It's almost time for lunch so....
"Upscale New Zealand burger chain coming to US" by Jonathan Hutchison | New York Times May 12, 2014
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Inside the headquarters of BurgerFuel Worldwide is a spray-painted mural of a skull wearing a combat helmet emblazoned with the slogan “Born to Grill.”
Executives at BurgerFuel, a New Zealand fast-food chain, say the image — a takeoff on the film “Full Metal Jacket” — reflects the company’s attitude. This year, BurgerFuel, a relatively small player, is undertaking an ambitious expansion plan in the crowded US market through a partnership with Subway restaurants.
(Blog editor promptly puts down burger as he has lost appetite)
WTF kind of marketing association is that when the signature scene from that film has an overweight soldier who was bullied gunning down his drill sergeant before blowing his own brains out?
I want to know WHAT SICKOS are THINKING of these things in MARKETING DEPARTMENTS all across the corporate world, and why NO ONE is speaking up in the MEETINGS and saying, "You know, maybe this isn't that good an idea."
Is it ALL about the PAYCHECK because you are out the door without sucking senior executive tube steak?
The partnership is unique, according to BurgerFuel’s group chief executive, Josef Roberts.
***************
Subway is the world’s largest fast-food chain by number of stores, with revenue of $12.05 billion in 2012, according to the research firm Euromonitor International.
They turned the subs into cereal.
BurgerFuel is small fry, with about $10.3 million in revenue in its 2013 annual report.
BurgerFuel hopes to use Subway’s scale in the United States by signing up some of its franchisees to open BurgerFuel stores. The company has been taking registrations from interested Subway franchise owners.
BurgerFuel began selling burgers in 1995 with a single restaurant in Ponsonby. Since then, it has expanded to 57 outlets in New Zealand and overseas.
The burgers are marketed as having high-quality ingredients, including fresh vegetables and aioli sauce, New Zealand beef from grass-fed cows, and vegetarian options. Recently the company announced it would use only free-range chicken in its New Zealand restaurants. And although Roberts said he could not commit to doing the same in the United States, he said attracting ethical and health-conscious consumers was important.
“We don’t upsize,” Roberts said. “We’re not about filling up a liter of Coca-Cola to go with the product; you know, I’d much prefer people to have a bottled water.”
He added, “We’re about not wanting to put out a regret meal; it’s really about a meal that you can go in and you can feel good about.”
The United States presents challenges for BurgerFuel. The fast-food business is crowded, with 256,000 outlets, according to Euromonitor International figures from 2012, the most recent data available.
Elizabeth Friend, a senior research analyst at Euromonitor International, said there was still room in the upscale hamburger industry, which BurgerFuel is aiming at. But she said the company would have to distinguish itself from brands like Five Guys and Epic Burger.
Meanwhile, the rest of us can go to McDonald's or Burger King and choke down some pink slime, horse meat, or whatever the hell it is sloppily squashed between two buns.
--more--"
