Burger King has regained its position as America's second-largest burger chain by sales, moving ahead of Wendy's and trailing only McDonald's, as a multiyear renovation and marketing effort centered on the Whopper gains traction. The chain's signature sandwich, whose recent upgrade was previously described as being overseen by Burger King U.S. Head Chef Amy Alarcon, was relaunched in February with a glazed bun, reformulated mayonnaise and sturdier packaging, and Burger King said sales of the item have climbed 20% since the new version debuted. Restaurant Brands International CEO Joshua Kobza said Burger King U.S. outperformed the broader industry by the high single digits in the second quarter, with U.S. same-store sales up 8.5%, compared with a 0.8% rise at McDonald's and a 7% drop at Wendy's, which has now posted six consecutive quarters of declining sales. Burger King also said it has been using direct customer feedback to shape the turnaround, with Burger King President Tom Curtis personally answering 1,800 calls by May out of more than 70,000 customer communications.