Burgerim signed up an estimated 1,550 franchisees, most of whom never could get a restaurant open. For those who did, many have opted to rebrand into other concepts—either existing franchises like Fatburger or something they’ve built from the ground up. All of them are trying to make it work after sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars into a brand that has largely collapsed.
Operators love their independence. They can choose their own menu and branding, and sell what makes money and ditch what doesn’t. "We completely revamped the menu," said Abdul Popal, who converted two of his three California Burgerim locations into a new concept called iniBurger. "We got away from the complexities, the different patties and styles that made it very difficult and operationally expensive to operate. Nobody made any money."
"When I saw all the trickery and that they never intended to file for bankruptcy, that was my signal to leave. Burgerim was eventually going to die by 1,000 lashes."
Abdul Popal, Co-Founder
Operators who have created their own brands have taken various routes to get there. Some developed the recipes themselves, while Popal worked alongside a food consultant for iniBurger’s recipes. The company uses freebies and limited-time offers to see what works and makes changes based on the response. "Even today, we’re continuing to make small edits," he said. "We see what fits the profile better as we ask consumers what they think of this or what they think of that."
Restaurant Business Online
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