Burger King Delivers to Homes in Maryland, Virginia
Burger King’s delivery may be the fast food of the future.
The popular fast food chain famous for its inexpensive hamburgers has begun experimenting with home delivery of its meals in select areas.
"We are currently testing the service to bring this convenience to the United States, starting with a just a few restaurants in the DC area," Burger King said in a statement.
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Right now, delivery is limited to nine stores in Maryland and six in Virginia, but more should be added by next week, according to The New York Daily News.
Even though Burger King is attempting to profit from Americans’ increasing desire for convenience, there are a few limitations to the delivery service.
The first is distance. A customer ordering from a restaurant naturally wants the food quickly and with a surefire influx of orders, deliveries could be back up quickly. Burger King’s solution is that every home delivery must be within 10 minutes of a restaurant, so urban residents will most likely get the delivery service first.
Also, the type of orders customers can make will be streamlined to a slightly smaller menu. Milkshakes, coffee and fountain drinks will not be available. In addition, orders can only be made from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., making the BK breakfast only available at the store.
Burger King’s focus is to make sure “the Whopper is delivered hot and fresh, and the french fries are delivered hot and crispy,” John Fitzpatrick, a Burger King official, told USA Today.
“Proprietary thermal packaging technology” is used to ensure customers aren’t dissatisfied with soggy burgers and cold fries.
Michael S. Rosenwald of The Washington Post confirmed that Burger King’s thermal packaging worked like a charm.
“I thought the fries would be lukewarm, but they were hot and crispy,” he wrote.
“Nice move, Burger King,” Rosenwald added.
The only possible downside could be the actual delivery. Like Domino’s, Burger King is aiming for a 30-minute delivery process. Rosenwald’s order, which was above the $10 requirement, took an hour.
The company may still be making the system work, however.
“We need to go through the winter, see how it works, iron out any teaks,” Fitzpatrick told The Washington Post. “I think some time by the spring of (2013) we will be able to put our heads together and see if this thing has the legs that we think it will.”
