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Burger King fetes Big Mac
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September 23, 1998: 12:04 p.m. ET
Mickey D's minions invited to 'come as you are' and get a free Big King
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - If you listen closely, you can almost hear Burger King laughing.
In a direct challenge to fast-food titan McDonald's Corp., the scrappy rival last year unveiled its own "tastier" version of the Big Mac, and earlier this year offered fast-food aficionados a free portion of its new "tastier" french fries.
Now, it seems, Burger King is trying to smother Ronald McDonald with love -- make that hamburgers and french fries.
Burger King said Wednesday it will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Big Mac by offering free Big King sandwiches to any McDonald's employees who come into its restaurants -- sporting their uniforms, of course. The Big King, launched last year, is Burger King's answer to McDonald's flagship sandwich.
The surprise one-day birthday party invitation appeared in Wednesday's USA Today.
"Burger King would like to give McDonald's employees a birthday bonus -- 75 percent more beef," said Jim Watkins, senior vice president of North American marketing for Burger King. "After 30 years of working up a sweat, frying Big Macs, they deserve to be rewarded for their hard work with a tasty flame-broiled Big King sandwich."
Acknowledging it's "kind of a tongue in cheek" promotion, Burger King spokesman Charles Nicolas said the company has no idea how many McDonald's employees will walk through doors. But, he said, "We'll certainly have enough to feed them, however many show up."
In response, McDonald's spokeswoman Bridget Coffing said the company has "absolutely not" ordered its employees to steer clear of Burger King today and disregarded the promotion as just another "public relations stunt that they've become known for."
"If [Burger King] wants to join the party, they are welcome," she said. "It's somewhat amusing that they feel the need to go to such extremes to call attention to what is really a knock-off sandwich."
Advertising burger-style
By now, though, McDonald's should be used to direct challenges. After all, fast food rivals have launched direct attacks on McDonald's for more than a decade.
Burger King has long touted its flame broiled burger over the fried burger, and just recently launched a new advertising campaign that suggests its own burger "just tastes better."
And who could forget Wendy's (WEN), the fast-food restaurant franchiser that made "Where's the Beef?" a household phrase, after launching an advertising campaign that suggested its rivals, namely McDonald's, skimp on their meat.
Burger King, a subsidiary of London-based Diageo, PLC (DEO), operates nearly 9,500 restaurant franchises in the United States and 56 countries. The fast-food chain reported system-wide sales of $9.8 billion in 1997.
McDonald's shares (MCD) were trading up 3/8 at 56-7/8 on the New York Stock Exchange. 
-- by staff writer Shelly K. Schwartz
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