It’s not every day that one of the world’s biggest fast food chains asks you to order from somewhere else — a sworn rival chain, no less — but that’s what Burger King actually did.
In a surprising move, Burger King Indonesia posted a short message yesterday urging its customers to order from competitors as well as local chains. The copy appears to have been borrowed from the now-viral post by Burger King UK and has been adapted to an Indonesian context. The post has so far garnered positive reactions online.
View this post on Instagram
Tidak pernah sebelumnya terpikirkan oleh kami untuk meminta Anda melakukan ini.
“We never thought we’d be asking you to do this. Just like we never thought we’d be encouraging you to order from Flip Burger, Carl’s Jr, Wendy’s, Klenger Burger, KFC, CFC, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Bakso Boedjang, Sate Khas Senayan, HokBen, J.Co, Ta Wan, Sederhana, Warteg (modest stalls or kiosks selling cheap food)… or any other independent food outlets, too many to mention here, whether they’re fast food joints or not,” the post reads.
The US burger chain said it’s encouraging the public to support the food and beverage industry as a whole, which employs thousands of staff, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Getting a Whopper is always best, but there’s no harm in ordering a Big Mac.”
Many Indonesian netizens showered Burger King with praise in the comments section.
“What the Mimin (admin) meant was that [ these fast food chains] are not rivals in this condition, but they’re going hand-in-hand to rise again.”
“But the cheapest one is you, BK.”
Sungguh sebuah campaign yang bagus, Burger King. ❤️
Yang versi Indonesia lebih menarik karena daftar restorannya lebih variatif sampai warteg segala ada. 😊 pic.twitter.com/qzFKXxKyVY
— Pribadi P. (@pipis) November 4, 2020
“What a nice campaign, Burger King. The Indonesian version is more interesting because the restaurant list is more varied, there’s even warteg.”
Those who read the post will likely perceive that this could be a marketing gimmick from BK, especially that last line, which was a subtle jab on its closest competitor’s signature burger, the Big Mac. Even if BK intended to increase sales for Whopper, we think this is a pretty sweet move from the burger chain, as it might encourage more people to continue supporting F&B businesses during the pandemic, especially the local ones.
