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The Burger King

A Whopper of a Story on Life and Leadership

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The Burger King

Written by: Jim McLamore
Narrated by: BJ Harrison
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹586.00

Buy Now for ₹586.00

About this listen

A rags-to-$9-billion-riches story. A crash course in Burger King history and fast food in America, The Burger King is McLamore's candid and conversational memoir. Written before his death in 1996, he talks of his life, the birth of the Whopper, and the rise of Burger King.

Inside, find out:

  • How Burger King managed to create the worst advertising campaign of 1985
  • What Burger King shares with Pitbull, Scarface, and Marco Rubio
  • Why Wendy's founder Dave Thomas called McLamore an "American original"

McLamore's account of Burger King offers an instructive and inspiring tale to young entrepreneurs. Here's a story of entrepreneurship development from one of the top entrepreneurs of fast food chains. Want to learn how to start a food business? Burger King's journey from south Florida drive-ins to international corporation reveals the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, whether in the food service industry or elsewhere.

But the autobiography of McLamore doesn't end when he exits the company. So, what comes after success? To McLamore, it comes down to what's truly needed to live a full and good life - personal values, impacting the people around you, and juicy hamburgers.

©2020 James McLamore (Tucker McCormack) (P)2020 Tantor Business Leaders Cooking Culinary Entrepreneurship Food & Wine Professionals & Academics Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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Great details of the journey, the effort and inspirational account of potential that each of us could attain.
I would have liked details into how the specifics of positive changes at Burger King yielded specific results to learn. Book did give pointers on what to look for.

Inspiring detailed specifics of entrepreneurship

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I liked the unfiltered story of Burger King. But I felt there were too many repetitive sentences.

What not to do when you’re growing your business

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The Burger King: A Whopper of a Story on Life and Leadership" by Jim McLamore is a book that aims to tell the story of one of the world's most recognizable fast-food chains from the perspective of its co-founder. While the premise is promising, the execution, as you've noted, leaves much to be desired for the general reader.

The first half of McLamore's memoir, detailing his early life and the initial struggles and triumphs of creating Burger King with his partner David Edgerton, is often the most engaging part of the read. It captures the raw energy of entrepreneurship, the innovation behind the Whopper, and the spirit of a bygone era in American business. It’s an inspiring narrative of a small idea growing into a big reality.

However, the book takes a sharp turn once McLamore sells the company to the Pillsbury Company in 1967. The narrative shifts from a personal account of building a dream to a dry, often-repetitive corporate history. The language becomes less about "life and leadership" and more about quarterly reports, boardroom politics, and frustrating encounters with Pillsbury executives.

As a result, the story loses its human element and reads more like a meticulous but uninspired data sheet. For a reader looking for a compelling story, this section is a slog, feeling less like a memoir and more like a company's internal report.

The Burger King

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