David Edgerton
{{for|the British historian of the same name|David Edgerton (historian)}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2021}}
{{short description|American entrepreneur; founder of Burger King}}
{{Infobox person
|name = David Edgerton
|image = David Edgerton.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Edgerton in 1954
|birth_name = David Russell Edgerton Jr.
|birth_date = {{birth date|1927|5|26}}
|birth_place = Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date ={{death date and age|2018|4|3|1927|5|26}}
|death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.
|nationality = American
|occupation = Entrepreneur
|known_for = Co-founding Burger King with James McLamore
}}
David Russell Edgerton Jr. (May 26, 1927 – April 3, 2018){{cite book|last1=Cornell Society of Hotelmen|title=Directory of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen|date=1953|publisher=The Society|location=Ithaca, N.Y|page=308}} was an American entrepreneur and co-founder of Burger King, in what would become the second-largest burger chain after McDonald's.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/obituaries/david-edgerton-90-dies-helped-start-burger-king-in-the-60s.html |title=David Edgerton, a Founder of Burger King, Is Dead at 91 |last=Hershey |first=Robert D. Jr |date=2018-04-16 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=2018-04-18}} After serving as a manager of another restaurant, Howard Johnson's, on March 1, 1954, he opened a franchise outlet of the restaurant chain Insta Burger King in Miami, Florida. On June 1 of the same year, he met fellow restaurateur James McLamore and the two founded the Burger King Corporation. After leaving Burger King, he went on to start Bodega, a steakhouse restaurant.{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Andrew F.|title=Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jIOEZ5F9fAC&pg=PA27|access-date=6 April 2011 |date=August 2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-33527-3|page=27}}
Early life
Edgerton was born the eldest of two children to David Edgerton Sr., an itinerant hotel operator, and Blanche Berger, a concert violinist.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
Career
After initially being interested in becoming a stage manager and serving a stint in the army, he curtailed that career to become a restaurateur, after graduating from Cornell University, he attended Northwestern University, where he started his endeavor by running a pie-making business that served mainly students on-campus. He then worked accounting for a hotel chain Albert Picks Hotel Group based in Chicago.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
He returned to Florida to become manager of Howard Johnson's Restaurants, which had locations in Miami and Orlando. At the time, he became interested in opening a Dairy Queen, with a burger section, when he met business partner and fellow restaurateur and Cornell University alumnus James McLamore. Together, they developed Insta-Burger King, the forerunner of the concept of the Burger King model of fast service, limited menu, and low prices. Customers came into the restaurant to pay for orders in advance, as opposed to the traditional method of carhops attending customers directly and bringing their orders to their vehicles. The corporation opened Burger King stores and went on to introduce the Whopper burger in 1957 when it also dropped "Insta" from the name. At this same time, Edgerton, frustrated with the issue-prone Insta machines, created the flame broiler, which would provide the signature flavor for Burger King.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
In 1961, McLamore negotiated the national rights to Burger King and began growth across the country. McLamore and Edgerton created two supporting businesses in 1962: Distron and Davmor Industries. Distron became the food distribution center for all the stores. Davmor Industries was the manufacturing plant that produced all kitchen equipment for each new store.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
Burger King was expanding, but as McDonald's went public in 1965, organic growth became difficult to keep up. The pair sold the 274-store business to Pillsbury in 1967 in an attempt to grow under the brand.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
Edgerton left the Burger King organization after its sale and he established the Bodega Steakhouse chain, which had locations throughout Florida, Detroit, and Texas, until selling it in 1981.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
In 1985, Edgerton brought further restaurants throughout San Francisco and Monterey, before in 1993 purchasing shares in three Fuddruckers Restaurants.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
He also served on the advisory board of Avantcare, Inc.{{cite web |url=http://avantcareinc.com/team/david-r-edgerton.php |title=David R. Edgerton - Avantcare, Inc |access-date=2014-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116015609/http://avantcareinc.com/team/david-r-edgerton.php |archive-date=2015-01-16 |url-status=dead }}
Death
Edgerton died on April 3, 2018, at the age of 90, from complications from surgery following a fall.{{cite web|author=Smith, Harrison|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/david-edgerton-burger-king-co-founder-who-helped-make-the-whopper-dies-at-90/2018/04/18/609b2e18-4313-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html|title=David Edgerton, Burger King co-founder who helped make the Whopper, dies at 90|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 18, 2018|accessdate=April 26, 2021|archivedate=April 20, 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420113803/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/david-edgerton-burger-king-co-founder-who-helped-make-the-whopper-dies-at-90/2018/04/18/609b2e18-4313-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html}}
References
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{{Burger King}}
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Category:Fast-food chain founders
Category:Cornell University School of Hotel Administration alumni