Burger King removes Whopper from discount menu
Burger chain's parent company, Restaurant Brands International, plans to raise menu prices
Burger King is removing its iconic Whopper sandwich from its discount menu, and its parent company plans to raise prices across the board to offset higher costs.
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Given inflationary pressures, Tom Curtis, the president of Burger King's North America operations, said on an earnings call Tuesday that the burger chain lifted "some price caps on some selected items" and "removed Whopper from our core discount" menu.
A Burger King Whopper sandwich and fries are shown at a Burger King in Allison Park, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar / AP Images)
However, he acknowledged that the burger – a quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patty – is its "strongest brand equity" that is core to its growth.
With that in mind, the brand will still look for an "opportunity for some incremental discounting there in the future, but it won't be every day," he added.
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Moving forward, Burger King will be "purposeful and targeted when we choose to promote this iconic asset," Curtis said.
A sign advertising the new Burger King turkey burger is displayed at the drive thru of a Burger King restaurant in Oakland, California. ( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Curtis noted that the customers should expect to see additional price increases in 2022 due to "the level of commodity cost and labor inflation."
Restaurant Brands International CEO José Cil said the company "saw sequential improvements in each brand and around the world, including notable growth at Tim Hortons Canada and Burger King U.S." throughout the last three months of 2021. RBI is the parent company of Burger King and Tim Hortons.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QSR | RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. | 69.72 | +0.11 | +0.16% |
Still, he said during an earnings call Tuesday that its brands have "not been immune" to staffing challenges and inflationary pressures that are hitting the entire industry.
"We're hyper-focused on alleviating near-term pressures by driving sales and traffic in conjunction with recommending staffing initiatives and pricing strategies," he said.