Burger King Field Team Fleet Now 31% Electric Vehicles
Burger King has transitioned 31 percent of its North American field team fleet to electric vehicles across 16 states, with goal of 100 percent EVs by 2030. This move is the next step in delivering on Restaurant Brands International’s (parent company of Burger King) science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, versus a 2019 baseline.
The field team is critical to the brand’s success as the first line of support for franchisees locally, living in various states across the United States and traveling to restaurants to provide the level of service BK franchisees deserve. This adds up to tens of thousands of miles driven each month.
“Franchisee success is the end goal of everything our field team does, and restaurant visits are critical to this partnership,” said Jeromy Gwin, BK Corporate franchise business partner. “I’m proud to work for a company that allows me to do my job in a more sustainable way.”
Burger King worked with Element Fleet Management, the largest pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world, to source the electric vehicles and launch the program.
“It was instantly clear Burger King is serious about following through with their commitments and finding solutions that have long-term payoff and positive impact on the environment,” said David Madrigal, chief commercial officer at Element Fleet Management. “The brand’s enthusiasm for the goal, combined with the team’s responsiveness and active partnership enabled us to mobilize vehicle sourcing and charging infrastructure installations at record speed — making this our fastest program launch across the nation to date.”
For a full breakdown of RBI’s sustainability commitments and progress towards change including the BK electric vehicles, visit the company website.
Founded in 1954, the Burger King brand is a global quick service hamburger chain known for food quality and value as the only place guests can get the iconic flame-grilled Whopper sandwich. The Burger King system operates more than 18,700 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost 100 percent of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. Burger King is a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc., one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $35 billion in annual system-wide sales and approximately 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. RBI owns four of the world’s most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – BURGER KING, TIM HORTONS, POPEYES and FIREHOUSE SUBS.
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Celebrity Chef Anna Rossi Presents Easter Recipes
The Fresh Market is welcoming spring and the upcoming holiday by launching an annual partnership with Boston celebrity Chef Anna Rossi, starting with Easter recipes. In her new role as a brand ambassador and spokesperson, Rossi will create recipes, lifestyle content and host a monthly livestreaming shoppable event on the company’s website.
Rossi hosted a live event, “Plan an Easter to Remember with The Fresh Market & Chef Anna Rossi,” bringing Easter to life with chef-inspired recipes and tips for a memorable holiday. Guests could shop live during the event and the replay (March 23-April 9).
“The Fresh Market has served as a cornerstone of inspiration for me as a chef and home cook for years,” said Rossi. “I’m thrilled to join forces professionally with a team that shares a passion for thoughtfully sourcing and celebrating delicious products, quality ingredients and unforgettable recipes. We are now taking that to the next level on an innovative platform that has the capacity to connect and engage with customers in a meaningful and immersive way.”
The creative collaboration of The Fresh Market and Rossi is already igniting national attention. The Fresh Market, in partnership with Firework, the video commerce leader, was recognized with the Best Live Video Strategy Award at this year’s Digiday Video and TV Awards. More than 845,000 people tuned in to watch Rossi prepare The Fresh Market’s Ultimate Thanksgiving Meal during last November’s livestream, making it one of the most viewed episodes.
Partnering with Chef Anna Rossi as a brand ambassador strengthens and adds value to The Fresh Market’s growing Shoppable Video-Live Commerce Retail Media Network. Now brand partners will benefit from a professional celebrity chef creating recipes with their products and highlighting the features through sponsored ad segments. By leveraging the Firework platform to enable a video driven RMN experience, The Fresh Market believes that providing brands the opportunity to engage, inspire and convert shoppers through a hosted cooking and lifestyle segment will heighten that brand’s visibility in a marketplace where and when shoppers are most likely to transact.
“We are thrilled that Chef Anna Rossi has joined the shoppable livestream brand ambassador team at The Fresh Market and believe our vendor partners will be too,” said Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Miller. “Chef Rossi’s exuberant personality captivates our livestream audiences and brings The Fresh Market brand experience of joy, anticipation and trust to life with each shoppable episode.”
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Giant Food to Open First In-Store Restaurant in Maryland
Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, will open its first in-store fast-casual restaurant in partnership with Maryland-based chain Nalley Fresh. The location will open at Giant’s Ellicott City, Md., location on March 24, and offer customers a selection of highly customizable, healthy and fresh meal options to further elevate the in-store shopping experience.
Perfect for lunch or dinner, Nalley Fresh is a chef-driven concept that makes everything fresh daily and features a wide variety of customizable salads, wraps and bowls. The new in-store restaurant counter, which will be open daily from 11:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m., will allow customers to create delicious, personalized meals from house-made, specialty proteins and over a hundred different topping options, including dressings, sauces and broths.
Nalley Fresh offers a wide selection, including vegan and vegetarian protein options, international flavors and more. Customers can build their own custom creation or choose one of Nalley Fresh’s signature dishes designed by founder and Chef Greg Nalley himself.
“We are thrilled to bring Nalley Fresh to our Ellicott City store and provide our customers with an unbeatable one-stop shopping experience,” said Gregg Dorazio, director of e-commerce at Giant Food. “We know our customers will enjoy the convenient, healthy and delicious meal offerings, and we’re proud to welcome this local concept right in-store at Giant.”
Nalley received a life-changing cancer diagnosis in 2001 that inspired him to pursue his longtime dream of running his own restaurant. He went on to open the first Nalley Fresh location in 2011, applying customization aspects to a diverse and healthy food profile. Giant Food’s partnership with Nalley Fresh marks the restaurant chain’s 10th location. The new location will also be able to fulfill third-party delivery orders (e.g. DoorDash, UberEats) for added convenience.
“We are very excited to partner with a local brand like Giant Food to provide the Nalley Fresh experience for their customers,” Nalley said. “We look forward to providing nutritious, delicious food that is backed up by premier customer service in a friendly and fun atmosphere.”
For more information on Giant Food, visit giantfood.com.
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