Burger Thailand, the authorised operator of Burger King in Thailand, wants to reinvent its offerings to appeal more to Thais, rather than foreign patrons.
Tanawat Damnernthong, the company's general manager, said the rejig will be done through products, prices, decorations and communications with customers.
"Burger King will no longer offer customers just a burger, but instead add more Thai items at the shops, including rice porridge, snacks and desserts, to reach a wider group of Thai customers," Mr Tanawat said.
He said locally inspired menu items are being adopted faster than previously planned because of the pandemic and the resulting bar on foreign tourist entry.
Mr Tanawat said the offerings of various products from burgers to other food categories will entice customers to stay with Burger King and reduce the opportunity for customers to shift to other brands.
Products will be made more affordable via promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free campaigns and 10% discounts on certain products.
The company will sell select products in line with the spending power of consumers in each location. The Thai language will be used more frequently to communicate with customers instead of English.
Store decor and menu names will also be made more amenable to Thai customers.
Burger King's new store format will be launched to respond to the growing popularity of the delivery trend, Mr Tanawat said.
By pursuing these strategies, the company expects sales from Thai customers to offset the loss of foreign tourist business.
There are 97 Burger King branches nationwide. Seven Burger King shops in popular tourist destinations like Phuket, Krabi, Samui and Pattaya remain closed.
Due to the pandemic, the company plans to open just seven Burger King shops this year, down from 10-15 branches in a typical year.
The company opened two new branches, at Silom Complex in May and at a PTT petrol station on Kanchanaphisek Road in July. The remaining five branches will open in the remaining months of the year, including two at PTT petrol stations and one at a Shell petrol station.
Mr Tanawat said that although Burger King entered the Thai market two decades ago, its brand awareness here remains unsubstantial -- particularly upcountry -- as competitors have more branches.
The penetration rate of Burger King in Thailand is less than 10% of Thai households, he said.
"My personal goal is 200 Burger King branches in Thailand in the near future," Mr Tanawat said.
In a move to get closer to Thai diners, the company has launched a new campaign called "Christmas-Don't Think Too Much'', letting customers buy one popular burger item and get one burger of their choice.