Burger King is making it easier for consumers in Minneapolis, MN and Spokane, WA to order food wherever they may be.

The quick-service restaurant already offers online and mobile delivery in cities such as Boston, New York and Miami, but it plans to continue expanding to new markets. Consumers can visit the delivery microsite via mobile or desktop to place an order and have the food delivered directly to them.

“When determining where to offer the service in the U.S., both Spokane and Minneapolis were attractive options because they have loyal and diverse BK guests, varying weather conditions and BK franchisees with incredible passion for the Burger King Brand,” said Petru Pusta, director of retail innovation at Burger King Worldwide, Inc.

“It is our desire to give our customers the opportunity to order any way they want, anywhere they want,” he said. “And a customer’s record and favorites follow them across each platform; online, mobile or phone.”

BK Delivers
Burger King’s delivery service, BK Delivers has seen an increase in demand, according to the company.  Therefore, Burger King plans to expand to new markets to reach more guests.

If a consumer is in the delivery zone of a nearby Burger King, he or she can customize and order Burger King products via the microsite BKdelivers.com. They can also call 1-855-Order-BK.

The site will remember guests’ orders to make repeat orders possible with only one click.

BK Delivers already works in Boston, New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas, Sacramento, greater Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver.

Burger King expanded its delivery service to Phoenix and Denver this past June (see story).

Now, the service will function for one live delivery restaurant in Minneapolis serving Hiawatha, Minnehaha, Hale, Page, Nokomis, Powderhorn, Cooper, Longfellow and Corcoran, as well as one in Spokane serving Town and Country, Nevada/Lidgerwood, Country Homes and Northwest Spokane.

Burger King plans to open one more BK Delivers site in Minneapolis and two more in Spokane within the next two to three weeks.

If consumers are not in an area that receives BK Delivers, they can sign up via the mobile or desktop site to receive alerts once BK Delivers arrives in their area.

BK Delivers requires a minimum food order of $10 and serves consumers during delivery operating hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

King of mobile
Over the years, Burger King has increased its mobile footprint to engage consumers on new platforms.

This summer, the QSR chain placed QR codes on its packaging to enable users to play a soccer-themed game on their mobile devices and enter for a chance to win tickets to a match in Barcelona (see story).

Last year, Burger King launched a mobile payments pilot program that lets consumers pay for their meals using their mobile device (see story).

“Mobile ordering and delivery options make sense for QSRs, because these services meet the needs of a rapidly-growing segment of consumers that are digital-centric,” said Jérémie Leroyer, CEO of AIRTAG, New York.

Mr. Leroyer is not affiliated with Burger King. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

“Mobile ordering and delivery options allow QSRs to control the overall customer experience, providing consumers with better service and in turn helping QSRs build stronger relationships with their customers,” he said. “Offering these services is an opportunity for QSRs to create new revenue streams and increase the average check-out amount through up-sell features and product recommendations.

“The next step for mobile ordering and delivery will be the addition of more value-add services such as couponing and loyalty to build a full shopping wallet that helps retailers differentiate their brand as well as their physical stores in an increasingly mobile world,” he said.

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York