Burger King facts

  • The company, originally called Insta-Burger King, it was owned and operated by Keith J. Kramer and his wife's uncle, Matthew Burns.
  • In 1955, David Edgerton and James McLamore, purchased the company and rechristened it Burger King.
  • There are actually 12,000 Burger King Restaurants worldwide.
  • The company has more than 41,000 employees serving approximately 11.4 million customers daily.
  • Burger King can be found in 73 countries.
  • There are more than 7,300 Burger King Restaurants in the U.S. alone.
  • At the end of its fiscal 2010 year, Burger King is the second largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in the world behind McDonald's.
  • While Burger King lags behind McDonald's in international locations by over 12,000 stores, it has managed to become the largest chain in several countries including Mexico and Spain. 
  • The Whopper was introduced in 1957 which was three years after the restaurant opened.
  • The original Whopper sold for $.37 cents.
  • Not all introductions have had the success of the Whopper; Burger King has introduced many products which failed to catch hold in the marketplace. Some products that have failed in the US have seen success in foreign markets, where Burger King has also tailored its menu for regional tastes.
  • On 2 September 2010, it was announced that the company had accepted a purchase offer from 3G Capital, a company backed by the Brazilian billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira, in a deal valued at $3.26bn.