New food court retailer replaces Burger King

By Brad Fischer

Published May 1, 2007

Students looking for a newer, healthier food option can have it their way now that Burger King has moved out of Brady Food Court in Brady Commons.

Grill 39 opened Monday and replaced Burger King as the food court's burger and fries retailer.

Brady Food Court manager Alan Petersen said the contract with Burger King expired April 30.

Campus Dining Services, which operates the food court, had to choose whether to renew the contract or design its own outlet. Bringing in another national chain similar to Burger King was not a viable option because the food court will be in its existing state until the 2008 fall semester.

Petersen said most companies would not consider replacing Burger King in the food court because the chances of recouping the opening costs in just three semesters is small.

The idea to replace Burger King stemmed from a student proposal.

Campus Dining Services works in partnership with the dietetics program. All students in the program must work at a campus retail food location for half a semester, and two students in the program formed a proposal to replace Burger King.

Petersen said CDS began to seriously consider its options in January and spoke with the Missouri Students Association and Residence Halls Association about the decision.

CDS Director Julaine Kiehn said the department took student input into account when choosing an option.

"We looked at Burger King sales and talked to students," Kiehn said. "Students told us that they value quality and variety. We had unanimous support from RHA and MSA representatives for discontinuing Burger King and replacing it with Grill 39."

Petersen said he interviewed approximately 200 students for two weeks about their thoughts about Burger King.

In February, the department decided to make the switch to Grill 39, which serves food similar to that offered by Burger King. From Monday to Friday, it serves breakfast items including breakfast sandwiches, French toast and cinnamon rolls. Lunch and dinner also have a menu similar to that of Burger King, including hamburgers similar to Whoppers.

In the fall, Petersen said Grill 39 plans to expand its menu. Petersen said the key to the upgrade has been to give students a healthier option.

"The menu has been the same for years," Petersen said. "It is difficult to respond to students' needs."

Unlike Burger King, Grill 39 will cook its products using trans-fat free oils.

Petersen said the French toast is also a healthier option, with a whole piece of bread instead of the fried sticks previously available. The breakfast sandwiches are now available on a biscuit or bagel instead of the more fattening croissant, according to Petersen.

Because the food court is now independent from the control of a national company, it can make its own decisions about what to put on the menu. Since Burger King opened in Brady Commons 12 years ago, Petersen said only two menu items have been added.

Petersen said the sales of Burger King have declined in recent years. The company changed its procedures so sandwiches had to be made to order, and this prevented the food court from readying for rush periods by preparing many products to be available for sale immediately. With a longer wait time, hurried students chose other options in the food court.

"We couldn't produce the product quickly enough, and sales started to decrease," Petersen said.

Senior Jachin Williams prefers Grill 39 to its predecessor.

"I didn't really like Burger King," Williams said. "I like this a lot better. The fries are better, and the fish sandwich is good."

This is the first change of retailer at the food court since the Sunshine Sushi replaced Potato Bend four years ago.