Burger King
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1953-07-23 |
| Legal Structure | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Food |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://www.bk.com/ |
Burger King is a subsidiary of Restaurant Brand International
Consumer-impact summary
- Health Concerns
- False Advertising
- Security Concerns
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Burger King category.
Horse Meat Scandal
2013 [1]
The German TV investigation
A German TV show going by Team Wallraff released the episode "Disgust, Exploitation, and Scandals", on October 10, 2022, highlighting the companies several health violations, including; [1]
- Customers were served moldy bread, usually up to 3 months old, and were partially cooked so customers wouldn't notice
- Employees didn't wash their hands after smoking, taking out trash, or using the bathroom
- One Restaurant was infected with Mice
- Expired contents in Sauce bottles were added with new sauce without being washed.
- Pushed back expiry dates on products until sold
After the episode aired, Burger King shut down all of the locations aired on the episode and released an public statement via their website, announcing plans to remodel over 100 restaurants, leadership changes with health director, and setting up a whistleblower hotline for any staff related concerns. [2][3]
"clear training and operating standards are a top priority. Whenever we see an example of our strict standards not being followed, we accept the accountability of needing to train better and manage more thoroughly." -- Heather McIntyre
Whopper Advertisement Lawsuit
On March 28, 2022, Walter Coleman, Marco DiLeonardo, Matthew Fox and Madelyn Salzman, and several other customers filed a lawsuit against Burger King for allegedly false advertising their burgers to appear 35% larger than the actual product. On May 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman allowed the case to proceed, citing enough justification for it to not be a mere "exaggeration" [4]
A Burger King spokesman responded by saying;
"the plaintiffs’ claims are false. The flame-grilled beef patties portrayed in our advertising are the same patties used in the millions of burgers we serve to guests across the U.S.." [5]
- McDonald's
- Wendy's
- Arby's
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kostolni, Isabella (2025-04-21). "The 10 Worst Scandals In Burger King History". chowhound. Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
- ↑ Dean, Grace (2022-10-10). "Some German Burger King restaurants served out-of-date bacon, had mouse infestations, and sold vegan burgers contaminated by meat, according to an undercover investigation". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
- ↑ "Press". Burger King. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Edwards, Jessy (2025-05-16). "Court won't dismiss Burger King's Whopper ad lawsuit". Top Class Actions. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Lavietes, Matt (2025-03-03). "Judge allows lawsuit over Burger King's Whopper ads to move forward". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2026-03-03 suggested (help)