What was the original name of the company that became Burger King?

The company that became Burger King was originally called Insta-Burger King.

Keith Kramer and his wife’s uncle, Matthew Burns, founded Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1953. Their business used an oven called the Insta-Broiler, which was designed to cook hamburger patties efficiently.

The company encountered financial difficulties, and Miami franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore acquired the business in 1954. They reorganized it and eventually shortened the name to Burger King. Edgerton also developed the broiler system that became central to the chain’s flame-grilled identity.

The name change is sometimes confused with the chain’s founding date. Burger King traces its origins to 1953, but the Burger King name emerged after the Florida reorganization. The company’s first international expansion came later, beginning in Puerto Rico in 1963.