Here's Why Burger King Changed Its Name
Like everything else in life, things within the food industry are set to change. From recipes to food trends, every aspect of the culinary world evolves (hopefully for the better). One thing that fortunately hasn't changed or gone away with the times? Being able to drive up and get a delicious burger from fast food restaurants like Burger King. For years, many have been pulling up to their local Burger King and picking up juicy, flame-broiled Whoppers, crispy and crunchy chicken nuggets, or deliciously golden french fries.
Much like the food items on its robust menu, its name has reached somewhat of an icon status. But, unbeknownst to most folks, Burger King wasn't always called Burger King. Early in the burger giant's history, it started out with a much more unexpected name that would take many by surprise. According to The Balance Small Business, this king of burgers was initially named Insta-Burger King (sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?).
Burger King's name was intrinsically tied to how its food was made
While Insta-Burger King sounds like it could be some kind of a social media challenge in today's day and age, it actually had nothing to do with taking pictures or apps. According to Reader's Digest, the "Insta" that was in the name was derived from the way that the company would cook the burgers. The Balance Small Business explains how the company's founders Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns purchased the rights to a state of the art machine called the Insta-Broiler back in 1953. The two went into business after feeling inspired by having seen the first McDonald's up-and-close, owned by the McDonald brothers, in San Bernardino, and named their business accordingly. But, when exactly did the name change?
The Balance Small Business notes that it wasn't until after both James McLamore and David Edgerton jumped into the ring that Burger King received a bit of a facelift. This dynamic duo opened up a franchise in sunny and beautiful Miami and made some adjustments to the cooking mechanism. Yup, they did away with the Insta-Broiler and set up a gas grill, thus giving way to the "flame-broiled" moniker of today and revamping the name to the less clunky Burger King.