Burger King, which belongs to Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE:QSR), is upsetting the Belgian King with its new ad in the country.
As part of its advertisements in Belgium, Burger King is asking citizens to vote between it or King Philippe for title of ruler. The ad features a cartoon version of the King. Those that vote for the King are also warned that he won’t cook their fries.
While the online poll was meant to be a joke from Burger King, it isn’t sitting well with the local government. The monarchy claims that King Philippe’s image isn’t allowed to be used for commerce. It is seeking an explanation from the fast food company.
Burger King is aware of the complaints concerning its advertisement, but hasn’t said if it will pull it. Instead, the burger chain says that it is considering how to move forward. This may result in it making changes to the ad, reports Reuters.
The poll from Burger King is currently set to continue until June 19. However, that may change depending on its reaction to complaints from the Belgian monarchy. The fast food chain doesn’t actually have any locations in the country yet, but it will open its first one near the end of June.
Burger King says that it hasn’t actually received a formal complaint from the Belgian King. The Belgian monarchy also says that the fast food chain didn’t contact it to request permission to use King Philippe’s image, which it says it would have denied, Fox News notes.
