Burger King Opens: Jakarta, West Java

There was nothing more amusing for Ayu Ningsih weeks ago than hearing that Burger King would open up in Jakarta. Since hearing the news from a friend, Ayu waited for the big day. Finally, the much-awaited day arrived April 25 when the American-chain restaurant launched its first outlet at plush Senayan City shopping mall.

“I’m very happy that Burger King has come back. I was familiar with them when I was a kid,” said Ayu, an employee at Senayan City.

Ayu was talking about her experience in the 1980s when she and her elder sister often visited a Burger King outlet at a shopping mall to enjoy its hamburgers.

“I liked them, especially the beef,” she said.

Unfortunately, Ayu could no longer enjoy Burger King sandwiches when she became a teenager because the American-owned franchise stopped operating here.

Following its grand opening the restaurant started to serve Jakarta customers, who longed to try its legendary Whopper burger.

Like Ayu, burger-lovers in town may now enjoy a Whopper, a sandwich famous for its flame-grilling. The cooking method differentiates Burger King from its competition, says the company.

Burger King not only offers customers its Whopper sandwich; it is also pulling in the crowds with its popular onion rings and french fries.

Having originally served customers since 1954, Burger King attracted people here with its high-profile opening ceremony.

The opening procession started outside the shopping mall when an athlete runner, holding a flaming torch, arrived at the mall. The runner handed over the torch to Burger King’s Asia-Pacific president Peter Tan.

Tan passed the torch to VP Sharma, CEO of PT Mitra Adi Perkasa (MAP), which operates Burger King here.

Sharma then gave the torch to MAP’s head of food and beverage concepts Anthony Cottan who later used it to light the grill. As the grill lit up, dozens of Burger King employees chanted slogans.

As soon as the grill was ready, the cooking team moved into action. In less than five minutes the first three Whoppers were ready and served to Tan, Sharma and Cottan.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the opening of our restaurant in Jakarta,” said Tan.

He said the public in Jakarta would definitely enjoy the taste of its flame-grilled hamburgers. To impart local flavor to the Whopper, Tan said, Burger King has created a Black Pepper Whopper, which uses local spices.

Burger King is also serving what is calls a BK Singles Black Pepper and BK Singles Teriyaki to satisfy local customers.

Aware that its products could prove to be quite popular, Burger King has made its Jakarta outlet quite large. At 600 square meters, it’s the largest Burger King in Southeast Asia.

To anticipate growing demand for its products, the company plans to open two more outlets by September this year.

Burger King
Senayan City,
lower ground floor
Jl. Asia Afrika
South Jakarta
tel: 72781480

Kurniawan Hari