Burger King sent people to McDonald's for 1-cent Whoppers - and it was a massive success for the fast-food chain
- Burger King debuted a deal in December that allowed customers to get one-cent Whoppers if they went close to a McDonald's location.
- The deal was intended to highlight Burger King's new app, as the discounted Whopper had to be purchased via app.
- Surprisingly, the bizarre deal was a success, as roughly four million people downloaded Burger King's app between October and the end of the December.
Burger King announced a bizarre deal in December.
Customers could get a Whopper for just one cent. But, they had to go to McDonald's.
The deal - called the "Whopper Detour" - was intended to promote Burger King's new app. When the app registered that a customer was within 600 feet of a McDonald's location, it unlocked the deal to order a Whopper for one cent.
Read more: Burger King is giving away Whoppers for 1 cent - but you have to go to McDonald's to get them
Usually, a company doesn't direct customers to visit its biggest rival. But, according to executives, the deal was weird enough to work.
Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Brands International, pre-released comparable sales results on Wednesday, along with the announcement of leadership changes within the company.
Burger King's US comparable sales were up 0.8% in the quarter, with executives highlighting the Whopper Detour as a success.
"It was a fun promotion that drove a lot of downloads and also allowed us to focus on our flame-grilling heritage," Jose Cil, RBI's newly-appointed CEO, said on a call with investors on Wednesday.
According to executives, more than 6 million people have now downloaded the Burger King app, a significant increase from even a few months earlier. In October, executives said that just 2 million people had downloaded the app.