Burger Planet
Position Paper
Expanding Burger Planet's Menu To Include More Healthy Options
In response to the foreseeable legal atmosphere that is beginning to take aim at the quick-service food industry and as an effort to widen the variety of customers we can attract, Burger Planet will continue to expand its campaign to promote healthy living.
Our competitor, Hamburger Heaven, has been hit with lawsuits attempting to punish the chain for allegedly aiding in the "obesity epidemic" in this country by offering unhealthy food to the public. We believe that by taking steps now to offer more health conscious choices on our menu, we will greatly lessen any risk of becoming a possible target of similar lawsuits in the future.
In 2003, McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Burger King, and Taco Bell all received legal notices from George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf III warning the chain restaurants of lawsuits if they continued to sell fatty foods. (www.washingtontimes.com) And according to the Center for Disease Control, one in three Americans, both adults and children, were obese in 2006. Obesity numbers are continuing to rise. (www.cdc.gov) If these types of lawsuits gain ground and Burger Planet maintains its current menu of burgers, fries, and soda, we too could experience negative consequences.
In addition to reducing the risk of possible legal battles, by expanding customer's options to more healthy choices Burger Planet widens its target audience.
Burger Planet contracted a market research company to conducted a focus group surveying our base customers, women in their 30's and 40's who have been long time loyal customers to our company. The focus group revealed that we are losing these consumers due to the popularity of dieting and healthier eating habits.
One woman who previously ate at Burger Planet weekly never goes anymore because she wants to lose weight and our food was one luxury she gave up to aid in her decision to lose weight. Another stated that while she loved Burger Planet she would never take her children there because she wants them to eat healthily. (www.uwm.edu)
In response to the survey's findings, Burger Planet has teamed up with fitness guru Jayne Petersen to lead a national campaign promoting active lifestyles and nutritious dieting. We hired Petersen because of her success as a fitness trainer and her dedication to establishing universal healthy living. She is recognized as one of the greats in her field, and was titled “Fitness Trainer of the Year” by Fitness Magazine in January 2009. Petersen became a household name two years prior when she assisted talk show host Opal Whitcomb lose 75 pounds, and keep it off.
Petersen has played a large role in the creation of our new healthy-choice menu. Working with our own chefs, Petersen has added three new lines of gourmet salads, each under $5, in addition to chicken breast wrapped in lettuce, and five different fruit cups, all of which is just under $4. Our new health-conscious menu will provide an alternative option at all of our Burger Planet locations. Burger Planet supports a healthy lifestyle, and through our new menu we hope to offer only the best quality of food to all of our customers.
While we are dedicated to promoting healthy living, Burger Planet will not be changng its menu of the items that have kept it in business for 70 years. We wish to meet the needs of all our customers, including those who prefer our famous burger and fries combo.
“Although we do want to promote healthy eating for our customers, we also recognize that many people still love the traditional hamburger and fries. Our new menu will serve all customers and their eating habits,” said CEO of Burger Planet, James E. Muellenbach III.
Burger Planet was established in 1934 and quickly grew to be one of the nation’s leading quick service restaurants. Eventually Burger Planet, in hopes of sharing its quality food with others outside the U.S., moved onto a national stage. Burger Planet currently has served approximately 52 billion customers around the world and employs 48,272 people in 17 countries.
