Monday 9 November 2015

The end of civilisation is nigh

Burger King have recently announced that they are going to apply for an alcohol licence for four of their outlets on an experimental basis. Apparently all they are going to sell is plastic bottles of “American Beer”, which I assume will be British-brewed Bud or Coors Light, not Lagunitas IPA.

Normally my reaction to this would have been “so what?” but I was struck by the ludicrously hyperbolic reactions from people in Hull on hearing the news. Apparently it will threaten the city’s hard-pressed pubs even more, it will make Burger King an unsuitable place to take children, and the country doesn’t need yet another place where adults can get drunk in front of children.

This ignores the fact the adults seem happy to take their children into pubs, where they might actually encounter real drunk people, and that pretty much every table-service fast food restaurant such as Nando’s and Pizza Hut already serves alcoholic drinks. Plus Burger King and McDonalds have served alcohol in their outlets on the Continent for decades without the world falling about their ears.

And is anyone going to drink enough in a Burger King to get drunk in any meaningful sense anyway? I’d also expect that the that the basic Beer and Burger deal in Spoons will still be cheaper.

7 comments:

  1. Seems a bit pointless and hardly anything to worry about. You may get someone topping up before or after a night out, but will anyone be actually spending long enough in there to consume any real quantity of alcohol?

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  2. If they have any sense they will stop serving before pub closing time anyway.

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  3. Come on, chaps, you're being a bit harsh. This is Hull, after all.

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  4. Be interesting whether it changes their fortunes. They have been in retreat for years in the UK. Closing branches, pricing above Maccys and microwaving the burgers. Better family dining casual options have popped up an BK's days are numbered.

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  5. I used to quite like BK when they did crispy-coated chips, but sadly they dropped those a few years back.

    They seem to have largely retreated from high streets to retail parks, entertainment centres and motorway service areas. The only ones I've been in for years have been at service areas.

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  6. Five Guys has been serving beer in most - or all? - if its British eateries for years since it came over the Atlantic without any problems I'm aware of. Though I guess the price makes the demographic a bit different.

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  7. Five Guys has been serving beer in most - or all? - if its British eateries for years since it came over the Atlantic without any problems I'm aware of. Though I guess the price makes the demographic a bit different.

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