Burger King Wants To Combine Tradition, Broader Focus Under $400M Plan

CONNECTICUT — Burger King Restaurants in Connecticut will be seeing more chicken offerings, restaurant renovations and the Whopper perhaps wearing a fast food crown again under a nationwide $400 million investment plan to be implemented over over the next two years.

The Reclaim the Flame plan was announced Friday. It is designed to accelerate sales growth in the U.S. and drive franchisee profitability, said Tom Curtis, the president of Burger King North America.

Curtis said the strategy includes $250 million to make restaurants more appealing and update technology and kitchen equipment. A total of $120 million will be dedicated to to beef-up advertising and $30 million will be spent on app upgrades, Curtis added.

Burger King franchisees representing more than 93 percent of all U.S. restaurants have endorsed the plan and have agreed to "co-invest in increased advertising firepower over the coming years," Curtis said.

Here are a few major components of the Reclaim the Flame Plan:

• An enhanced brand perception
• Boosted "everyday value offerings"
• More advertising
• "High quality modernization" of restaurants
• Improved service and execution
• Revamping the traditional "Flame Grilling" and "Have it Your Way," brand slogans while also introducing "new brand elements" to broaden BK's attraction "for a younger and more diverse base of guests"

Bringing back the Whopper to an "elevated position" in the fast food world while adding the Royal Crispy Chicken with "unique flavor variations is a menu goal under the plan. The latter is part of an effort to build "a destination-worthy chicken sandwich portfolio, officials said.

The BK Original Chicken Sandwich is staying too, officials said. So is the "core burger category," officials said.

"Burger King is currently developing innovative products to accelerate industry leadership in burgers, breakfast, beverages, snacking, and plant-based products," officials said. "In addition, the brand will continue to provide a strong everyday value offering in its menu, especially as the cost of food at home continues to face inflationary pressures."

Burger King has a hefty concentration of restaurants in north central Connecticut with locations that include Enfield, Vernon, Manchester, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Hartford, East Windsor, Windsor Locks, Bloomfield, Newington and Berlin in Hartford and Tolland counties.

BK has a presence in Windham County in Willimantic and in Fairfield County in Norwalk.