Burger King wants to become the top burger chain in the country. Its comeback plan may take decades, but it's working.

Burger King wants to be crowned the top burger chain — and while company leadership says its turnaround effort could take decades, it’s already showing results.

“‘Reclaim the Flame’ is, frankly, a two-decade strategy because of everything that has to be done,” Burger King US and Canada president Tom Curtis said during a press briefing attended by Business Insider.

The “Reclaim the Flame” initiative, launched in 2022 after years of declining sales and operational struggles, is Burger King’s turnaround plan aimed at boosting traffic and franchisee profitability through restaurant remodels, operational improvements, and investments in the Whopper, the chain’s signature burger.

At the time, the company pledged to invest $400 million into the effort over the following two years. (For comparison, Red Lobster’s comeback plan was backed by $60 million in funding.)

As of August 2025, Burger King still ranked third among US burger chains by sales, according to QSR Magazinebehind McDonald’s and Wendy’s.

“We’ve been really working the last four years to improve the restaurant experience — our operations, our technology in the restaurants, remodeling — and we’re also elevating our food,” Burger King chief marketing officer Joel Yashinsky told Business Insider.

Yashinsky said the company is also trying to make customers feel more connected to the brand by leaning into Burger King’s long-standing emphasis on customization, dating back to its “Have It Your Way” slogan introduced in 1974.

“We want the guest to have ownership in the brand,” Yashinsky said. “Burger King was the first to really realize people liked customization.”

Burger King has doubled down on the Whopper, betting big on its signature burger to fuel the chain’s comeback

This renewed focus includes recent campaigns to improve the Whopper’s presentation and listening to customer feedback on how to elevate it, rather than solely introducing new menu items.

“We found an interesting way to do it through listening and taking action, and consumers see us listening to the feedback,” Curtis told Business Insider.

For example, Burger King had been receiving feedback that Whoppers often ended up smushed in the bag because they were wrapped only in paper. As of February, the Whopper is now served in a cardboard box. The chain also upgraded some of its components, adding a creamier mayonnaise and a new, glossier bun.

“It’s all about putting the guest first and delivering what they’re looking for from Burger King,” Yashinsky said. “We just want to be a brand that really authentically listens and acts to what the guests are looking for.”

Yashinsky said the company is also trying to improve quality without raising prices for customers. Burger King kept the Whopper at the same price even as it upgraded the burger and its packaging.

“The fact that we’re investing and not shrinking value through cutting sizes or cutting cost in different ways, but actually investing in the packaging and investing in a better bun, those little things matter, and customers notice that,” he said.

Despite a challenging market, the comeback is showing positive signs

Curtis described Burger King’s position several years ago as dire, saying the brand faced an “existential threat.” He said that when he joined Burger King in 2021, a former boss showed him an article predicting the chain would disappear within a decade.

But four years after launching “Reclaim the Flame,” the turnaround plan is taking shape.

The chain, like others in the QSR industry, has focused much of its marketing on value, with campaigns such as “Whopper Wednesday,” $5 Duos, and $7 Trios to draw in customers.

In the first quarter, Burger King reported 5.8% same-store sales growth in the US, outperforming its competitors in the QSR burger segment. (McDonald’s same-store sales increased 3.9%, while Wendy’s sales declined by 7.8% in Q1.)

It’s also a notable increase from the same period last year, when the chain reported a 1.6% same-store sales growth.

Company leadership cited new, family-focused initiatives, like the chain’s King Junior meals and its SpongeBob-themed meal collaborationas part of the reason for the growth. Curtis said in the earnings call that kids’ meal sales had risen about 40% over the past six months, CNBC reported.

Whopper sales are also up.

QSR Magazine reported that, in the last quarter, Burger King restaurants posted their highest average Whopper sales per location in more than three years.

Looking ahead, Yashinsky told Business Insider that Burger King plans to continue modernizing restaurants, expanding its franchisee network, launching new innovations, and elevating its most popular menu items while staying true to the chain’s roots.

“Burger King will feel different [in five years] than it does today pretty significantly, but we’re not changing who we are,” he said. “We’re going back more toward ‘Have It Your Way.'”