I wonder if the creepy looking mardi gras themed "king" is leaving.

@pecan 3.14159265: Haha agree with both of you.

Sometimes he can get annoying and seems to always be either up or down in popularity but I do like his old stuff, and still laugh hard when he talks about BK.

@karmaghost: Love the burgers also, fries and onion rings are just "meh" to me. Wonder why they don't work on that

Not as much as I miss Italian beef, alas.

Change of pace from McDonald's, at least.

@zimmi88: People who have White Castles wish they had

In-N-Out. I make special trips when I back west just for an In-N-Out burger. In fact, it approaches heresy for me to even mention both companies in the same paragraph, so I'm going to go fix that now.

There. Better. Enjoy your In-N-Out, it's by far the best. Sonic is a close second. White Castle is only for when you're drunk.

Hmm... I should find a Sonic and/or White Castle one of these times if I'm on vacation. Both chains are completely non-existent in my region. This said, I'm completely satisfied with In-N-Out for now.

Start making whoppers from scratch using top-grade grass fed beef, bake your own buns (leaving all the preservatives and mixers that make bread smell like glue) and use local produce- maybe something other than smelly old iceberg lettuce that's been shipped a couple thousand miles- and then we'll talk about me eating more fast food burgers in an imitation sit-down restaurant.

@tawnieknight@gmail.com looking for a google wave:

I stopped eating beef at around the time of the 1993 (not 1994 as stated in the article) Jack in the Box E. coli breakout. It's inconvenient at times (turning down dishes made by friends and family), but I'm happy with my decision.

All it does is really make my frustrated and leave mad without buying more things I don't need.

I have not eaten at BK for years. After a couple of supposed burgers that were so gross I couldn't eat them and the local stores looking like the inside of a gas station bathroom BK has bigger issues than decor.

@diasdiem:

It must be based on the their new European restaurants. They actually feel like legitimate businesses. The food still is well... McDonald's, but the chairs and ambiance are neat!

Are they talking about Chipotle?

If the fast food chains want to know why places like Panera, etc.. are gaining, it's because the prices are so close. Why pay 6-7 bucks for a high end combo meal when you can get something at Panera for just a few cents more?

@friendlynerd: I don't know that what you experianced was perception.

@HRHKingFridayXX: x2. Atmosphere is nice, but quality of food is just as important.

Well, the stores with the blue trim don't look too bad.

What they need to do is ditch the creepy "Burger King" ad campaign. Then, they need to bring the good fries back and cut the menu back down. BK was "The home of the whopper" now it's the home of nasty fries and any burger but a whopper.

Oh, and as a former employee, I think they need to bring back the old quality control standards and inspections. Then you could at least sit in the resturant and eat.

We are far from Upton Sinclairdom, and I find it hard to believe that food safety isn't significantly better than at pretty much any other point in history.

Its also true about having NO safety system. The industry has no safety system at all, because they're all greedy and forgot about The Concrete Jungle.

Man I've been craving a whooper for the longest time, but the only BK around here is on the shadiest part of town unless Globex corp comes and change the town I won't be eating at BK any time soon :(

@winshape:

If they change the looks and not the food then:

A Whopper, is just a Whopper, is just a Whopper.

Used to love Whoppers. Now I eat one and I taste it for two days. Something has to be wrong with that.

There are TOXINS, I tell you, TOXINS! The radiation is gonna getcha!

I'd be interested in seeing comparative stats on types of foods and what gets people sick the most often. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest to me that leafy greens end up being the biggest culprit the most often.

. . . remodeling more of its eateries to include what His Highness describes as a "contemporary industrial palette of metallic and black accents, complemented by finishes that resemble brick and concrete."

So, they're decorating in faux concrete? What, the real stuff is too high-end?

Sorry, but no. Their food is terrible and tastes like a cow took a crap right in the grease that the fries are cooked in. My wife and I hadn't had them in years and there was one location next to our apartments, at the time, that continuously shut down and reopened (like 4 times in 2 years). So, we decided to give them a shot. The first time wasn't too bad, but after the second time, we decided to never go there again. We broke down and hit another BK on the other side of town while out and about and once again, our faith in the King was killed. BK is trash... hopefully they'll just slide into obscurity, but I'm sure they'll be around for forever.

Personally, I can't believe K-Mart is surviving. I was not surprised that they were bankrupt a few years ago, then I was amazingly surprised when they came out of it and bought Sears, Roebuck & Company!

Sears actually was one of the department stores I was talking about before that used to move stuff around every couple years. Since K-Mart bought them, their stores have been static and less inviting.

I predict that K-Mart and Sears will be gone within 5 years.

Personally I don't have any qualms with BK save that their fries could be better, but I love their burgers over Wendy's and McD's any day (Wendy's has the best chicken, McD's the best fries IMO).

Overall, should either of the BK's within a mile of me decide to remodel, at most they'll inconvenience me when I'm gunning for a double stack or thick griller while they're remodeling, and at the least I may feel a bit more relaxed/comfortable eating in their restaurants after they remodel.

The one thing I hate most about BK's current digs are their booths.

