If you live in Miami and drive frequently to the Airport or Miami Beach, I assume you’ve seen the Burger King company building right off the Dolphin Expressway (SR836) on the NW 57th Street exit.
I would also like to assume that you know that Burger King has been headquartered in Miami since 1959 and that it was initially called Insta-Burger King when it was founded in Jacksonville, FL 1953.
But maybe you don’t?
*You will enjoy my visit to Burger King Store #17
The History of Burger King
Burger King is a global fast-food restaurant chain that has become one of the most recognizable names in the industry. The company’s history dates back to the mid-1950s when it was founded in Miami, Florida, United States….kinda.
In 1953, Keith J. Kramer and Matthew Burns opened a fast-food restaurant called Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a small operation that served basic hamburgers and milkshakes. The restaurant’s concept was inspired by the success of the McDonald’s franchise, which had gained popularity at the time.
However, by 1959, the original owners faced financial difficulties, so they sold the company to a Miami-based franchisee duo: James McLamore and David R. Edgerton. This marked a turning point for the company, as McLamore and Edgerton revamped the concept and renamed it Burger King.
Whopper Fast Fact
Under McLamore and Edgerton’s leadership, Burger King expanded rapidly through franchising. In 1957, they introduced the “Whopper,” a signature hamburger that would go on to become the company’s most iconic menu item. The Whopper‘s popularity contributed to Burger King‘s success and helped establish its unique identity in the fast food industry.
In 1963, the company introduced its signature logo—a bun with the word “Burger King” in the center—which is still used today with minor modifications. The following year, the first international Burger King restaurant opened its doors in Puerto Rico, marking the beginning of the company’s global expansion.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Burger King continued growing domestically and internationally. It introduced new menu items and innovative marketing campaigns to compete with its main rival, McDonald’s. The company’s marketing efforts included introducing the “Have it your way” slogan in 1974, emphasizing Burger King‘s commitment to customization and customer preferences.
In 1989, Pillsbury, the parent company of Burger King, decided to sell the chain to the British multinational conglomerate Grand Metropolitan (later renamed Diageo). Subsequent ownership changes followed, including a 2014 merger with the Canadian company Tim Hortons, forming the holding company Restaurant Brands International (RBI).
Current Burger King
In recent years, Burger King has focused on menu innovation and adapting to changing consumer preferences. It has introduced vegetarian and plant-based options, such as the Impossible Whopper, to cater to a growing demand for more sustainable and healthier choices.
Burger King has expanded its presence to over 18,000 locations worldwide, making it one of the largest fast-food chains. It continues to compete fiercely with other industry giants, maintaining its unique brand identity and commitment to providing flame-grilled burgers and a variety of menu options to its customers.
The First 10 Burger Kings in Miami
The first Insta-Burger King location in Miami, FL, opened on December 4th, 1954, at 3090 NW 36th Street. It’s no longer there at that exact spot; the #1 was moved down the street to 3601 NW 27th Avenue.
Six of the original 10 Burger King locations in Miami are still operational in the same spot where they opened in the 1950s. However, the buildings’ structures are different.
If you’d like to see a 1950s Burger King structure that is pretty much intact, you would need to visit the former La Palma (now Las Viñas BBQ) restaurant.
| LOCATION NUMBER | ADDRESS | CITY | CURRENTLY THERE |
| 1 | 3090 NW 36th Street | Miami | Cladd Motors |
| 2 | 6091 SW 8th Street | West Miami | Las Viñas BBQ |
| 3 | 8995 NW 7th Avenue | Miami | Snapper’s |
| 4 | 30390 S Dixie Hwy | Homestead | Burger King |
| 5 | 7975 NW 27th Avenue | Miami | Burger King |
| 6 | 9201 South Federal Highway | Pinecrest | Burger King |
| 7 | 3051 Coral Way | Coral Gables | Burger King |
| 8 | 18240 South Dixie Highway | Perrine | |
| 9 | 891 W. 49th Street | Hialeah | Burger King |
| 10 | 600 E 9 St | Hialeah | Burger King |
Vintage Burger King Articles and Ads
One last fast fact that might interest you: the Whopper was not always on the menu.
David Edgerton and James McLamore created the Whopper in 1957. It sold for 37 cents. They brought Insta-Burger King to Miami in 1954 and eventually became the co-founders of the rebranded Burger King brand years later.
Who created the Whopper Jr?
So, in 1963, Luis Arenas-Pérez, also known as Luis Arenas, accidentally stumbled upon something fantastic. He was the big shot at Burger King in Puerto Rico, and he did something that landed him a spot in the Burger King Hall of Fame – the only Latino to do so.
The first Burger King restaurant opened in Carolina, Puerto Rico. But guess what? They didn’t have the regular buns for the Whopper because the delivery got messed up.
Luis wasn’t about to let that stop them, though. Instead of delaying the grand opening, he decided to get crafty. He used the smaller hamburger buns they had on hand, slapped the usual Whopper fixings on there, and voilà!, the Whopper Jr. was born.
