For the first time in the UK, Burger King has been given permission to sell booze alongside its burgers.
The the fast-food chain’s been given the thumbs up by Lambeth Council to start selling alcohol at the Waterloo station branch in London. Of course there are a few rules that the store must follow and you won’t be popping in for a gin and tonic any time soon.
The restaurant can only serve beer and it can’t be stronger than 5 per cent, plus it can only be served from 11am until 8pm.
Lambeth Council have also imposed a few extra rules if the burger chain’s going to keep its liquor license including better staff training, increased record keeping, better CCTV, and increased management supervision, The Mirror reports.
However the fast food giant is hoping that the London restaurant will be just the first of many in the country to be allowed to sell booze, and its bosses want to sell alcohol in Burger King restaurants around the country.
Despite their plans there has been some opposition to the plans and the Evening Standard reports that the restaurant recently lost another bid to sell beer at two of London’s other busiest rail stations.
Reportedly Burger King wanted to serve alcohol seven days a week at its Victoria and Paddington station branches, but Westminster Council turned down the application following strong opposition from police.
A Burger King spokeswoman has previously said they planned to mirror other countries which sell alcohol.
She said:
It’s very successful everywhere else so we’re just catching up with the rest of the world really… It’ll probably be an American beer to fall in line with the brand.
Burger King’s rival McDonald’s doesn’t seem phased by the news however and is unlikely to start selling beer alongside its Big Macs.
A message on its website read:
We develop our menu based on what our customers tell us they like and want from a visit to McDonald’s. Although a number of European McDonald’s markets serve alcoholic beverages as part of their menu, this is not something that we have experienced customer demand for or something that fits with the family-friendly focus of our restaurants in the UK.
What’s Burger King playing at? First the news that they’re extending their home delivery service and now beer! It’s like they don’t care about my waistline at all…
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.