You now have an alcoholic alternative to fountain drinks at Burger King (BKW).
The fast food giant has been permitted to serve beer at some locations in the U.K. The Telegraph reports that Burger King announced plans to sell alcohol last year when one of its restaurants received a license. Now it’s being rolled out to several other outposts.
However, there are a few rules the burger chain has to adhere to. It can only serve beer with an alcohol content under 5%; customers can’t leave the premises with their drink; and beer can only be served between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
A Burger King spokesperson said the chain is “just catching up to the rest of the world.” McDonald’s (MDNDF) stated last year that it has no plans to do the same. Certain McDonald’s locations in Europe already serve alcohol, but rolling it out to additional locations isn’t on its agenda. “This is not something that we have experienced customer demand for,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told the Telegraph. It also doesn’t “[fit] with the family-friendly focus of our restaurants.”
U.K. law enforcement expressed concern about Burger King’s initiative. Though the company has received licenses for some locations including Bury St. Edmunds and Waterloo Station, it’s been rejected for outlets in Victoria and Paddington. “It’s fast food, fast service, fast alochol and fast drunkenness, as a result of that,” police officer Bryan Lewis told the Westminster council’s licensing subcommittee. He said people tend to crave fast food after they’ve already been drinking, so they shouldn’t be offered more alcohol when they arrive at the restaurant.
