What was Burger King called when it began in 1953?

Burger King was called Insta-Burger King when it began in 1953.

Keith Kramer and his wife's uncle Matthew Burns founded the original business in Jacksonville, Florida. Their operation used a cooking device called the Insta-Broiler, which inspired the first company name.

The early business struggled financially, and franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore acquired it in 1954. They redesigned the operation and renamed it Burger King in 1959.

The name change is sometimes confused with the chain's later ownership history. Burger King became a major international brand, but its earliest corporate identity was Insta-Burger King, not simply Burger King.