A Franchisee Story

In 1958, Bob Furman, a franchisee if 37 years from Illinois, became part of the system and met the legendary co-founder. “At that time, my father spotted a tiny, three-line ad in The Chicago Tribune advertising for a Burger King Franchisee. My dad, who was planning for retirement and thought this might be the right opportunity, pasted the ad on the back of a postcard and pailed it off.” While the Furmans (father and son) were not even sure they would get a reply, they heard directly from Jim McLamore, who, explaining they didn’t have any brochures to send, suggested instead that they fly to Miami to talk. At that time, Burger King’s entire national presence was eight or nine stores, and franchising was in its infancy. 

“We met him in the commissary, and while we were talking, he chopped lettuce and onions,’ Furman continues. “ Around 11, he suggested lunch and excuses himself as he and Dave had to go to work. We went up to the counter and there he was, working the cash register while Dave was working the fries.” Burger King was very much a family affair in those days, Edgerton remembers, with Nancy doing the books and the taxes. Even the operating manual was done in the McLamore home. “We’d stay up late at night. I’d be talking and Jim would be typing. We wrote the book on operations. Everyone was copying us after a while.” The Furmans became franchisees and opened Store #12. And they rose to, and more than met, an admirable challenge.

Bob Furman, Early Franchisee

The FLAME Magazine, September 1996, excepters from pages 6-10