Burger King 2007 Annual Report Download - page 19

where there are untapped opportunities. We’re
focused on adding restaurants in our current
markets and entering new strategic markets
that are economically attractive. In fact,
sometime during fiscal 2008, we expect to have
more BURGER KING® restaurants operating
than ever before in the brand’s history.
We also anticipate growing our comp sales
and ARS by driving more guests into our
restaurants through operational excellence
and our innovative marketing promotions and
advertising campaigns. And we will continue
to offer a profitable combination of indulgent
premium products and value menu items served
in an attractive, clean and friendly atmosphere.
Of course, we could not achieve our ambitious
growth plan without the dedication of our
franchisees. Today, more than 1,200 franchisees
operate almost 10,000 BURGER KING®
restaurants worldwide. Our franchisees are
energized and poised for continued growth. ey
recognize our commitment to their success and
to a profitable relationship. We are committed
to enhancing restaurant-level economics
through innovations in team productivity,
cooking platforms and analytical systems. We
will also drive returns through streamlined
restaurant designs that cost less to build. We
and our franchisees will continue to work
together to strengthen the BURGER KING®
brand and increase profitability throughout
the world.
We also recognize that our guests are the real
“Kings” and we value their opinions. Listening
to our guests has led us to several exciting
innovations and new ways of conducting
business. We have installed a high-speed
Internet system in our U.S. company-owned
restaurants that delivers faster credit card and
gift card transactions. We have rolled out our
new Flexible Batch Broiler cooking platform
to our U.S. and Canada company-owned
restaurants, which allows for a new era of
product innovation. We’re also proud of recent
packaging breakthroughs that let our guests eat
more conveniently, whether in the restaurant
or on the go. And in the U.S., when our guests
told us they wanted late-night access to their
favorite BURGER KING® products, we
extended our hours of operations to midnight
or later. Our HAVE IT YOUR WAY® brand
promise means giving our guests what they
want, how they want it, when they want it.
And what makes all of this possible is the
team of dedicated and hard-working
employees in our restaurants, field operations
and restaurant support centers who drive our
business forward each and every day. Our
employees set us apart by delivering exceptional
service to our guests. We pride ourselves on
making everyone that enters our kingdom feel
welcome, included and valued. We believe our
commitment to excellence will accelerate the
growth of our business.
At BKC, we are writing new chapters as we
seize every profitable opportunity. We will
execute on our development and restaurant
remodeling strategies, focus on
continuous operational
improvements, and sustain our reputation
as a socially relevant brand with world-class
marketing and product innovation. I remain
confident in BKC’s future. During fiscal 2008,
we will seek to accelerate the momentum we
created during this past year. We expect to
perform at the top of our industry, creating
significant value for all of our stakeholders:
our franchisees, vendors, employees, guests,
and for you, our shareholders.
JOHN W. CHIDSEY
John W. Chidsey
Chief Executive Officer
October 22, 2007
15A WORLD OF GROWTH