Burger King Tests Whopper Delivery Service in U.S. to Help Sales

Burger King Holdings Inc. (BKC), the operator of 7,500 fast-food restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, is trying out delivery service at some stores in Virginia and Maryland as a possible way to boost sales.

“We are currently testing the service to bring this convenience to the U.S.,” Kristen Hauser, a spokeswoman for Burger King, said in an e-mail. The Miami-based chain will expand its test to 16 locations from four by Jan. 23, she said, declining to say whether the service will be offered nationwide.

Available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., deliveries cost $2 and there is a minimum order of $8 to $10, depending on the market, according to Burger King’s website. The restaurant, whose rivals include McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) and Wendy’s Co., is delivering meals such as 40-piece chicken tenders and two bottled drinks for $10.99 and four large sandwich combos for $23.99.

Customers can order online or via phone. Burger King doesn’t deliver fountain drinks, milkshakes, coffee and breakfast foods, Hauser said.

3G Capital Inc., a New York-based private-equity firm, bought Burger King for about $3.93 billion in 2010. Revenue rose 1.4 percent to $608.1 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with the year before, according to a company filing.

To contact the reporters on this story: Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net; Jeff Green in Southfield, Michigan at jgreen16@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net