🍔 Why Burger King Became Hungry Jack’s in Australia — A Branding Tale with Bite

When global brands expand into new markets, they often expect their reputation to do the heavy lifting. But in Australia, Burger King learned the hard way that local rules — and local entrepreneurs — can flip the script.

🥊 The Trademark Tangle

Back in 1971, Burger King was ready to bring its flame-grilled empire Down Under. But there was one problem: the name “Burger King” was already trademarked by a small Adelaide-based takeaway, founded in 1962 by an American expat named Don Dervan.

Dervan had spotted a gap — the name wasn’t registered in Australia — and seized the opportunity. His Burger King chain grew to 17 locations and was selling over a million burgers a year by the early ’70s. When the U.S. Burger King corporation came knocking, Dervan didn’t sell. Instead, he sold his chain to Jack Cowin, the man who would go on to build Hungry Jack’s.

👨‍🍳 Enter Jack Cowin — Hungry for Opportunity

With the “Burger King” name off the table, Cowin turned to Pillsbury (then Burger King’s parent company) and chose a name from their trademark vault: Hungry Jack, a U.S. pancake mix brand. Add an apostrophe, and Hungry Jack’s was born.

The first store opened in Perth, and the brand quickly gained traction — serving up Whoppers under a new name but with the same flame-grilled DNA.

🎨 Mirror Image Branding

Here’s where it gets cheeky: Hungry Jack’s didn’t just borrow the menu — it borrowed the look. The original Hungry Jack’s logo was nearly identical to Burger King’s, with the same stacked bun design and bold red lettering. The only real difference? The words “Hungry Jack’s” replaced “Burger King,” and the bun colour was tweaked to a brighter yellow.

Over the years, both brands updated their logos in parallel — with Hungry Jack’s often echoing Burger King’s design tweaks. In fact, the 2021 Hungry Jack’s logo closely resembles Burger King’s 2020 retro-style rebrand. It’s a fascinating case of visual branding continuity across two names — a silent nod to their shared DNA.

⚔️ The Burger War of the '90s

Fast forward to the 1990s: the original trademark expired, and Burger King tried to reclaim its name by opening stores under the U.S. branding. This sparked a legal showdown with Cowin, who argued they were breaching their franchise agreement.

After a heated court battle, Cowin came out on top. Burger King was forced to exit the Australian market, and Hungry Jack’s became the sole flame-grilled monarch of Aussie fast food.

A Brand That Stayed Local — and Won Big

Today, Hungry Jack’s is a proudly Australian-owned company with over 440 locations. The menu mirrors Burger King’s with a few local twists — think Jack’s Café iced drinks and the Whiskey River Whopper. But the real story is how a global brand had to bend to local realities — and how a savvy entrepreneur turned a naming hiccup into a national icon.