And you know what? People loved it! It was such a hit that Burger King decided to roll it out worldwide. So, next time you chow down on a Whopper Jr., remember it all started with a little mix-up and a lot of ingenuity from Luis Arenas.
Quirky Burger King Trademark Issues
Burger King Drive Inn of Alberta, Canada
Burger King Drive Inn was a mini-chain of restaurants founded in 1956 in Alberta, Canada. It featured Kentucky Fried Chicken until about 1979, when its licensing agreement expired. The restaurants were sold in 1990, but founders William R. Jarvis and James Duncan Rae kept the “Burger King” trademark.
Jarvis and Rae sold the “Burger King” name to the company in 1985 for one million dollars. The company wasted no time announcing that there would soon be Burger King restaurants in Alberta.
Burger King of Mattoon, Illinois
When Edgerton and McLamore‘s Burger King decided to open its first location in the state of Illinois in 1961, little did they know the can of worms that they were opening. Since 1952, Gene and Betty Hoots had owned Frigid Queen.
In 1954, they expanded their menu to include hamburgers and fries, among other foods. In 1957, the restaurant’s name was changed to Burger King, and in 1959, the name was registered as a state trademark in Illinois.
By 1967, the number of corporate Burger King locations was hovering around fifty, and the couple decided to take a stand. They brought a lawsuit against Burger King of Florida in 1968, believing their state trademark gave them exclusive rights to the name of Burger King in Illinois. BK of Florida argued that their federal trademark superseded the couple’s state trademark.
The court decision gave the Hoots exclusive rights to an area within a twenty-mile radius from the location of their restaurant and Burger King of Florida the rights everywhere else. Gene and Betty Hoots are now retired. Cory Sanders bought the Burger King of Mattoon from them.
Thirty years later, the closest corporate Burger King location is in Tuscola, Illinois, twenty-five miles away.
Hungry Jack’s of Australia
There is only one country in the world where Burger King does not operate under its name: Australia. In 1971, when Burger King established itself down under, they learned that their name had already been trademarked.
They gave their Australian franchisee Jack Cowin a list of possible new names from Burger King and Pillsbury‘s already registered trademarks. He chose the name used by Pillsbury‘s US pancake mix, Hungry Jack. The only change he made was to add an apostrophe “s.”
Whopper Burger in San Antonio, Texas
In 1955, Frank Bates founded Whopper Burger in San Antonio, Texas. He owned the rights to the name Whopper, which effectively prevented Burger King from using it there.
Burger King briefly opened a store in the area and renamed its signature sandwich The Deluxe. The store did not survive. Fast-forward to 1983, when Bates passed away. A year later, his wife sold the restaurant chain to a couple of Burger King franchisees.
They, in turn, sold it to the Burger King company. In 1985, all of the Whopper Burger locations became Burger King restaurants. Finally, the people of San Antonio could enjoy a real Whopper.
SOURCE INFO: All about the Burger: A History of America’s Favorite Sandwich
Burger King’s NEW Retro Logo
Burger King recently announced a change in branding, a throwback to their classic look. The new logo gets rid of that tacky blue swish and introduces a logo that seems familiar. It resembles the one I grew up with and loved in childhood and earlier years.
I’ve studied Burger King and its history for fun and extensively for my book, All About the Burger. I was also a Burger King kid. My parents have pictures of my sister and me with the Magical Burger King. I still know all the names of the characters from the Burger King Kingdom. My most significant collection of restaurant memorabilia is from Burger King.
When I drove by a shuttered Burger King, I felt a sense of nostalgia overcome me. It is right across the street from where my Burger Museum lived for three years.
We would frequent it on late nights, and it was one of the few BKs testing the fresh beef Whopper. It was 2 miles down the street from their corporate headquarters but always seemed dingier than the main store on NW 57th Ave and 7th Street.
Recently, it seemed to be stuck in a state of repair or remodel, but someone changed the side outside. It was not an old sign, but it looked like an update.
You can see the picture I took of it up above for yourself. I sent it to a few of my historian friends, and they knew nothing about it. They thought I might be looking into it too much, but I was right.
Embracing Burger King History
Burger King isn’t exactly known for embracing its history. I know that the only retro Burger King building in McDonald’s home state of Illinois.
There is nothing in its hometown of Miami, Florida. Most BK restaurants do not celebrate their rich history, which is shameful. It’s one of the things that keeps me emotionally attached to them.
It reminds me of having fries and shakes with my late grandparents, walking on a field trip to Burger King from Rockway Elementary…easier times.
What Was Your Favorite Burger King Sandwich as a Kid?
When and at what address was the first Burger King in New Orleans?
I believe it was in 1965 or 1966 on South Carrollton Avenue about 2 blocks from Claiborne Avenue.
I am writing a book about New Orleans and I want the date it opened because my brother and I visited it many times in the mid to late 1960s.
