A NEW Burger King restaurant was confirmed to make a return to Taunton back in 2023 but, after a year, there is no new Burger King in the town. What's happened?

Back on October 24, Burger King confirmed plans to open a restaurant on Fore Street on the premises once occupied by Carphone Warehouse.

At the time, a spokesperson said: “Burger King® UK is regularly evaluating opportunities to bring our great-tasting products to more guests in new locations.

“We can confirm that there will be a new restaurant opening at this location, however, we do not have further information regarding an opening date at this time. We will keep you informed when more information becomes available.”

Burger King previously operated out of premises in High Street, Taunton, until it closed in May 2014.

Burger King was a Taunton mainstay before it left the high street in 2014. (Image: NQ Archive)

The popular fast food joint was confirmed to return right up until May this year when Burger King announced it wouldn't be returning.

Back in May this year, a spokesperson officially confirmed Burger King would not be returning to Taunton: "Burger King® UK are always seeking out new opportunities for new restaurants, however, we can confirm that there are no longer plans to open a restaurant in Taunton at this time."

The fast food place may soon return despite cancelling plans to come to Taunton.

This year, Burger King UK said it witnessed “resilient” sales over the first half of 2024 amid a boost from new restaurant openings.

This came as the fast-food business, which operates 561 restaurants in the UK, revealed it returned to profit last year.

The chain was boosted by the opening of 18 new owned restaurants and the integration of 74 sites snapped up from franchisee Karali Group in September 2022.

Burger King UK added that 'like-for-like sales' grew by 3% last year.

Meanwhile, the business also swung to an operating profit of £13.4 million for the year, from a £20.7 million loss in 2022, as it was supported by higher revenues and cost management.

Mr Murdoch, Chief Executive Officer of Burger King UK, said: “I am pleased to announce a strong full-year performance and significant strategic progress in 2023.

"Looking ahead, we are excited about our ambitious expansion plans and the continued growth of our digital and delivery services, supported by good cost management and a robust pipeline of new openings."