Marketing

Burger King celebrating the ghost of past burger joints with Whopper promo

An embellished photo of one of Burger King's "Scariest Places." (Photo provided)

October 26, 2020

Burger King is redefining the increasingly common restaurant industry concept of the ghost kitchen by calling out abandoned restaurants of its QSR burger competitors in a Halloween promotion. The brand compiled a list of U.S. "Scary Places" that are actually closed burger restaurants, a news release said.

Any customer who drives by one of its "Scary Places" in five cities will get a coupon that can be redeemed on the BK App for a free Whopper. To put this whole scheme in action, Burger King will send push notifications to those consenting BK App users and will send coordinates of the abandoned restaurants out via social media and on its website.

The abandoned restaurants are located in Dayton, Ohio, as well as Houston, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; McHenry, Illinois and Johnston, Rhode Island. Guests who don't live around participating brand locations can also get a $5 meal offer by clicking under the Scary Places tile on the BK App.

"To us, nothing is scarier than a place that never flame-grilled," Burger King North America CMO Ellie Doty, said in the release. "While Halloween looks a bit different this year, we're embracing it in a way that keeps guests' safety top of mind in current times. A good scare and a delicious reward of a flame-grilled Whopper."

Miami-based Burger King operates over 18,800 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories.