BURGER KING INTRODUCES LEFT-HANDED WHOPPER
More than 32 Million Americans Could Benefit
April 22, 1998 (AP) -- Burger King Corporation today announced the
launch of the new Left-Handed WHOPPER, which will become available
nationwide tomorrow. America's most preferred premium hamburger will
feature the trademark build of lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles,
mayonnaise, ketchup and 4-ounce flame broiled hamburger patty, but the
newly designed sandwich has been re-engineered to fit more comfortably
in the left hand, thereby reducing condiment "spills" for left-handed
hamburger lovers. It is estimated that more than 1.4 million left-handed
customers visit U.S. Burger King restaurants each day.
The new left-handed sandwich will have all condiments rotated 180
degrees, thereby redistributing the weight of the sandwich so that the
bulk of the condiments will skew to the left, thereby reducing the
amount of lettuce and other toppings from spilling out the right side of
the burger. The exact method of rotation is a closely held proprietary
secret, and Burger King officials would not allowed it to be viewed by
members of the press.
"We have always been proud of the fact that we offered 1,024 ways to
order our flagship WHOPPER sandwich. Now we are offering 1,025 ways.
It's the ultimate 'HAVE IT YOUR WAY' for our left-handed customers,"
said Jim Watkins, senior vice president for marketing for Burger King
Corporation.
It is estimated that approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population (or
32.5 million people) is left-handed, making this consumer group one of
the largest--and one of the most over-looked--minority segments in the
country.
The new left handed WHOPPER will be launched in a full-page ad in USA
TODAY on Thursday. Initially, the Left-Handed WHOPPER will only be
available in the U.S., however, the company is considering plans to roll
it out to other countries with large left-handed populations.
Industry analyst, Myron Katz, expressed doubt about Burger King's latest
offering. "The new left-handed WHOPPER will probably be a dismal
failure
like last year's left-handed straws."
Jim Watkins countered his claim by explaining that "the left-handed
straw
campaign failed because it was 'too successful.' It's a well know fact
that lefties tend to hoard left-handed items. When word got out on the
streets, we were literally swamped with lefties at all of our locations.
It was impossible to re-tool the straw factories quickly enough to meet
the demand for left-handed straws, so we cancelled the campaign and used
the resources to fund this year's Mr. Potato Head promotion."
Burger King Corporation and its franchisees operate more than 9500
restaurants in all 50 states and in 56 countries and international
territories around the world. In fiscal year 1997, Burger King had
systemwide sales of $9.8 billion. Burger King Corporation is a
subsidiary of Diageo plc, one of the world's largest branded consumer
products businesses. |
