Burger Kings to Open in Inner Cities

Burger King Corp. and an executive who has experience running inner-city restaurants agreed to open at least 125 such restaurants in the next five years.

The fast-food chain and La-Van Hawkins plan to open 25 restaurants in the next 18 months in Washington, Chicago and Detroit. The first will open in the U.S. capital across from Howard University.

Hawkins, the founder of Urban City Foods, was responsible for Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc.’s success in opening and running restaurants in inner cities. He was once Checkers’ largest black franchisee, with 43 of the drive-through restaurants and a position on the company board. He no longer has any ties to Checkers.

Burger King Chief Executive Robert Lowes said he considers the move good business sense.

“It’s a market that has been dramatically under-tapped,” he said.

The restaurants will open in empowerment zones and enterprise communities designated under a program set in motion by President Clinton in 1993.

The program is designed to help communities help themselves by granting each zone $100 million in federal aid to be used for such things as economic development, job training, drug treatment and child care. Businesses are lured to the areas with a tax incentive of up to $3,000 for every resident they hire in the zone.

Hawkins said each Burger King restaurant should employ between 85 and 125 people.