Is Burger King s fast food philosophy failing?

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Albert Robertson
5 years ago
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1 a. Warmer How many fast food restaurants can you name in one minute? Please write your answers inside the burger. b. c. How many of these restaurants sell burgers and fries? How many of them sell salads and other healthy options? Key words Write the words from the article into the gaps. he paragraph numbers are given to help you. fertile prospered diversified launching creepy chain discontent philosophy adverts value marketing push diners A is a group of businesses such as stores, hotels or restaurants that all belong to the same person or company. (para ) A is a system of beliefs that influences someone s decisions and behaviour. (para ) Something that did well, was successful and made a lot of money. (para ) are people who are eating a meal at a restaurant. (para ) he of something is measured by the amount that it is worth compared to the money that it costs. (para ) If a company has, it has developed new products or activities in addition to the ones already provided. (para 5) When a company is new products it is starting to sell them to the public. (para 6) A is a special effort made by a company to encourage people to buy their product. (para 7) is another word for unhappy or dissatisfied. (para 8) A market is one that is able to produce good results. (para 8) are short films or pictures and words in a magazine or newspaper that aim to encourage people to buy a particular product. (para 9) Something that is is unpleasant in a way that makes you feel nervous or frightened. (para 9) ROM WEBSIE

2 5 6 Burger King sales fall again Andrew Clark in New York ebruary, 00 he world s second-largest hamburger chain, Burger King, is struggling to control a fall in sales. It is being criticized for having an unimaginative menu as well as a narrow philosophy of sticking to flame-grilled meat sandwiches and fries. While its larger rival, McDonald s, has prospered from families trading down in the recession, Burger King has been floundering. or the third consecutive quarter, compared to McDonald s, sales in Burger King s,078 restaurants were down by % globally and % in North America. Its customers, particularly in the US, tend to come from poorer economic groups, including a large proportion of black or Hispanic diners, who have been hit particularly badly by unemployment. Burger King s shares have slumped by 9% over the last year, while McDonald s stock has surged by %. aced with tough economic conditions, Burger King has chosen value for money. In Britain, it offers cheeseburger meals for 99 while in the US, it has been selling double cheeseburgers for $ each. And while McDonald s has diversified into salads, paninis and cappuccinos in the hope of satisfying so-called soccer moms, the Burger King menu remains firmly rooted in burgers, fries and fizzy drinks. Rather than broadening its customer base, Burger King has focused on getting more out of the chain s so-called superfans who visit Burger King restaurants more than nine times each month. Burger King has adopted a narrow philosophy while McDonald s is going after everyone, says Ron Paul, president of a food industry consultancy, echnomic. I don t think they ve been as strong at launching new products. hey haven t been able to break into the breakfast market McDonald s, kind of, owns the breakfast space he picture is better in Britain, which has been among the few bright spots for Burger King. aced with weak sales back in 006, Burger King invested $m to strengthen its UK operation and a marketing push has been successful. A spokesman said new products such as Angus Burgers and the spiced-up Angry Whopper have sold well. But on Wall Street, Burger King has been losing support from investors since a profits warning last April. here s a lot of discontent, a lot of uncertain investors out there, said Steve West, a restaurants analyst, who points out that the US ought to be a fertile market. In 006, Americans spent almost half of their food dollars in restaurants. We re lazy, we don t know how to cook. We eat out a lot. In an effort to improve sales, Burger King has used a grinning, crowned character called the King in its adverts. But the Wall Street Journal remarked this week that while some people found this cool, others thought it creepy. Burger King is also introducing a bold industrial look for its stores with corrugated metal, brick, wood and concrete, flame chandeliers and liquid crystal menus. And the first Burger King in Russia opened last month. In a few locations, such as Miami s South Beach, Burger King has gone into the bar business by offering beer alongside burgers. And it has made some modest moves to provide healthier items Burger King added apple chunks to its US children s menu last year and introduced chicken with lower sodium. But critics say these moves are coming too late. Burger King aren t really doing anything wrong, says Paul. It s more a matter that McDonald s, in particular, seems to be doing everything right. Guardian News & Media 00 irst published in he Guardian, 0/0/0 ROM WEBSIE

3 Comprehension check Are the sentences true () or false () according to the information in the article? Correct any sentences that are false. Burger King s sales have fallen more in Europe than in the USA. In the USA many people who dine in fast food restaurants come from poorer economic groups. Burger King has been concentrating its sales drives on soccer moms. Superfans are customers who go to Burger King twice a week on average. In Britain, Burger King has increased prices in an attempt to go up-market. Burger King s crowned character the King has been removed from its marketing campaigns because it is too creepy. Burger King is offering healthier options in some of its restaurants. Burger King has had some success in Europe with its Angry breakfasts. Language: Opposites Un-jumble the letters of the words below to find words from the article that have the opposite meaning to those in the table. KWAE ERBE LDERUON RIGHB IPRO RNGOW + positive - negative prosper strong right loss worse dark ROM WEBSIE

4 5 Planning and presentation You have been asked to suggest new products for Burger King in order to improve sales and increase their customer base. Write your notes in the table below and then present your results to the class. product name target customers ingredients packaging price 6 Webquest Compare Burger King s the King character with McDonald s Ronald McDonald character What can you find out about the two companies business philosophies from their websites? ROM WEBSIE

5 KEY Key words Language: Opposites chain philosophy prospered diners value diversified launching marketing push discontent fertile adverts creepy prosper profit strong better right bright + positive flounder loss weak worse wrong dark - negative Comprehension check ROM WEBSIE

READING: The Impossible Hamburger

N A M E : READING: The Impossible Hamburger Vocabulary Preview Match the words on the left with the meanings on the right. 1. environment A. a food that is added to a dish or recipe 2. impossible B. to