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BURGER King has urged customers to order from McDonald’s in a support of unity for all fast food chains.
It comes as restaurants in England prepare to come under new coronavirus restrictions as the nation goes into a second lockdown from this Thursday, November 5.
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As part of the measures, customers won’t be allowed to dine-in – but restaurants and fast food chains can offer takeaway and delivery.
In a message of support, Burger King urged customers to order from its competitors to support the “thousands of staff” in food chains.
The burger giant said that “getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing”.
Burger King also pledged support for other restaurant chains, including KFC, Subway, Domino’s and Pizza Hut.
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Restaurant, food chain, and pub job losses
A NUMBER of high-profile restaurant, pub, and food chains have announced job cuts following the coronavirus crisis.
- Zizzi owner Azzurri Group announced in July 2020 that it would permanently shut 75 branches, putting 1,200 jobs at risk
- Frankie & Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group has proposed closing 125 branches, with 3,000 jobs on the line
- Byron Burger is shutting 31 restaurants, around half of its UK sites, with 600 jobs at risk
- Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge have announced the closure of 91 restaurants, with 1,900 jobs to go
- Carluccio’s is cutting 1,000 jobs with 40 restaurants to shut
- Costa Coffee is axing 1,650 jobs – it hasn’t announced any store closures at this stage
- GBK is closing 26 restaurants and making 362 workers redundant
- Greene King has shut 26 sites permanently, while a further 53 will temporarily close with their future remaining in the balance. Around 800 staff across the 79 sites are at risk of losing their jobs.
- Marston’s pub chain says 2,150 staff are at risk of being made redundant or facing significantly fewer hours
- Pizza Express has confirmed it’ll be closing 73 restaurants, putting 1,100 jobs at risk
- Pret a Manger is cutting 2,800 jobs with 30 stores to close
- Revolution Bars is planning to close six sites putting 130 jobs at risk
- Upper Crust plans to make 5,000 out of its 9,000-strong workforce redundant
- Wetherspoons is planning to cut 450 jobs from six pubs, as well as 130 head office roles.
- Whitbread (which owns Brewers Fayre, Premier Inn and Beefeater) is planning to cut 6,000 jobs as hotel demand slumps.
- Young’s is making 500 out of 4,200 staff redundant.
Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John’s and Leon were also name-checked in the message.
It comes after a number of high-profile food businesses have confirmed redundancies and closures during the coronavirus lockdown.
Last month, Gourmet Burger Kitchen revealed it was closing 26 restaurants and axing 362 jobs.
Pizza Express has also confirmed it’ll be closing 73 restaurants, putting 1,100 jobs at risk, while Pret a Manger is cutting 2,800 jobs with 30 stores to close.
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McDonald’s hasn’t announced any restaurant closures or job losses, and it’s yet to respond to the note from Burger King.
The full message from Burger King reads: “Order from McDonald’s. We never thought we’d be asking you to do this.
“Just like we never thought we’d be asking you to order from KFC, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John’s and Leon… or any of the other independent food outlets, too numerous to mention here.
“In short, from any of our sister fast food chains (fast or not to fast).
“We never thought we’d 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.
“Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing.”
Burger King was met with a flurry of praise following its message.
Replying to its tweet, one person said: “This is class, from a Taco Bell fan.”
Another said: “Respect from a McDonald’s fan.”
A third tweeted: “I’ve always liked Burger King and stuff like this makes me respect you and your brand even more!”
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As the rules for restaurants change, we’ve rounded up a full list of food chains that will offer takeaway and delivery in the second lockdown.
Unlike the first lockdown, pubs won’t be able to serve takeaway pints in a bid to stop people gathering on the streets.
The new rules apply to England only – Scotland and Wales have separate coronavirus restrictions in place.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
