‘There’s more to life than the Whopper’: Burger King advertises independent restaurants as Tier 3 forces closures

‘Until they reopen, they can advertise on our Instagram for free,’ says fast-food chain

(Getty Images)

Burger King will begin promoting independent restaurants across the UK as many are being forced to close due to the widening of tier 3 restrictions.

On Wednesday, more than 34 million people in England will enter into the toughest tier of coronavirus restrictions as London and parts of the South East of England experience rising infection rates.

In tier 3, all restaurants and pubs are forced to close except for takeaways and deliveries.

In light of the announcement, Burger King has revealed it will be using its platform to advertise for independent restaurants that have struggled this year due to the pandemic.

“There’s more to life than the Whopper,” a statement from the company begins on Twitter, before going on to name various eateries in need of support.

"There’s Roti King, Sultan’s Palace, Tayyab’s, Eco, Dumplings Legend, Ochi’s, Damak, Platzki… in short,there are many great dishes from thousands of restaurants that deserve to be as famous as the Whopper.

“As we head into tier 3 across more parts of the country, it’s clear independent restaurants need all our support.”

The company continued by announcing that it would be making its Instagram account available to independent restaurants to use as an advertising space.

“Until they can reopen, they can advertise on our Instagram for free,” the statement concluded.

The gesture comes after Burger King issued a statement encouraging people across the UK to order from fast food competitor McDonald’s, following the announcement of a second nationwide lockdown.

On Monday 2 November, the fast food chain shared a statement on its social media platforms with the caption: “We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either...order from McDonald’s.

“We never thought we’d be asking you to do this. Just like we never thought we’d be encouraging you to order from KFC, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John’s, Leon… or any of the other independent food outlets,” it continued.  

The brand said it was reminding customers to spend money at “any of our sisterhood chains (fast or not so fast).”