According to the Burger Fuel Worldwide Limited Annual Report 2013, Burger Fuel Middle East system sales are up 94.8%; why is this?
Mainly due to the opening of five new outlets in the last 14 months. The natural growth we achieved in 2010-2011 was also good. We expect the 2013 calendar year to have an incredible growth due to additional new store openings.
How aggressive is the growth of the brand in this region?
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We have the first and only drive-through outlet in Dubai, positioned on an 1858m2 plot with drive through, take out and dining facilities. We also have the Sheikh Zayed Road branch which opened in August. In Abu Dhabi, we opened in Dalma Mall, which is doing well; it’s our first in the emirate. The second store opened in Sowwah Square in Galleria, and we are targeting another four locations in Abu Dhabi in the next six months. Our target is to reach 20 stores in the UAE in three years. We have Burger Fuel’s first store in Kuwait opening in the next few months, also under AKI. Hopefully we will be ready to operate that before the end of this year. Plus we have stores in Saudi Arabia. To sum up, we are looking to double the number of stores in the next five years.
What is the reason for Burger Fuel’s success in the region?
The first and foremost reason is our product quality. When we started, many customers thought it was just another burger but soon they started to feel the difference. In some stores we have over 30% repeat customers and we always gain a lot of new customers in every area we open. We deliver fresh and natural ingredients and this is the message we always want to give our clients — there is no compromise. We serve 100% grass fed beef from New Zealand, which is a statement that the beef quality is second to none in the UAE market. The concept is successful and Burger Fuel has invented an adaptable kitchen — we can open different formats whether it’s a food court, a flagship store or a high street location.
Burger Fuel is active on social media — how important has that been for your presence? We have seen its Facebook page create offers for customers, Foursquare discounts etc?
It’s all thanks to Burger Fuel’s marketing department. Burger Fuel has been a leader in social media since it started; in fact, last year it was awarded best social media company in New Zealand and Australia. We considered online offers here because there are a lot of mediums to offer products online. We have 30,000+ customers on social media, so why not use that? When we did it for the first time, it had a really great impact. I think six or seven thousand people claimed the offer. We call our clients our ‘brand ambassadors’.
One of the things the brand is keen to market is its social responsibility; can you elaborate?
Burger Fuel packaging is made from recyclable materials from sustainable forests. We have also been in touch with a lot of NGOs in Dubai and use their services to recycle the packaging. We try to avoid things like plastic. Burger Fuel in New Zealand also recycles the frying oil and turns it into diesel for vehicles. It’s not easy in the UAE at this stage, but we are trying our best. Even the chairs we use are made from recyclable material. This is a very important statement for us and we try to maintain that at all times in every market we open. If every burger is served with a bag and tissue, it causes a lot of pollution. Companies leading in fast food should be at this level where they can try to recycle the packaging or use sustainable resources.
Do the ingredients come from New Zealand, or locally?
Most of the ingredients are from New Zealand, like the relish and the beef. The other ingredients are sourced locally. AKI has a very sophisticated logistics department; we try to keep our stock as low as possible and as fresh as possible at all times. It is not easy but we have succeeded. We do not compromise on quality. We try to use local-grown vegetables and products when possible.
As a fast food joint, how do you react to comments on the health aspect of the burgers?
Our product is healthy by nature. Burger Fuel has a gluten-free bun in New Zealand and we are looking at implementing it very soon in Dubai. We already offer a no-bun burger here. I can confidently say the burger is healthy and natural because there are no additives or preservatives. We are also the only burger chain that has ‘vegetarian society approved’ vegetarian patties. In every product we serve, we first think, ‘can we actually offer it natural and fresh?’ That’s the message from Burger Fuel: fast food but real food.
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