@The Cheat: I love Popeyes spicy chicken fingers. Every time I go to the one by my office, there is a wait - anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes - for spicy. Sometimes they tell you about the wait in advance, so you can decide if you have enough time, and other times they just make you stand there and wait, running late to whatever you had to do next. So my advice to Popeyes would be: "Make the chicken *before* lunch rush hits. And communicate better with your customers."

@coren: I could also sit in Panera for a bit to read the paper or a book. With Subway, I'm in and out as fast as I can.

Didn't McDonald's already do this? BK is behind the times. And speaking of McDonald's, I only ever do drive thru, so the few times I have been in one lately, I still do a double take at the lack of garish red and yellow plastic.

@katstermonster: I think the ridiculousness is part of the hilarity. He takes his anecdotes and blows them out of proportion. I really liked his act about his job at BK.

I go between hating and loving Dane Cook...I have to say, he's ridiculous, but also pretty hilarious.

On another note though, I really want a pair of Estrada sunglasses.

@The Cheat: Why would you even want to eat at Long John Silvers? Fast food fish is not advisable. Ever.

I've long said this is BK's problem. Their stores are poorly lit, and seeting is antique, and the layouts are beyond terrible. They should have started remodeling 10 years ago like McD's.

I actually switched brands of "feminine products" after my preferred brand kept changing the package so it took me more than 6 seconds to identify which box I wanted. I like the ones I use now less, but I'm not willing to spend two minutes hunting for the right type of maxipad, particularly when there are 400 different kinds.

@coren:But Panera's atmosphere is decidedly more about the experience. Subway caters more to the to-go eater. Panera offers lattes and pastries and artisan breads.

@TheGreenMnM: I actually think Dane Cook incorporated BK Lounge into one of his acts, but it was long before BK decided to de-grease their establishments.

Perception counts for a lot, and my perception was that I was shopping in a shithole and I didn't want to return.

Arbys: Why is your food so damn expensive?

Taco Bell: Your bland food doesn't do anything but make me not hungry.

Wendys: Greaseburgers that you have to wring out before you eat.

McDonalds: Make your workers exercise some quality control over the food prep. Whatever has been done to the Big Mac that makes it taste sour needs to stop.

Burger King: Haven't been there in a while and I really don't know why.

KFC: Why does it take so damn long to get my food after I order it when you are just placing pre-cooked food in a container?

Popeyes: Just keep doing what you're doing. I'll see you this Friday. Maybe remodel some of your stores.

Long John Silvers: Open some more stores, like, near me.

Sonic: Ditto.

White Castle: Infinity ditto.

The BKs near me were remodeled within the past few years, but unfortunately, they were not well maintained and are already due for a renovation again. COntrast that with a McDonalds near me that was redecorated to include attractive etched glass, cherry wood trim and fresh cut flowers on every table. No signs of Ronald or the Fry Guys. Combine that with free WiFi, and it would be a very comfortable place for a business traveler to catch up on some E-mails and relax before getting on the road again, or a salesman to kill some time between customer appointments (where presumably they will purchase some food and beverage).

Restaurants like Panera or Cosi are a bit more expensive than McD and BK, but they offer a different menue with more variety (At BK and McD you can choose between processed fish, processed chicken, or 15 types of burgers, while at Panera and Cosi you can choose hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, wraps, salads, pizzas with a variety of different ingredients). Panera and Cosi also tend to have a bit more of a relaxed feel to them where people can sit and unwind, chat with friends or do some work away from the office.

Oftentimes the level of disgust I feel when sitting down inside one of these fast food restaurants far surpasses the feelings that come from actually eating the food. If I didn't feel so grossed out about touching any surface inside a BK/McD/Wendy's etc. then I think would actually eat in those places more.

Thanks to that article I'll be buying my ground beef from Costco from now on. Says they're one of the few who test for e-coli BEFORE grinding the ground beef

It sounds like they're doing something similar to Chipotle, which I don't mind. They'll have to up the quality of food too, though, to get me in there.

@coren: But Panera is yummy.

Maybe it's because they don't need any help selling burgers here in the US. Too many fat-asses that can't go without their fattening, artery clogging, junk calorie filled processed shit they call food

In Europe, however, I bet it's a different story.

Of all the fast food burger places near me (BK, McD's, Wendy's, Dairy Queen) BK is the most filthy and has the sketchiest customers. I dread going in there and touching any surface and I always feel like I'm going to get mugged on my way out the door... Especially at the one in Downtown Hartford.

I don't frequent fast food but if I go, it's BK Lounge all the way. The past few I went in still give off the cheezy 70's feel. I think it's the brown and oranges that make me feel this. While the food keeps me going back, I think the change to a more modern design will improve the overall feel of the restaurant and encourage those who are borderline about the food to return.

@Radi0logy: Hey now, maybe they meant Amsterdam, NY..... Or not??

God knows my mind first went there, but only because I'm fairly local to it.

I would not go to a new BK even if they paid me. I am avoiding fast food chains like the plague. I may even avoid hamburger in general after the NY Times article. [www.nytimes.com]

Yes, burn the motha' down... with the rotating flame chandeliers... Here's hopin' they are actual flames, because that would actually be cool... unlike the inside of their restaurant, which in my opinion, looks dorky.