#FlashbackFriday: For Burger King’s Exchange Anniversary, a Whopper of a Gallery of BKs Through the Years
On Aug. 3, 1984—38 years ago this week—the first franchised Burger King on a military installation in Europe opened at the Katterbach Kasterne in Ansbach, Germany.
Customers were greeted by a marquee that read, “Iron Soldiers Get It Their Way.” Lots of Soldiers and their families wanted it their way on opening day, as more than 400 customers were served during the first hour and 4,000 were served before the day was over.
Three months earlier, Burger King signed a five-year franchise agreement to test Burger King outlets at selected military installations worldwide. That five years has turned into nearly 40 with the Exchange, and they’re not kidding about “worldwide”: The Exchange has operated Burger Kings—sometimes as mobile units—all over the world, including in Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Iraq and Kosovo. There’s even one on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, nearly 2,500 miles west of Hawaii.
In honor of Burger King’s anniversary with the Exchange, here’s a gallery of worldwide Burger Kings through the years.
Opening day at the Exchange’s first Burger King, Aug. 3, 1984, in Ansbach, Germany
American troops stop by Burger King’s first mobile unit, opened April 18, 1996, at Taszar Life Support Area in Hungary.
Undated photo of a Burger King in Kosovo.
Undated photo of a Burger King in Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
Kusan Air Base, South Korea, probably early 2002
Camp Casey, South Korea, probably 2000s
American troops attend the grand opening of the AAFES Burger King at Baghdad International Airport in 2003.
A Burger King trailer, destined for a military installation in Iraq circa 2004, is off-loaded from a military cargo plane. During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Burger King was one of many Exchange name-brand restaurants that set up outlets in Southwest Asia.
An Exchange-operated Burger King, Camp Striker, Baghdad, Iraq, circa 2005.
Burger King building on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, nearly 2,500 miles west of Hawaii.
Sources: Exchange Post archives, Exchange History Flickr
