Burger King UK’s Whopper of a Tweet Provides Lessons in Diversity and Humor

Pardon the metaphor, but Burger King UK’s March 8 tweet, “Women belong in the kitchen,” requires a lot of peeling back of the onion.

You read that correctly; the tweet came from Burger King UK. It was meant to highlight a Burger King Foundation Initiative timed for March 8, International Women’s Day.

In the U.S., the initiative sets aside $50,000 for at least two culinary arts scholarships for female employees of Burger King. The program is called H.E.R. (Helping Equalize Restaurants).

A H.E.R. print ad, run in the US, also begins with the offending five words: ‘Women belong in the kitchen.’ Fortunately, the ad also offers several paragraphs explaining the scholarships.

To Respond or Not?

One of the most difficult moments for crisis communicators is knowing when, or even if, to react. Once you decide to act, finding a proper response is critical.

The backlash against Burger King UK’s tweet was immediate. The company, though, seemed to forget a motto it used for 40 years: ‘Have It Your Way.’