Burger King and the fight over the $1 burger

Jennifer McClelland | RSS | Wed, Jul 15 2009 | 1 Comment

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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Tags: coupons, double cheeseburger, menu options