In the hyper-competitive world of fast food restaurants, chains are constantly trying to best each other with over-the-top foods, discount dining deals and, occasionally, a little social media shade.
Burger King has just thrown the latest digital shot at competitor McDonald’s in a new YouTube spot that's pretty fiery.
The video shows the infamous King of burgers himself dropping a giant gift box from a helicopter. The gift is then strapped onto a flatbed truck and driven to a McDonald's where he presents the gift of fire to the golden arches.
The box reads, "Now you can flame grill, too!" Carolers begin to sing, "Gift of fire, flame grilled all the way....Fire is the key, now you can flame grill too," as the King, lit candles in hand, leads the merry chorus in front of curious McDonald's customers.
So much shade, Burger King.
"The holiday season is a time for giving, so the Burger King King is giving the unthinkable. The King surprised McDonald’s with the gift of fire: A grill with real flames," a representative for Burger King told TODAY Food over email. "Known for its flame-grilled burgers since 1954, the Burger King brand did not spare any expense to make this special delivery. Because who doesn’t prefer flame-grilled burgers?"
While this "holiday gift" is all in good fun, it's pretty pointed: Actual fire is, of course, one of the biggest differences between how the two chains make their burgers. Burger King's burgers are flame broiled, and have always been cooked over a flame grill. McDonald's burger patties, on the other hand, are heated on an electric grill.
Lately, many of the big fast food companies have been having a little fun with each other on social media and in real life promotions. After Thanksgiving, Wendy’s mocked an error in a McDonald’s Black Friday tweet, and in October, Burger King gave out free burgers to people who dressed as clowns for Halloween.