Berliner Currywurst

von Roland Hachmann | Mrz 25, 2007 | Blog, Marketing

Ok, I didn’t actually stay until Sunday. I was back Saturday Evening already, since I need to do some work today. Unfortunately, because Berlin is always fascinating, you could spend endless hours walking down the streets in one of the many different parts of the city.

One thing we visited worth mentioning, apart from the huge ADC exhibition, was the most famous currywurst place in Germany (or so they say):

Konnopke’s fast food exists since 1930. 10 years before the McDonalds Brother started their business. But the rest is a matter of Ray Croc injecting business understanding and franchise models, as well as the difference between free market economies and communism (yes, Konnopke is in the former East Berlin).

Somehow, this place has stayed a uique location even though the demand is incredible. On a saturday aound lunchtime, the cue is nearly 20 meters long. And the service is not slow – it took less than one minute to take my order and deliver the currywurst with fries. Usually it takes longer at a regular McDonalds.

I was particularly fascinated by their marketing efforts of selling vouchures. I haven’t seen that at any fast food place like that, yet.

For those who don’t know German: it basically advertises the fact that you can now give fast food vouchures to your friends, colleagues, etc.