Burger Machine Holdings Corporation, more commonly known as Burger Machine, is one of the notable fastfood companies in the Philippines. It is a sub-company of the Gilmore Food Corporation. Unlike Jollibee

Jollibee

Jollibee Foods Corporation is the parent company of Jollibee, a fast-food restaurant chain based in the Philippines. Among JFC's popular brands are Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Caffe Ti-amo, Mang Inasal and Burger King...

 and other burger chains, Burger Machine has always been retailing in outdoor stands instead of shops.

History

It was created in 1981 by Fe Esperanza S. Rodriguez and a sister who both planned to turn two old small buses into mobile stores, an idea they adapted from America. It was their fondness for hamburgers that inspired them to make a business that would serve for the masses. The stores were then opened near two gas stations in Quezon City. They all began with a capital of P40,000 with nearly two dozen employees working continuously. This non-stop service earned Burger Machine the nickname of "the burger that never sleeps."

A year later, a third store was opened. The company was nationally recognized.

In 1990, the Corporate Office in EDSA started and was called EDSA Business Unit. It was also in this year when the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology confirmed their burgers as “source of the most nutrients in terms of peso value compared to other leading hamburger chains.”

Through the years, Burger Machine launched dozens of branches including stalls and full-scale fast food restaurants. But during the Asian Financial Crisis of the 90's, the company saw more struggles and was forced to close down several branches and restaurants. Burger Machine is now back to its roots operation which is 24/7 burger stands for the masses.

Other information

One distinctive character associated with the company is the dwarf which appears on every outlet. For a number of years it had been unnamed. Later in 1988, it was given one, Burger Bart.

The business was widely advertised on television in the mid-1990s. Among those who helped promote it include the late master rapper Francis Magalona

Francis Magalona

Francis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...

 and the legendary band Eraserheads

The Eraserheads

Eraserheads, or E-Heads was a Filipino rock band of the 90s, formed by Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro. The band is one of the most successful, critically acclaimed, and significant bands in the history of OPM...

.

Permit controversy

In 2007, it was revealed that a majority of Burger Machine's stores have been operating without business license

Business license

Business licenses are permits issued by government agencies that allow individuals or companies to conduct business within the government's geographical jurisdiction. It is the authorization to start a business issued by the local government....

s. Because of this, the Market Development and Administration Department gave them 15 days to go with the demands lest Burger Machine as well as its parent Gilmore would undergo such consequences, specifically having those stores closed.