A beer with your burger? Fast food giant Burger King gets alcohol licence

Burger King has been granted a licence to sell alcohol at one of its UK restaurants and others could follow suit.
Your local Burger King could be set to apply for permission to sell alcohol. Photo: Niall Carson/PAYour local Burger King could be set to apply for permission to sell alcohol. Photo: Niall Carson/PA
Your local Burger King could be set to apply for permission to sell alcohol. Photo: Niall Carson/PA

A Suffolk branch of Burger King was granted a licence to sell alcohol - despite objections from local police.

That restaurant was given permission to serve drinks from 10am till 11pm seven days a week.

Discussing the move last month, a spokeswoman for the company said: “We’re just catching up with the rest of the world really.”

If the trial is successful, Burger King will seek to introduce alcohol at more of its 654 UK outlets meaning beer and other alcoholic beverages could now be coming to your local Burger King in the coming months.

The firm’s major rival McDonald’s is unlikely to follow suit. In the FAQs section of its UK website the chain responds to the query “why doesn’t McDonald’s sell beer like European restaurants?” saying: “We develop our menu based on what our customers tell us they like and want from a visit to McDonald’s.”

“Although a number of European McDonald’s markets serve alcoholic beverages as part of their menu, this is not something that we have experienced customer demand for or something that fits with the family-friendly focus of our restaurants in the UK.”

Burger King already sells alcohol in some parts of the US, Singapore, Venezuela and Spain at “fast-casual” Whopper Bars.

Under the terms of the licence granted by the council, the restaurant will be able to serve only one beer per adult up until 9pm, with no drink permitted outside.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Would you like to see your Burger King selling alcohol?