I don’t know but you’re going to have to dig through newspaper archives or property appraiser records for the New Orleans area.
My buddies father bought a Burger King store in Kendall, Fla. in 1957 just as i was leaving to go to school. It was a regular hang-out we teenagers then. Still love their Whoppers. Jeff
I loved the YUMBO. I even loved the cantaloupe-colored styrofoam box it came in. That sandwich came out HOT! If you weren’t careful, you’d lose the skin on the roof of your mouth. The closest thing for me now is Arby’s. My favorite Burger King sandwich (because I am a McDonald’s person—IMO burgers are better fried) is the Italian Chicken sandwich. I wish it was a regular menu item.
I was referring to the 6th store opened, not the 9th, and it was in what is now the Village of Pincrest, not far from where my childhood home was located.
https://burgerbeast.com/burger-king-history/#h-the-first-10-burger-kings-in-miami
I believe you are mistaken about Burger King #9. It was actually at 1301 NW 27th Avenue in Miami. It was opened by my mom and dad, Edward and Ida Prager in 1958. I worked there for $1 per hour at that time.
I’ve already noted elsewhere here I used to frequent the SW 8st in West Miami as a kid, but I later moved to what is now Pinecrest, and we’d frequent the story on 6091 SW 72 Ct, the 6th store to open. When they added the “Whaler”, the fish Whopper, we’d always go there on Friday nights because we were a Catholic family. It’s still there.
I was born in Miami and grew up in West Miami in the 50s & 60s. My brother and I would bicycle to the 8th street location to get our Whoppers, fries and chocolate shakes. It was always a treat. I knew that store was one of the first Burger Kings, but didn’t know it was the second one. Good memories.
What memories at 13 I worked at the 2nd location on 8th street in 69′. It had an open patio and a walk up window. Also worked at Breedings drug store down the street on the fountain side.
Way cool!
If you’d like to see an almost intact old BUrger King from 1965 there is one still in operation in Naperville, IL…. Here are some photos and an article. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/illinois/unique-burger-king-il/
I’ve been dying to visit it and the non-related Burger King in Mattoon.
I know I am late to this burger party:) I just watched the History Channel show about the battles between BK and McDonalds, it brought back a lot of memories. I always liked BK better than the “other one”. I came to Miami in 1960 and we first lived in South Miami. I remember very distinctly the BK on S Dixie Hwy right by Ponce De Leon Jr High. That had to be one of the fairly early ones, right? I remember that I would get a Whopper, fries and a chocolate shake and get change back from a dollar!
It’s a shame there a bunch of factual inaccuracies on that program. They were more preoccupied with pushing their narrative then with actual facts.
The one in South Hialeah on 9th Street is not the original location. It was on 6th Avenue.
Juan, the addresses were taken from James McLamore’s book the Burger King. I went back and checked through some newspaper archives and found that you were correct. Thanks, I updated the address.
The one we could ride our bikes to near our house in South Miami was on the east side of South Dixie at about 84th Street. My brother and I didn’t go there because we preferred the Royal Castle a few blocks up the road.
My mother always said she went to high school (Edison) with the guy who founded Burger King. Our local BK was #8 on South Dixie in Perrine (not Palmetto Bay).
The 9201 S. Federal/Dixie/US1 location was my neighborhood location. When it was the original building for a while it had a sliding screen window on the north side where you could order from your car (the dining room was on the south side of the building)-sort of a proto-drive thru.
I just saw a picture of a Burger King with that type of sliding window.
Once I had a car during my senior year at Miami Edison High School (1962-63), my friends and I got away often during lunch break to the Burger King at NW 54th St. and 7th Avenue.
Was it still a drive-in then?
My father in law was Mr Mclamore’s attorney and prepared the incorporation papers for Burger King here in Miami.
He also felt the Whaler was a better sandwich than the Filet-o- Fish , but he may have been biased.
Thanks for sharing that, I love to hear stories like that.
I was born and spent the first 13 years of my life on 34St. and 32 ave NW Miami. Our Elementary school was called Melrose. It was 2 blocks behind Store #1. I had my 13th birthday party there. I was telling my wife that we lived down the street from the first Burger King, she called me a liar, so glad this article was written.
i thought one of the first was at about 1350 nw 27th Ave, Miam
I believe the first was in West Palm Beach on Dixie Highway. Originally called The Burger King, It even had the Burger King character, and existed before Insta Burger.
My favorite burger meal: Two Cheeseburgers with ketsup, Onion and Pickle only and a small fry. Yummmmmm!
I believe La Palma was also a Royal Castle at one point. Never knew it was a BK. I grew up in that neighborhood.
When I was a teenager a Double Whopper with Cheese really hit the spot.
Wasn’t bk on sw 8 street and. 2Nd ave Bk #2?
I wasn’t around back then but as per James McLamore’s book The Burger King, BK #2 was at 6091 SW 8th Street
the first neon rotosphere was directly across the street at a car lot too, coincidentally