TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Burger King is waging a fast-food war with its longtime rivals in the island country: McDonald's and KFC.
Burger King is today the fourth favorite fast-food restaurant in Taiwan, lagging behind the more popular and larger chains McDonald's, KFC, and Tokyo-based MOS Burger, according to the top online survey platform DailyView. With a 29-year presence in Taiwan, the brand has managed to make a comeback after closing 20 stores between 2012 and 2015 and changing its management team in 2017.
In late 2017, Asian private equity fund Nexus Point became the largest shareholder of Burger King Taiwan and took over the remaining 22 stores across the country, according to foodNEXT.
In addition to cautiously expanding its physical stores starting in 2018, the company has also managed to reach more customers by working with food delivery platforms, such as foodpanda, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo since last year.
The company has also changed its recipes and menu by adding more fresh vegetables and natural ingredients to its burger products with far fewer additives. New menu items include the plant-rich "Italian grilled vegetable and chicken burger" and the "Italian grilled vegetable and pork loin burger," each of which costs NT$109 (US$3.57).
To tap into the crowded fast-food market, Burger King Taiwan recently kicked off a new marketing campaign: McDonald's and KFC consumers can get a free plant-rich burger if they present the receipt of a "set meal" purchased from either of the two chains on the same day.
Each consumer can swap one of these receipts for a free burger at any of Burger King's stores in Taiwan, except its locations at the airport and Taipei Children's Amusement Park. A total of 10,000 free burgers are up for grabs until Dec. 10.
