Burger King MY invests RM30m to open 25 outlets, shifts focus to digital

Burger King Malaysia's franchisee Cosmo Restaurants is investing RM30 million to open 25 new outlets by year-end, adding on to the 120 restaurants it currently manages. The plan to grow its restaurant base by 20% comes a month after Burger King underwent a rebrand in January after more than 20 years, featuring a minimalist logo that was inspired by the retro one used from 1969 to 1999. The blue curve used since 1999 is also now gone.

The new restaurants in Malaysia will bear the new visual identity. It will also be rolling out the new brand logo, packaging, crew uniforms and restaurant signage and décor to other current outlets. Burger King's rebranding features colours which are rich and bold, inspired by the iconic Burger King flame grilling process and fresh ingredients. It also created a new brand font named "Flame", inspired by the shapes of its food.

According to Burger King, the new restaurant design also allows for better management of physical distancing procedures and close contact management as it includes drive-in, QR code ordering system and web applications. Last year, the company invested RM22 million and opened up 18 new restaurants, eight of which were launched last December with the new visual identity. 

Burger King's spokesperson told A+M that the economic slowdown during the pandemic led to the availability of several business sites at very strategic locations. With its vision to grow alongside the recent rebranding exercise, coupled with its capacity to expand and contribute to economic movement and job creation, Burger King felt it was the right move to expand amidst the pandemic.

"We will be setting up new restaurants across Malaysia with central parts of Malaysia being the focus of growth. However, we are actively looking to expand toward the Northern and East Malaysia, in line with the growth of Malaysia’s logistics and transportation route," the spokesperson said. To promote the new stores, Burger King plans to offer 100 free burgers, as per standard practice when there is a store opening. Burger King declined to comment on ROI-related questions as its accounts have yet to be audited.

Meanwhile, Burger King Malaysia CEO Ng Lee Tieng said with the rebrand, the company is "determined to forge ahead and continue with its aggressive expansion plan despite pandemic". She added that the new restaurants will also contribute to job creations across Malaysia. Separately, Burger King has also invested more than RM1 million on disinfectants, gloves and face masks for all its restaurant employees and diners.

Like many other companies, the pandemic has also impacted Burger King's marketing plans in Malaysia. According to the spokesperson, it shifted focus from traditional to digital marketing.

Prior to the pandemic, Burger King was spending up to RM2 million on billboard ads per year. The amount reduced by 50% during the Movement Control Order since fewer consumers were out and about.

"With the upward trend of working from home and food delivery we too have shifted our focus to digital. Additionally, with the new visual identity that focuses a lot on digital platforms such as QR ordering system and web applications, digital adoption will be accelerated for sure," the spokesperson said. It is currently working with Shopperplus for creative duties while media buys are done internally by its digital team. 

"With the recent announcement of MyDigital blueprint which promises the acceleration of 5G, coupled with Burger King’s new visual identity, we will definitely be focusing on digital marketing to future proof our strategies as 5G will allow for faster and more meaningful engagement with our customers," the spokesperson said.

In line with the new visual identity, it is bringing back the Burger King Salmon Mentaiko burger for a limited period of time. It is also working towards a full rebranding, from packaging to design and new brand direction to remove colours, flavours and preservatives from artificial sources from its sources and recipes.

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