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Beer at Burger King a Whopping Mistake Says Cabrera

March 5, 2010

CABRERA OUTSIDE THE BURGER KING ON JEROME AVENUE. HE'S CRITICAL OF THE COMPANY'S PLANS TO SELL BEER (PHOTO: J. FERGUSSON)

By JAMES FERGUSSON

Burger King is doing business with the King of Beers.

The restaurant chain recently announced plans to sell domestic brews such as Budweiser at select locations across the country.

Councilman Fernando Cabrera criticized the move at a press conference on March 2. “What I don’t want to see is a cultural shift and children becoming desensitized… to alcohol,” he said, standing outside the Burger King at 2036-48 Jerome Ave.

Cabrera, who chairs the City Council’s Subcommittee on Drug Abuse, fired off a letter to Burger King’s chief executive officer last month, expressing his concerns. “The human and social costs of alcohol, particularly underage drinking, are already too high,” wrote Cabrera, who’s still waiting for a reply.

The councilman, a teetotaling pastor, might be expected to take a hard line when it comes to booze. But many local residents appear to share his views, at least when it comes to Burger King.

“I think it would ruin the family image… and bring in the wrong crowd,” said Ed Lopez, who was dining at the Jerome Avenue Burger King that same afternoon. He said he was “very highly against it.”

Thomas Rodriguez, there with his young daughter, described it as a “terrible idea.” He said he pictured the restaurant overrun with drunk and abusive teenagers.

Overhearing, another customer, Jose Ayala, jumped in to say, “I’m against it, and I drink, bro.” He added: “We have enough places to buy beer. We have a bodega on every other block.”

Burger King already serves beer at several of their international locations, and last month they opened their first beer-selling “Whopper Bar” (yes, they’re really called that) on American soil, in South Beach, Miami.

Michelle Miguelez, a spokeswoman for the company, said New York is “one of the potential cities we’re looking at” as they seek to expand.

But she stressed that Whopper Bars “will not be located inside traditional Burger King restaurants.” Instead, new locations will be sought out.

According to an earlier statement, the company has their sights set on “high profile venues like sports arenas, airports and other tourist destinations.”

Customers at the Burger King on Jerome Avenue, then, will likely be stuck with soda and coffee, at least for the foreseeable future.

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