AURORA | Aurora diners who have a hankering for a Whopper but lack the will to leave the couch need not fret — at least not about getting that hamburger.
Burger King announced last week that it has chosen the Burger King at 16850 E. Iliff Ave. as the chain’s first Colorado location to offer delivery service. The restaurant, along with one in Phoenix, are the latest of just a handful of the burger giant’s 13,000 locations to offer delivery service.
“This expansion was an easy decision as Phoenix and Denver have some of our most loyal guests and the Burger King brand is excited to offer them the opportunity to enjoy the food they love, delivered to them in the comfort of their home, dorm or office,” Petru Pusta, Director, Retail Innovation, Burger King Worldwide, Inc., said in a statement last week.
Burger King dipping its toe into the delivery game is part of a growing trend, experts say.
According to National Restaurant Association research, 52 percent of adults said they would likely use delivery from a quick-service restaurant directly to a home or office. And, the association said, the industry has seen substantial growth in recent years of so-called “off-premise” options, including curbside pick up and to-go orders.
Today, about 70 percent of restaurant traffic is “off-premise” orders, said Annika Stensson, senior manager of research communications for the National Restaurant Association.
“So it makes perfect sense for restaurants to expand their takeout and delivery options. Competition in the industry is intense, so adding points of access can provide a competitive edge and reach new customers outside of the four walls of the restaurant,” she said.
And, convenience is a particularly strong influence on which restaurant a diner chooses, she said.
Still, Burger King remains one of just a few major national fast-food chains to offer delivery service, though several services will pick up food from restaurants and deliver it to a customer’s door step for a fee.
At Steve-O’s Pizza and Ribs in Aurora, owner Steve Wieand has been offering delivery from other restaurants for a $7.50 fee for several years.
Wieand said there is certainly a market for fast-food delivery, especially among customers who value convenience.
But, Wieand said, the trouble Burger King will run into is the smaller orders that require a driver to hustle to a customer’s home for an order that only nets a few bucks.
And, he said, having a delivery service means quite a bit of extra work, including finding drivers with reliable cars, insurance and clean driving records.
“They might try it, but it’s not as easy as you think,” he said.
Burger King first offered delivery in 2011 at restaurants in a handful of test markets and has since grown to include New York, Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area and greater Washington, D.C.
Delivery is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and requires a $10 minimum order.
The company credits a proprietary thermal packaging for making sure hot foods stay hot and cold foods stay cold in transit.
The Aurora location near Iliff and South Buckley Road serves the neighborhoods: Aurora Highlands, Kingsborough, Country Lane, Lakeshore, Southeast Crossings, Stone Ridge Park, Meadowood, Summer Valley Ranch and Seven Hills, among others.
The company said it plans to expand to other locations around the metro area in a few months, including to another Aurora restaurant and others in Denver, Wheat Ridge, Lakewood, Arvada, Commerce City, Englewood, Littleton and Centennial.