Burger King is at it again.
The fast food chain, which recently defied expectations by opening a full-service spa in Helsinki, Finland, is now playing classical music around the clock at one of its San Francisco locations.
Unlike the spa, however, this odd musical choice is not aimed at classing-up customers' Whopper-eating experience.
The Burger King in question is located on the corner of Eighth and Market Street in San Francisco, near one of the Bay Area’s busiest rail stations, and has had substantial problems with loiterers disrupting business in the past. According to sources, the homeless individuals who regularly frequent the area are deterring customers, while everything from shopping carts to sleeping bags have been known to block the restaurant’s entrance.
Luckily, the fast-food purveyor has come up with a solution. Working with a local nonprofit Central Market Community Benefit District, the restaurant has enacted a plan to blast classical music from storefront loudspeakers 24/7 in an attempt to dissuade loiterers from frequenting the area.
While there are some ethical issues associated with the chain’s plan, such as the assumption that homeless individuals are less partial to classical music than paying customers, certain locals report that the tactic is working. According to David Allen, a San Francisco resident, “There used to be a mob that would hang out there. And now there may be just one or two people.”
Seeing as the plan is based on a similar model that was adopted by the London Underground, Burger King is not surprised by the success of its novel strategy. Only time will tell if the “solution” catches on in other locations, however, or faces outcry from human rights activists and private citizens who would rather eat their burgers in peace, undisturbed by the dulcet sounds of Brahms and Beethoven.