Source: ぱにろく Paniroku (@kq826f) - image used with permission
“Belligerent” Burger King is at it again!!! Starbucks now in its crosshairs in Hokkaido
- Tags:
- Burger King Japan / Competition / Hokkaido / Kushiro / rivalry / Starbucks Japan
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A "declaration of war"
"Burger King in Kushiro is declaring war by placing this sign in front of Starbucks."
With these words, Japanese Twitter user ぱにろく Paniroku (@kq826f) posted a photo they took of a sign erected by Burger King Japan in the city of Kushiro, located in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
As hinted not too subtly in the sign, Burger King's "declaration of war" was squarely aimed at Starbucks, a branch of which happened to be situated just behind it. Customers approaching the Starbucks Kushiro-Tsurimihashi branch can't help but notice it. As for the Burger King branch mentioned in the sign, it's located 1.5 kilometers away across the Shinkushiro River, so the location of the sign is clearly no coincidence.
Compared to the four branches Burger King has opened in Hokkaido, including Kushiro, Starbucks has already opened 47 as of September 12th, 2022.
Reproduced with permission from ぱにろく Paniroku (@kq826f)
Sign:
City mayor, town mayor, good news!
We're now a town where you can not only enjoy authentic coffee from abroad but also authentic burgers from abroad!"
Although the chain isn't mentioned by name, the words "authentic coffee from abroad" clearly refer to the U.S.-born Starbucks!
The Burger King sign provoked laughter from many, with comments such as, "You're so belligerent!"
Not the first battlefront
In fact, this isn't the first time that Burger King Japan has shown its competitive side. Some of our readers may recall its epic rivalry with McDonald's Japan in the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo.
Perhaps Burger King is trying to engage Starbucks in another rivalry with a foreign-born food establishment in Japan, in the same spirit of competition that it showed with McDonald's in Akihabara. The Frespo Kushiro Fumizono branch opened on September 8th, 2022, so it's probably too early to tell, but maybe the Starbucks Kushiro-Tsurimihashi branch will respond with a sign of their own!