BK unveils Grill ‘N Go pilot

Burger King has opened a concept restaurant in London called Grill ‘N Go. The restaurant, which will sell a limited range of its own products and a range of pre-packaged convenience foods, is a test-bed for a new type of outlet which, if successful, will be rolled out across London and other UK cities.

Grill ‘N Go, which is self-service, opened in the City at the end of last week. It sells only the very basic traditional Burger King items: the Flame Grilled Whopper burger, fries and onion rings. The rest of the offerings are drinks, fruit, yogurt, newspapers and a range of pre-packaged convenience foods such as chocolate and crisps.

According to a spokeswoman for the company, the concept is being tested in response to ” the changing attitudes and expectations of customers.” She also says the concept is designed to attract people in a hurry.

Burger King’s move to sell healthier foods such as fruit and yogurt is in line with rival McDonald’s which recently announced it would sell fruit. It also comes at a time when fast-food restaurants have been accused of causing obesity.

In December, the BK chain was finally sold by parent Diageo Group to a venture capital consortium. For the six months ending December 31, operating profit for BK worldwide was 20 per cent down from $114m (&£71m) compared with the same period last year.