NEW DELHI: Fast food chain Burger King caused a stir on social media when it appealed to patrons to order from arch-rival McDonald’s and other competitors to help them survive the Covid2019 pandemic.
Taking to Twitter, Burger King's UK team encouraged customers to support local restaurants during the four-week-long lockdown recently announced in the country.
“We never thought we would be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment. So, if you want to help, keep treating yourself to tasty meals through home delivery, takeaway or drive thru,” it tweeted.
We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either. pic.twitter.com/cVRMSLSDq6
— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) November 2, 2020
Known for its social media-savvy, Burger King has once again won over netizens with this appeal, while also exemplifying the golden maxim ‘modern problems require modern solutions.’ Titled ‘Order from McDonald's’, the note has been liked over 114,000 times, with comments and reactions lauding the fast food giant for its gesture of goodwill.
"Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing," the company said.
Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, Taco Bell and Domino’s were also mentioned in the note, as were several standalone food outlets.
Over the course of their six-decades-long rivalry, Burger King has never lost an opportunity to troll McDonald's through its marketing campaigns. But this may be the first time the brand has displayed sportsmanship and stood in solidarity with not just it’s biggest competitor but the fast food industry as a whole.
The message came after the Boris Johnson-led government initiated a second nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid2019 cases, which have again registered an uptick during the last few weeks in the country.
While Burger King UK has urged people to help all restaurants, the chain's North American arm has decided to give a free Whopper to customers who dare to drive through one of the scariest places on earth – a stretch of now abandoned restaurants which used to be operated by its rivals – as part of Halloween celebrations.
The F&B sector has been reeling under the impact of the Coronavirus-fuelled curfews and restrictions, with thousands of independent as well as global food chain outlets lowering their shutters permanently. Millions of workers in the industry were handed the pink slip or forced to take pay cuts amid an already challenging time.
