Burger King ... to your door ?

[Hum]

Burger King, the No. 2 burger chain, has quietly begun testing home delivery of its burgers, fries and other sandwiches since fall at four of its restaurants in the greater Washington, D.C., area, with an eye on expanding beyond that.

Should home delivery catch on for the burger giants ? as it has for the pizza kingpins ? it could be an industry changer. But it runs counter to long-held consumer perception that fast-food burgers and fries travel poorly ? and don't warm up well in the microwave. It also would require millions of hungry folks to change their at-home eating habits. "There are some real food-quality issues here," says Ron Paul, president of research firm Technomic. "But there's no question that consumer expectation for having things delivered has risen."

In an electronic age of instant everything ? when millions of consumers expect to get what they want at the click of a button ? the logic may seem sound. But what about those soggy fries and limp burgers that folks fear go hand-in-hand with home delivery?

Well, Burger King has developed a "proprietary thermal packaging technology," says Jonathan Fitzpatrick, chief brand and operations officer for Burger King, "which ensures the Whopper is delivered hot and fresh, and the french fries are delivered hot and crispy."

There's a $2 delivery fee. And depending on the store (three in Maryland and one in Virginia), minimum orders vary from $8 to $10.

The stores try to deliver within 30 minutes of the time a phone or online order is received. Delivery customers must live within a 10-minute drive of the store. All soft-drink orders are in bottles. And breakfast items are not delivered. Delivery times are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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[Rudy]

It works good for pizza because it starts REALLY hot and is still good if it's not extremely hot but a luke warm burger sounds gross

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

I will not even eat Burger King if i have to go there let alone would want to order the food and have them come to my house. i am not certain how they are the number 2 burger chain if their food is soo horrible. Not to mention all of their locations except for one locally have closed because no one eats there.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

How odd, I was talking with a friend about this last night.

If they tried it here in Switzerland, I'd be up for trying it. Sadly though there are only two burger kings "nearby" - one at Geneva airport and another at some service station on the motorway between Geneva and Lausanne. :(

[Dapen]

It's not good to make it easier for people to eat bad food. Money, money, money, in a rich Mans world!

[Hum]

I get cold burgers from the restaurants themselves. :laugh:

I can imagine what delivered food would be like.

I doubt the drivers will be paid well, either.

[vincent]

Cold fries = leather strips...

[webeagle12]

Nothing better than cold coffee to spice up your day.

[Menge]

Both BK and McD's have had this service in Brazil for ever :p Funny the US only gets it now.

[Japlabot]

McDonalds already does delivery in SE Asia. Personally I think that Subway would be better suited for delivery.

[Dan~]

I get cold burgers from the restaurants themselves. :laugh:

I can imagine what delivered food would be like.

I doubt the drivers will be paid well, either.

Exactly what I was thinking!

[GatorV]

They already do this here at M?xico lol, I find it a little disturbing tho... too many calories and delivered to your door step...

[ShareShiz]

i heard about this on the radio today. most stupid idea ive ever heard

[Astra.Xtreme]

Might as well give it a shot. If anything, it will create some jobs.