West Allis Mayor calls out Burger King on social media
More than a decade since the Burger King at 106th and Greenfield flame-grilled its last Whopper
More than a decade since the Burger King at 106th and Greenfield flame-grilled its last Whopper
More than a decade since the Burger King at 106th and Greenfield flame-grilled its last Whopper
The mayor of West Allis spontaneously turned to social media, frustrated over a fast food giant.
More than a decade since the Burger King at 106th and Greenfield flame-grilled its last Whopper, it sits vacant, unused, and year by year the West Allis Mayor says more of an eyesore.
“It's a blight to the neighborhood,” Mayor Dan Devine said Friday. “It's a corporation that’s out of state. It doesn't seem to really care. So I thought this might be another way to get their attention.”
Devine decided to turn Burger King's marketing campaign featuring the slogan “You Rule!” back at them.
Seizing on that slogan, Devine posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, saying, "Hey Burger King, since I rule could you please help me and do something with this blighted property?" Their X ccount quickly responded, "This definitely does not rule. Please message us so we can figure out what is happening."
Neighbors hope it works.
“You know, West Allis has got its ups and downs. It's not a bad place to live. But this right here makes it look bad. Honestly, some people should be ashamed of it,” Dan Masch, who says he walks by the abandoned site almost daily, said.
The mayor said Burger King is current on taxes, so there's not a lot the city can do about it, though they’re exploring state nuisance statutes.
With two other Burger King’s in West Allis, Devine said he can understand why they haven’t reopened the one on 106th and Greenfield. What he doesn’t understand, he said, is why they're holding onto the property.
“We've been waiting for quite a while and I think we've been pretty patient,” Devine said. “Sometimes I think I'm funnier than I actually am,” Devine said, “but, ah, this has been a whopper.”
Devine said he’s still waiting to hear back on his direct message.
WISN 12 News emailed Burger King’s media relations staff for a comment, but they didn’t respond.