Burger King Corp

When Burger King Corp. goes fry-to-fry today against archenemy McDonald's Corp., the Miami-based chain will be putting its money where its mouth is. The nation's second-largest burger chain plans to give away an estimated 9 million small orders of fries at its 7,400 restaurants on its self-proclaimed "Free FryDay." The publicity stunt--which incorporates a subsequent giveaway of Mr.

Burger King Corp. may have a whopper of a public relations problem on its hands over its $22-million Pokemon promotion, one of the largest in the history of the fast-food industry. Dozens of Southland Burger Kings--and scores across the country--ran out of Pokemon toys tied to the Warner Bros. hit movie on Thursday, causing angry parents and crying children to storm out of its restaurants.

Burger King Corp. said today it will lay off about 35% of its headquarters and field staff in a restructuring plan that is occurring three months after the $5.3-billion acquisition of the fast-food chain and its parent Pillsbury by the British conglomerate Grand Metropolitan PLC. "These reductions are absolutely necessary for Burger King to achieve its potential," said Barry J. Gibbons, Burger King chief executive officer. Burger King's profits are down about 60% from 1986.

Burger King Says Pepsi Is It: Burger King Corp. announced that it will remain in the Pepsi generation after reviewing its soft drink vendor agreement and considering an offer to switch domestic business to Coca-Cola. "After an exhaustive review of proposals from both Pepsi Cola Co. and Coca-Cola USA, we've decided to continue our relationship with Pepsi," said Barry J. Gibbons, chief executive of Burger King Corp. Burger King International will continue its current agreement with Coca-Cola.

Looking to beef up your mojo this holiday season? Burger King Corp. may have just the thing. The home of the Whopper has launched a new men's body spray called Flame. The company describes the spray as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat." The fragrance is on sale at New York retailer Ricky's NYC in stores and online for a limited time for $3.99.

Burger King Corp. and AOL Time Warner Inc. have entered a marketing partnership. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Burger King will advertise AOL Time Warner music and films, including New Line Productions' "The Lord of the Rings," at its restaurants. AOL Time Warner will promote Burger King on TV networks, including CNN, in magazines and through the Internet, the companies said.