Burger King is winning hearts online with an offer to help small independent restaurants promote themselves. The well known restaurant chain took to social media on Tuesday stating that they would open up their Instagram feed to restaurants, free of cost.
The post was shared by Burger King UK on early on Tuesday. Those wishing to advertise themselves have been urged to share their selected images with the hashtag "WhopperAndFriends". Since then, the Burger King UK Instagram page which has over 31,600 followers has shared two posts - one by Takin’ care of burgers in Leeds, and another by 200 Degrees Coffee Roasters in Nottingham.
Thus far, the initiative seems to be limited to Burger King's UK team.
"There's more to life than the whopper," begins the unusual notice shared by the company.
"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®," the company wrote.
With the UK under heavy restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many small businesses are struggling to keep themselves afloat. As the company notes, "it's clear independent restaurants need all our support".
"So, we've decided to give you a break from our burger pics and make our Instagram available to all these restaurants. Until they can reopen, they can advertise on our Instagram for free," Burger King UK reveals.
The initiative is winning hearts online. People - including those who do not like Burger King's food - have taken to Twitter appreciating the company for their effort to help.
The news has also prompted other offers of help. In the comments section of Burger King's Twitter post for example, one user who identified themself as the "owner of a creative agency" offered to help struggling restaurants to make social media content free of cost.
This is however not the first time that Burger King has attempted to make a difference in recent days as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. In November for example, the company had taken to social media urging people to order from its competitors, because "restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment".
"We never imagined we would ask you to order from KFC, Domino’s Pizza, Subway, Five Guys, Greggs, Papa John's, Taco Bell, and other independent food outlets, too numerous to mention here. In short, from any of our sister food chains (fast or not fast)," read their statement. The short post had begun by urging people to order from Mc Donald's.
