Burger King

On Monday, inflammatory sports-yakker Howard Eskin announced he was giving up his daily radio gig at WIP. Today, Burger King is expected to announce big advertising changes, including the "dethroning the creepy King character," according to USA Today. Coincidence? You decide. Both have brown beards, and for years, people have commented on the physical resemblance. Eskin's nickname: The King. Both are known to hang around sporting events. The Burger King once dumped Gatorade on an NFL coach in a commercial.

NEW YORK - Wendy's has dethroned Burger King as the country's second-biggest hamburger chain. Wendy's edged out Burger King in U.S. sales volume last year for the first time since Wendy's was founded in 1969, according to a report by the food industry research firm Technomic Inc. that is to be released next month. Wendy's had sales of $8.5 billion in 2011, compared with $8.4 billion for Burger King. McDonald's remained far larger than both with $34.2 billion in sales. The figures are based on Technomic's estimates of system-wide sales at franchise and company-owned restaurants, rather than corporate revenue, which includes fees from franchise operators.

Burger King Corp. yesterday announced that its $40 million advertising campaign based on a fictional character named Herb has "run its natural course" and is officially over. The way some industry analysts saw it, however, the company pulled the plug on Herb because the campaign was a failure. "It's hard for anyone to admit they made a mistake," said Phil Lempert, author of the Lempert Report, a newsletter that tracks marketing trends. Burger King launched the three-phase TV campaign in late November.

A white Camden man who is a former manager of some Burger King restaurants in South Jersey has sued the chain, its parent company and two of its licensees, contending that they demoted him because of his relationship with a black woman. Charles S. Beddia, 27, of the 1500 block of Park Boulevard, also alleged in his suit, filed Wednesday in state Superior Court in Camden, that in certain Burger King restaurants, blacks and Puerto Ricans were denied jobs that would bring them in contact with white patrons.

The force of "universal laws" can either make or break any enterprise. That's the philosophy of Barry J. Gibbons, former chairman and CEO of Burger King, who is credited with the turnaround of the fast-food chain - without cutting heads. Gibbons' laws - trumpeted as simple truths for running any business profitably and sensibly - can be found in his new book, "If You Want to Make God Really Laugh, Show Him Your Business Plan: The 101 Universal Laws of Business. " Some examples: Universal Law No. 10. People are coin operated.

Co-workers could snack without fear of reprimand, but Christine Shaffer got a disciplinary write-up at the Burger King in Broomall for helping herself to a small piece of chicken, her lawyers said. At the time, she was so hungry she felt ill, they said. Her attorneys, Richard J. Silverberg and Rebecca J. Houlding, sued Burger King Corp. in federal court in Philadelphia late Tuesday, seeking more than $100,000 on her behalf. The suit alleges that Burger King violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by mistreating Shaffer.

The Borough Council will appeal a recent Zoning Hearing Board decision that approved the construction of a Burger King at the main downtown intersection, officials said yesterday. The appeal will say the fast-food restaurant would not be a permissible use at the site, Borough Solicitor David Landau said. The appeal, which the council approved Thursday night, will be filed this week in Delaware County Court, he said. Landau said that borough zoning ordinances permitted a traditional eat-in restaurant at the site, but that the neighborhood commercial district specifically prohibited fast-food restaurants.

Commerce Bank is moving forward with plans to put a branch office, a Burger King restaurant, and two stores on a five-acre plot on Route 130. The property borders the old Willingboro Plaza, which the township and ReNEWal Realty are turning into a Town Center anchored by a Merck-Medco automated mail-service pharmacy and a $6 million township library. Plans submitted to the township by Site Development Inc. of Mount Laurel propose replacing an existing building with a Commerce branch, a Burger King, an AutoZone, and an unidentified store.

Jets of water flood the evening sky across from the old Lit Brothers building, as firefighters try to quell a three-alarm blaze at a Rite-Aid drugstore near 7th and Market streets. Losses were estimated at $1 million. McDonald's and Burger King which flank the store, also suffered damage.

SO OBAMA didn't make the obligatory stop at Pat's or Geno's. I applaud him on skipping the two tourist traps that are the McDonald's and Burger King of cheesesteaks in the city. There are other joints to get a great cheesesteak, including Jim's, D'Allessandro's and John's Roast Pork. Bryan Flannery, Chalfont