MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 10, 2009-- America’s favorite burger is raising the bar! The iconic WHOPPER® sandwich will be front and center as Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) today officially opens the world’s first WHOPPER™ Bar restaurant at Universal CityWalk® at Universal Orlando® Resort in Orlando, Fla. Elevating the HAVE IT YOUR WAY® brand promise to new heights, the WHOPPER™ Bar restaurant embodies the power of personal choice by offering guests a customizable, premium and indulgent WHOPPER®-based menu.

“The official opening of the world’s first WHOPPER™ Bar is designed to deliver the ultimate HAVE IT YOUR WAY® experience,” said Russ Klein, president, global marketing, strategy and innovation, Burger King Corp. “This concept allows us to deliver America’s favorite burger in a completely personalized and premium way, and serves as a unique ‘innovation lab’ for new burgers.”

WHOPPER™ Bar: How it Works

Burger-lovers select from a WHOPPER® sandwich, DOUBLE WHOPPER® sandwich or the new Steakhouse XT™ – a casual dining quality burger that boasts an extra-thick patty – and then choose from 22 different WHOPPER® sandwich toppings “fit for a King.” Sandwiches are built to order by an expert “WHOPPER®-ista” from the WHOPPER® Topper, a visible toppings theater that allows guests to choose from favorites like A.1.® Thick & Hearty steak sauce, smoked bacon, Angry onions and guacamole. Guests looking for a little guidance can opt for “Bar Favorites,” which include new sandwiches, like the Bourbon WHOPPER® sandwich, Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT™ and Pepper Bacon Steakhouse XT™ burgers and more familiar offerings, like the Angry WHOPPER® sandwich.

WHOPPER™ Bar: Restaurant of the Future

Capitalizing on America’s favorite burger, the WHOPPER™ Bar is a completely new, enhanced spin-off concept of the traditional restaurant with a crisp, modern, bar-like look and feel that utilizes the WHOPPER® sandwich’s flame-broiling as inspiration. Crew uniforms will be transformed, emphasizing the red, black and gray color scheme of the bar setting, and boast a more contemporary cut that matches the look and feel of this bold new approach. Even the product packaging is all new. The sandwich will be served in an upgraded, carton-like box – a necessity when it comes to holding as many additional toppings as guests wish to add.

Beyond the first WHOPPER™ Bar at Universal CityWalk®, Burger King Corp. is planning to introduce the concept on a global scale over the next six to 12 months, including Munich in early summer. It is also targeting additional U.S. and international locations, such as Los Angeles, New York and Singapore.

The Burger King Corp./ Universal Orlando® Resort Partnership

Universal CityWalk® is Universal Orlando® Resort’s 30-acre restaurant, shopping and nighttime entertainment complex. The new WHOPPER™ Bar restaurant at CityWalk adds to an already strong line-up of restaurant choices in the area, and it becomes one of the complex’s first quick service options.

“We saw a desire for quick, casual meals among our guests, and Burger King Corp.’s WHOPPER™ Bar is a perfect fit for our resort and our brand,” said Ric Florell, senior vice president and general manager of resort revenue operations.

BURGER KING^SM Studio Ups the Ante

WHOPPER® fans looking to take home a piece of the WHOPPER™ Bar can also pay a visit to the highly-engaging BURGER KING^SM Studio kiosk. There, guests can create customized t-shirts using original designs by young, cutting-edge artists who were inspired by the BURGER KING® brand and have them printed on-site.

Part art gallery, part creative laboratory, BURGER KING^SM Studio first hit the underground scene in Chicago last fall. The outpost at Universal CityWalk® marks the next stage of the concept, which Burger King Corp. makes available via an interactive Web site, www.burgerkingstudio.com. Whether on-site or online, BURGER KING^SM Studio encourages free-flowing creativity, ongoing dialogue with artists, and embodies the ultimate expression of the HAVE IT YOUR WAY® philosophy with an urban edge. The vision for BURGER KING^SM Studio includes satellite and live installation events aimed at building local affinity for the streetwise gear and a robust line of wearables and lifestyle gear. The company plans to feature these designs in urban boutiques and niche stores.

For more information on the WHOPPER™ Bar consumers can explore www.bkwhopperbar.com, and to learn more about BURGER KING^SM Studio, visit www.burgerkingstudio.com.

ABOUT BURGER KING CORPORATION

The BURGER KING® system operates more than 11,700 restaurants in all 50 states and in 74 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corp. among America's 1,000 largest corporations and Ad Week named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades. To learn more about Burger King Corp., please visit the company's Web site at www.bk.com.

ABOUT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO® RESORT

Universal Orlando® Resort has created some of the world’s most innovative theme park attractions based on pop culture’s most compelling films and stories. Guests experience two exciting theme parks – Universal Studios® and Universal’s Islands of Adventure®, as well as Universal CityWalk®, a 30-acre restaurant, shopping and nighttime entertainment complex; and three magnificently themed on-site hotels – the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Flagship experiences featured in the theme parks include “The Simpsons Ride,” “Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride,” “The Incredible Hulk Coaster” and “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.” More information is available at www.universalorlando.com.

A.1. is a trademark of Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Source: Burger King Corp.

For Burger King Corp.
Edelman
Katie Scrivano, 312/240-3393
katie.scrivano@edelman.com
or
Burger King Corp.
Lauren Kuzniar, 305/378-7939
lkuzniar@whopper.com
or
Universal Orlando Resort
Public Relations, 407/363-8220
http://media.universalorlando.com