Category: News and Views
In South Africa, restaurant chain Wimpy is welcoming blind customers -- by serving them burgers with words in Braille spelled out on their buns with sesame seeds.
In a viral YouTube video promoting its in-store Braille menus, the company shows the seeds being meticulously placed onto the bread with tweezers before being baked. Diners at three Braille organizations were then given the 15 burgers, which were marked with descriptions such as “100% pure beef.”
Fast-food advertising has always been heavy on the gimmicks and envelope-pushing. Carl’s Jr. has relied on beauty queens and racy spots featuring reality royalty such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. A recent Burger King ad in Russia featured a tattoo artist and a unicorn.
The tactic isn’t always successful. After viewers took offense, Johannesburg, South Africa, chain Nando’s had to pull a cheeky ad campaign last year that featured dead dictators sharing a meal.
But word on the Web is that Wimpy’s work for the visually impaired is getting a far better reception. The ad itself claims that the 15 people who ate the burgers spread news of their experience to 800,000 others through Braille publications and organizations.
The original video -- there’s an alternate version with voiceovers -- has more than 240,000 hits and counting.
In the U.S., some fast food eateries offer Braille menus. Those who don’t must offer to read the entire menu to blind customers in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Source with video
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-wimpy-braille-burger-20120116,0,5784522.story
I'd much rather have access to a Braille menu than Braille on my hamburger bun. How stuipid!
I think the idea was more a gimmick, rather an interesting one. Obviously it's not the same as a Braille menu.
More like the lettering on the wrapper for your burger that says 100% real beef or ex-employees served here.
I found your article interesting, even if the idea of tweezing sesame seeds onto a bun in a Braille dot pattern actually sounds painful for the preparer.
To me it's more a story of intrigue: like when you see the competitive eater eat a 100 ounce steak, you sit there and wonder who grilled it, and how they got it done right through without burning the outside.
I agree with Becky; how stupid. I can't even find it in me to say it's even the slightest bit intriguing.
lol, I think the whole thing rather amusing. I think it's funny, the whole idea.
yes, it is kinda amusing...
I found it rather amusing and completely stupid at the same time.
I have two things to say. First, of course its stupid, its a marketing ploy, the stupider it is, the more you remember it. Just think, this stupid braille burgers has made world wide news.
Its like the head on comercials. I bet you can still remember those things. I also bet you hated every second of them.
Next, I like this idea, I think its funny. I want to read one, and check it for errors. I want to see if I can get the burger for free if the braille is wrong.
Ah yes, the Head On comercials. Head on! Apply directly to the forehead! Over and over and over again. ANd then of course the extreme overuse of Autotune in what passes for music these days. And now these "braille burgers," though these are more absurd than anything and not what I'd call anoying like Head On or AutoTune.
Some of y'all need a sense of humor tune-up. Of course it's stupid, but at the same time, it's funny. I'd like to check them out. lol
Stupid, yes, but also unique. I agree with cody here. As stupid as it is, these burgers won't soon be forgotten, and I have to applaud them for that. yet another successful marketing venture. Do I think they should be spending more time trying to get braille menus into every restaurant? of course, but hey, at least there's another video to watch.
I disagree with Becky, well, just because I always disagree with Becky.
Think I'll go eat a print burger.
Bob
Yeah really. I don't think there's anything wrong with my sense of humor just because I don't find it funny. I might as well find it funny when someone moves the drink I was reaching for.
It's dumb but kind of cool just the same.
I agree, it's pretty stupid. I do feel sorry for whoever had to arrange those sesame seeds, though. And what if they got dislodged while you were making them? I can only imagine how long it took.
I certainly don't think anyone should be required to do that as part of their job, unless there was a serious pay bonus involved. haha.
Yes, it seems like a tun of work.