Burger King is officially slinging its iconic sandwiches to hungry customers in Paris.
For the first time since closing up shop in 1997, the fast food chain is ready and willing to serve Whoppers and other foodstuffs to folks living in the French city. According to WTVY , Burger King opened a location in the St. Lazare Railway Station on Monday (December 16).
Although this is the first Burger King restaurant to return to Paris, this isn’t the chain’s first venture in the country after disappearing back in the 90s. Towards the tail end of 2012, the fast food company returned to France with a location in Marseille . This was later followed by a restaurant in Reims.
The new Paris site is also the first time BK opened one of its stores inside a railway station in France. The company is hoping to get some serious business from hungry commuters looking for something quick to eat during their many travels.
The Inquisitr reported last month that Burger King wants to ultimately claim 20 percent of the fast food market upon its return to France. By opening restaurants in “travel hubs” throughout the country, the company hopes to steal quite a bit of business from competitors such as McDonald’s.
“The Burger King brand and the Whopper brand are iconic [in France]. The French quick-service restaurant market is quite lucrative,” BK’s Jose Cil recently told Bloomberg .
Falling sales prompted the fast food chain to close up shop in 1997 after spending 16 years in France. While a significant lack of business played a part in the company’s decision to leave the country, a company spokesperson insisted that French customers were still very much in love with American hamburgers.
“It’s simply that we are not making an acceptable profit. We are third in the French market, behind McDonald’s and Quick and we decided we would be better off investing in Britain, Spain and Germany,” BK said after closing down 39 locations and eliminating over 550 jobs.
The fast food chain’s return to Paris was clearly well-received. Connexion reported that customers lined up around the block to get their hands on one of Burger King’s iconic Whopper sandwich. Excitement for the location’s grand opening was so popular on social media that the store opened a day earlier than expected.
Today the first Burger King in Paris is open… wow a lot of people. pic.twitter.com/FjjxByUbA8
— Parisienne. (@Rachida_Hammou) December 16, 2013
Open a Burger King in Paris. Everybody loses their minds. pic.twitter.com/atukQqPp9w
— Stafen (@CaptaiNafets) December 17, 2013
Burger King eventually hopes to open approximately 400 locations throughout France.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons ]
