Burger King Holdings is one whopping burger joint, operating some 11,200 restaurants in the U.S. and over 65 countries worldwide. (The company itself owns over 1,200 BK locations; the remainder are owned by franchisees.) As such, it is the second-largest hamburger chain behind its arch-nemesis McDonald's. In addition to its famed flame-broiled burgers, BK offers chicken sandwiches, salads and breakfast items. In fiscal year 2006, Burger King's annual revenue hit the highest level in company history with a tally of $2.05 billion, an increase of 6 percent from 2005. The company also celebrated record average restaurant sales worldwide of $1.13 million. Though profit decreased from 2005 to 2006, from $47 million to $27 million, fiscal 2007 is starting off well for the King.

Restaurant veterans David Edgerton and James McLamore opened the first Burger King in Miami in 1954. Inspired by the assembly-line production style at the hamburger stand run by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California--which offered the menu of continuously prepared burgers, fries and milkshakes that pioneered the notion of "fast food"--McLamore decided to develop his own version. The future burger kings bought the first BK milkshake machine from shake guru Ray Kroc (who would soon become their rival after purchasing McDonald's). Three years later, in 1957, Burger King sold its first Whopper sandwich for 37 cents. The company utilized the growing influence of television to advertise its product early on, beginning TV ads in 1958. In those early years, Burger King became the first burger joint to offer dining rooms.

Doughboy to the rescue!

Five years after their first restaurant opened, the Burger King co-founders began to franchise their fast-food joint, as a way to speed expansion of the chain. At first, franchisees were allowed to pretty much do as they pleased with the BK name and menu; they bought up significant spheres of influence and ran their stores on their own. But this independence came at a price, as a customer often never knew what he or she would be getting from one Burger King to the next, unlike McDonald's rigid quality control.

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