Burger King Needs More Singing Cashiers -- and Should Lay Off the One They've Got

(MoneyWatch)  Do you love working with people? Do you love the Whopper? If you answered "yes" to both, a position at one of Burger King's (BKC) restaurants is definitely for you -- unless you like to sing on the job.

Chuck Murphree, 27, who has been with the quick service restaurant for 10 years and is now a shift coordinator, told the Concord Monitor he'd been singing orders at the Burger King inside the Steeplegate Mall in Concord, New Hampshire, for almost four years until warned by a district manager to "knock it off" -- or find new employment.

"I told him straight out this was going to be hard for me because I express myself by singing," said Murphree in an interview with talk radio station WTKK in Boston yesterday.

Burger King would seem to welcome that:

Anything you do, you're blazin' your own trail to get where you want to go. That's cause you dig the instant gratification of a job well done. It could be earnin' a few extra bucks, seeing the smile on a customer's face, or running a well-oiled crew. Either way, our in-Restaurant opportunities give you the chance to have it all -- and have it all your way. Just add your style, bring your charm, and zero-in on a job that's right up your alley.

Notwithstanding the irony of asking Murphree to kick his style and charm to the curb, lackluster operating results for the past three quarters suggest the highly paid executives of the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world might want to slow down and "smell that flame-broiled opportunity at their doorstep" -- in the form of a $25,000 a year shift manager.


Chief executive officer officer John Chidsey cheerfully noted on the second-quarter 2010 conference call that value marketing (like the $1 Double Cheeseburger or $1 Whopper Jr.) and innovative (but costly) multi-media plug-ins to BK-related foods (such as the NASCAR - Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart Whopper sandwich, movie and tv tie-ins targeting teens and kiddies, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and SpongeBob SquarePants), positively impacted traffic in this challenging economic environment -- compared to an overall three percent decline in QSR traffic, according to trade research by NPD Group.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain," said the Great Oz when Dorothy's dog Toto revealed him to but a mere man in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.

Comparable same store sales in North America (more than 7,500 stores) -- and which gives a truer picture of performance initiatives and business trends -- declined three percent versus a year ago.

Any cannibalization of the brand's higher priced sandwiches resultant from the discounted promotions, including premium Whopper sandwiches, were in line with company expectations, said chief financial officer Ben Wells on the earnings call. In the burger wars that must be what's known as "acceptable losses."

Numerous studies have documented that consumers say they're eating out less in this economy -- and when dining out they are choosing less expensive restaurants. With the price-value proposition shifting to the value side, Burger King needs to figure out how to retain customers -- and their loyalty -- in an industry dominated by pricing sensitivities.

In addition, NPD Group's 23rd annual Eating Patterns in America report (2008) observed morning snacking was on the rise, parallel to the growing popularity of QSR breakfast too. Commenting on this trend at the time,CEO Chidsey referenced breakfast sandwiches as the company's "single biggest opportunity." To date, however, Burger King has had little success in growing share in this QSR space, which CFO Wells blamed on the economy and the unemployment rate (adversely affects the breakfast-in-car while driving to work crowd).

Burger King's value menu items are 'LTOs,' or "limited time only," and are slated to end next month. Steve West, an analyst from Stifel Nicolaus, presciently asked management how they planned "to wean the consumer off that $1 Double Cheeseburger deal" once BK takes the LTO menu down.

"We have a transition strategy," CEO Chidsey replied. "We've been testing numerous different products, different price points, etc. -- I think we will have some news for you sometime in the next month or so."

Management ended the earnings call with a shoutout. December 2009 data from GuestTrac, which is an in-house, national program that's been collecting customer feedback from Burger King restaurants since 2003, shows that 56 percent of surveyed customers said they had an "excellent visit experience." Uh -- yeah. Give me a $1 Double Cheeseburger and a clean table and I'll score you an 'A,' too.

Management's total disconnect from reality -- it's the price stupid! -- have me thinking of Chuck Murphree again. In less than two weeks, a social networking link dedicated to the Guy Who Sings Your Orders at Burger King on Facebook has already attracted a following of almost 2,000 supporters.

Codename for Burger King's marketing initiatives is "True North." Latitude and Longitude: 43° 12' 29" N / 71° 32' 17" W 43 degrees is well north of headquarters in Miami. Could Chuck Murphree, Concord, New Hampshire, be True North?

With limited brand success in growing breakfast share and signs that its competitive position in the burger wars can only be maintained -- but not grown -- through product discounting, maybe the melodic renditions of "Whopper Junior, hoooold the pickles...with a side of fah-ries and a Diiiii-et Cooooke" sung by trained restaurant "American Idol" wannabe teams might just enhance the Burger King guest experience. I'm still waiting for a company spokeswoman down at Miami BK headquarters to get back to me on that query.

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