Booze making its way into fast-food outlets

avatar for samsung1
samsung1
Ohio
Would you like a glass of wine with that bacon double cheeseburger?
In an effort to boost sales during slow business hours, fast food restaurants like Burger King and Sonic and coffee powerhouse Starbucks are experimenting with sales of alcohol along with their standard offerings, USA Today reports.
Burger King recently opened "Whopper Bars" in six U.S. locations including Memphis, Las Vegas and New York, as well as three international locations including Venezuela and Singapore. The bars sell beer for about $4.25 a bottle.
Starbucks has begun selling local beer for about $5 a bottle and wine for up to $9 a glass in some Seattle stores.
Of course alcohol and fast food have often gone together, and not always in a good way, as the marketers at Jack in the Box are well aware. One of the fast-food chain's latest edgy commercials points out that drunks tend to order a lot of fast food late at night.


"Fast food plus fast alcohol equals fast drunks," Michele Simon, a research and policy director at an alcohol industry watchdog group, told USA Today.
The Jack in the Box commercial is careful to explain that the drunks in question used a designated driver, but the combination of raises concerns among others.
"You don't want someone downing a quick beer, then getting into their cars and driving off," said Christopher Muller, dean at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration.
Sonic, known as America's Drive-In restaurant, says it will not sell its 25 kinds of bottled beer and 10 wine varieties to customers who are driving. Rather, they will have to sit on the patio to enjoy the drinks.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43608911/n…

10 comments

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avatar for vincemichaels
vincemichaels
13 years ago
Miami Beach has had a Burger King serving beer for quite some time on Collins Avenue. I've never seen any problems driving by.
avatar for mmdv26
mmdv26
13 years ago
I have seen local pizza restaurants that have drive-thru pizza pick-up. They sell beer and wine for inside consumption. I think state liquor laws prohibit alcohol sales at the drive thru. BK has traditionally marketed to kids, so they have to determine whether booze will jeopardize that strategy. I doubt that it will. BK has done some questionable things with marketing in recent years...I'm not sure who they were targeting with that "ambiguously gay" King dude getting out of bed??? When McDonald's jumps in the booze thing, then it will be validated as a shot at the adult market. Probably an OK strategy, but maybe only in certain markets...

When can we expect to see topless girls at the drive thru??? OOOPs probably never, too young as a rule.
avatar for Dudester
Dudester
13 years ago
I used to go to McD's with some frequency. Once they installed those noisy coffee grinders, I only go when I have to. As for BK and Sonic, maybe once a year.
avatar for newmark
newmark
13 years ago
Mmdv26, that could add a whole new meaning th "Whoppers" at BK.
avatar for gatorfan
gatorfan
13 years ago
Gonna make those Shamrock Shakes really Irish
avatar for Clubber
Clubber
13 years ago
NEWS FLASH!!!

vm does a drive by!!!
avatar for DandyDan
DandyDan
13 years ago
Here in the Omaha area, they have a local fast food chain called Don and Millie's (even more local than Runza, which is all over Nebraska, plus a few in neighboring states) where, as far as I know, have always sold beer (Budweiser products) and margaritas, all for the low sum of $1, the last I knew. (I don't go there often enough to know what their prices are, or at least I don't go inside, just using the drive-thru). I have known people who go to one of their locations just for the alcohol. I find it all crazy.
avatar for georgmicrodong
georgmicrodong
13 years ago
This is only news because the U.S. is as insanely repressive about alcohol as it is about sex.
avatar for vincemichaels
vincemichaels
13 years ago
Clubber !!! :)
avatar for JuiceBox69
JuiceBox69
13 years ago
Let me know when they start selling vip rooms
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