $1 burger”

  1. David @Fast Food Coupons says:

    Hi! Thank you for this post about Burger King’s $1 advertising coupons. I’m all for Burger King going against the franchisees and mailing out the $1 coupons. It’s a great way to simply get people into their restaurants. Most people end up ordering something extra during the summer months (like and ice cream or shake) anyways so these franchisees should make more money anyways. I just cannot understand why people in the fast food industry are so cheap when it comes to coupon advertising. A well though out coupon advertising strategy is an absolute must in order to compete and make a profit. Thanks so much, David

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