McDonalds Big Mac campaign leaved bad taste - Jan. 5, 1999

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Big Mac attacked in U.K.

January 5, 1999: 8:07 a.m. ET

McDonald's getting fried for coming up short in burger promotion

LONDON (CNNfn) - Burger chain McDonald's got into a pickle Tuesday after running out of Big Macs to give away as part of a promotion.
     To celebrate the fast-food chain's 25^th anniversary in Britain, a free burger was given out for each Big Mac sold. McDonald's planned for a fourfold increase in consumption. But British burger fans were greedy for more, and eight times more Big Macs were sold. That meant some stores ran out of burgers.
     As a result, McDonald's has spent thousands of pounds running a series of apologies in U.K. newspapers for what has turned out to be some unhappy meals.
     The tabloid newspaper The Sun reported Tuesday that it has been swamped with calls from angry readers, and claimed that some of the 922 U.K. McDonald's had been forced to close. Officials from the company were not immediately available to comment on the report.
     The offer ends Sunday, and McDonald's said it is working with its suppliers to cure the shortage.

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