In today's knee-jerk, politically-reactive climate, it's rare to find a company that is willing to baldly state its political beliefs. This is particularly true in the world of fast food, where patrons range across the political spectrum and a misplaced word or ill-conceived statement could easily spell the end of business. In this context, even companies that are openly religious, like
Chik-Fil-A tend to downplay their affiliations.
Things are a little different at Burger King,
at least in Memphis. While estimates vary depending upon the report, between 2 and 10 BK restaurants in the area recently put up billboard signs stating that "Global Warming is Baloney."
On the surface, this is political suicide, and
one commentator has already stated that he will no longer be eating at the popular restaurant. An obvious explanation for the bizarre comment is that it is the opening gambit in a marketing campaign for a new fried baloney sandwich. The truth, however, seems to be a bit more complicated: while employees at the respective restaurants
seemed to think that the billboard were green-lit by Burger King's corporate headquarters, the company has disavowed the statements.
The
most likely explanation is that the billboards were chosen by someone at MIC, a Memphis-based fast food management company that owns all of the respective franchises. In this context, it would make sense that BK's kitchen workers -- and even its managers -- would be confused about where the message originated.
Oddly enough,
ClimateCounts.org, a non-profit environmental watchdog group, has cited Burger King for failing to address its environmental impact. The company's scorecard is a zero out of 100 for transparency, review, and amelioration of unsound environmental practices.
Honestly, this isn't surprising: after all, it was only a matter of time before someone found a link between flame-broiling and the depleting ozone layer!
