Burger King Announces Free Kids Meals as Coronavirus Closes Schools
Fast-food chain Burger King will soon begin offering free kids meals at its U.S. locations, helping families impacted by the current public health pandemic who may rely on school lunches to feed their children.
“[W]e’re thinking about you. we believe restaurants will have an increasingly essential role in feeding our country. so whether you’re ordering at BK or elsewhere, use minimum contact methods like drive-thrus, pick-up or delivery. take care,” the company wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
we’re thinking about you. we believe restaurants will have an increasingly essential role in feeding our country. so whether you’re ordering at BK or elsewhere, use minimum contact methods like drive-thrus, pick-up or delivery. take care, https://t.co/tWSdfUbbGu
cc: @whitehouse— Burger King (@BurgerKing) March 17, 2020
Bloomberg reported that Jose Cil, CEO of Burger King’s parent company Restaurant Brands International, joined other restaurant industry leaders Tuesday in a conference call with President Donald Trump.
The industry leaders briefed the president on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their brands.
“We work closely with each of our franchisees. We’re going to get through this. We have a strong franchise system and a very strong franchise model,” Cil said.
Cil announced a special offer to help families with children who might be struggling with meals now that most of the country’s schools have closed.
Beginning March 20, Burger King will offer two free kids meals with any purchase through its mobile phone app.
The offer is valid for drive-thru, takeout and delivery orders and can be used once a day through April 6.
Restaurant Brands’ stock has dropped nearly 50 percent so far this year. Still, the company is looking to help individuals who are being hit harder by the coronavirus outbreak.
Many restaurants across the country are either temporarily closing or altering their food delivery methods during the health crisis.
Restaurants in South Carolina, for example, were ordered to stop serving food in their dining areas by Gov. Henry McMaster Tuesday, but were permitted to continue their delivery and take-out options.
Likewise, restaurants across the country were given similar limitations, NBC News reported.
Darren Tristano, the CEO of the consulting firm FoodserviceResults, told NBC News that the coronavirus will likely have longstanding economic consequences for the food service industry.
“Even if the closures are only impacted over the next 30 to 60 days, it’s very likely to cause the industry to decline on a nominal basis,” he said.
“These are not sales you’re going to make up, and it’s very likely we’re going to see even stronger declines. Even after restaurants open back up, consumers are going to stay away because of fear,” Tristano added.
The food consultant also said he had projected a growth rate of 3.3 percent for the nation’s restaurant industry this year, but now believes most restaurants will lose money by staying open.
Food delivery service GrubHub announced last Friday it would temporarily forfeit $100 million in commissions in order to help smaller restaurants cope with the financial impact of the coronavirus, CNN reported.
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