If there is one place we are guaranteed to get decent food with few ingredients and a minimal amount of sodium, it’s Burger King. On the lookout for the golden arches will lead you to a multitude of cheap and fast food joints. But have you ever wondered what the true deal is with Burger King? What makes it so special and, more importantly, why should you care? Let’s take a quick stroll through history to gain some perspective on this iconic American brand.
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The Beginnings
The origin of the Burger King is, in fact, shrouded in mystery. The company has long maintained that it was founded in June 1958, by Richard Edelman and Harvey Cohen. While this may be true, there is no documentation confirming this fact. We can, however, look back in time and trace the history of the fast food chain to its precursor, a hamburger stand Edelman and Cohen opened in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York. This is also the year the first White Castle opened up for business. The two eateries served as inspiration and competition for one another, leading the two founders to conceive the idea for a streamlined restaurant that served cheap and easy-to-make hamburgers. Hence, Burger King was born.
A Family Affair
The aforementioned Edelman and Cohen were no strangers to the restaurant business. Edelman had worked in the food service industry since he was 16 years old and, as a teen, had even cooked for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1939, at the age of 21, he had even started his own restaurant, Edelman’s Cafe, which lasted for only three years. Cohen came from a family of restaurant moguls; his father, Louis, co-owned Abe & Louie’s, a landmark restaurant in Brooklyn. Besides his two brothers, Jack and Sid, Cohen helmed a group of eateries, including Primo’s, which was located in Chicago; the Palm, in New York City and Palm Beach; and Au Barubi, in Paris. In 1958, Edelman and Cohen partnered once again and built upon their history in the industry to create an entirely new chain of restaurants. They named the new entity after their former partner, Henry Heidell, who owned the historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The first Burger King restaurant opened in June 1959 and, as of 2018, the company had grown to 11,000 locations across the globe.
A Worldwide Brand Name
Though the chain grew rapidly in the โ60s and โ70s, it wasn’t until the โ80s that Burger King truly took off. In 1981, the brand opened a restaurant in Tokyo and, in 1987, the first store outside of North America opened in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, the brand has spread like wildfire and continues to expand, with approximately 500 locations open in the next largest city, Los Angeles, California. Today, you’ll usually find a Burger King within a ten-minute walk of anywhere you may be staying in LA.
A Healthy Alternative
Though fast food joints like McDonald’s and Taco Bell were quick to jump on the low-sodium bandwagon, it was Burger King that went the extra mile and incorporated healthier options into their menu. In the โ90s, they began using more natural and organic ingredients and, in 2003, introduced the Black Angus burger, which is now one of the most recognizable products on their menu. The company continues to innovate and, as of 2018, offers a kale, spinach, and goat cheese salad as well as apple slices on their menu.
Burger King hasn’t just focused on nutrition, though. The chain is also responsible for some of the most memorable advertising campaigns in recent history. The โ80s were a golden era for the brand, with memorable slogans like โEat More Burger Kingโ and โWhere taste meets responsibilityโ resonating with consumers. The ads of the day were highly stylized and featured celebrity spokespeople. In the โ90s, the company shifted gears and turned to more of a humorous approach, featuring celebrity impersonators and comedy sketches. While these advertisements might not make for the most inspiring kitchen read, they certainly are memorable.
Though Burger King is most well-known for promoting unhealthy food, the brand has taken steps to improve their image. In 2016, the company partnered with the Global Alliance for Food Security to fight hunger and raise awareness about the issue. More recently, they have been involved with innovative projects like the โBK Mealsโ program, which provides free meals for students across America. Burger King has also invested heavily in their people, offering educational opportunities like the BK Institute, which provides restaurant training, as well as health benefits for their employees. Perhaps the most recognizable and exciting innovation from Burger King is the plant-based Impossible Burger.
All That Glitters…
…is gold. Or, more accurately, the shine that emanates from gold. What would a piece of pop culture be without some sort of shiny connection? When it comes to the Burger King, the connection isโฆ well, you’ll have to decide for yourself. The restaurant has become so iconic that, in 2017, the Professional Coin Grading Service graded a 12-pound, 21.1 karat gold bar, which was the largest and most expensive individual coin ever graded by the organization. The bar, which is worth approximately $350,000, is currently on display at the American Numismatic Association in Denver, Colorado as part of an exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Burger King. So when it comes to the value of your time and effort at Burger King, things can get pretty damn exciting. Or, at the very least, it’s a memory worth cherishing.