WGN by Kait Newsum / May 05, 2023 at 12:22PM
(WHNT) — In a "whopper" of bad news for Burger King lovers, the fast-food burger chain announced that up to 400 of its locations will be closed by the end of the year.
Joshua Kobza of Restaurant Brands International (RBI) Inc., which owns Burger King, confirmed the news to Today.com earlier this week, saying the plan is to close between 300 to 400 stores across the nation.
The CEO added, amid the release of the company's first-quarter report, that hundreds of Burger King locations are closed every year.
Kobza said the company's focus will now be on working with smaller franchisees and established operators to build or develop existing restaurants.
Officials haven't said which stores will shut down or when that will happen. Business Insider, however, reported that a couple of major Burger King franchisees have filed for bankruptcy this year, including Illinois-based Toms King in January and Utah-based Meridian Restaurants Unlimited in March. In addition, Restaurant Brands ended an agreement with franchisee EYM King in March after a failure to come to terms.
RBI stated that 124 Burger King locations have already shut down since Jan. 1, leaving less than 7,000 restaurants in the U.S.
