The Home of the Whopper now calls Bradford West Gwillimbury home.
Burger King opened its doors at 551 Holland St. W. in town a few days before Christmas, drawing crowds of excited local residents.
Amber Carniello and her husband, Giovanni, said they were second in line on opening day Dec. 22 but the first ones to get their food.
“We tried to go earlier but they were having technical difficulties,” she said, adding they were finally able to order food around 12:30 p.m.
“The crowd was almost to the door” and employees were handing out free packages of fries.
The Carniellos ordered a Whopper with cheese and bacon, with no bun for a low carb option, and a chicken sandwich and fries — and they did not disappoint, even years since eating at the chain.
“There’s something about a Whopper. It’s the same as I remember,” she said. “Burger King — they’re far and few between. It’s one of those things, you find one you say, ‘Let’s go for a burger.’ You don’t see them anymore.”
Carniello said her husband ate at Burger King regularly as a kid, so “for him, it’s like childhood nostalgia.”
When the new Burger King would open in BWG has been a hot topic on the local Facebook page The Original Welcome to Bradford, Ontario for a long time.
Carniello said she had seen all the comments and jokes about it, but she figures opening day was so busy partly because of that online excitement.
“A lot of it stems from the ongoing joke on the Welcome to Bradford page. I think that drew more people just from the Welcome to Bradford hyping it up,” she said.
When Burger King announced on Facebook its BWG location would open Dec. 22, many people commented with excitement and humour.
“I'm camping out the night before,” wrote Amanda Bolzicco.
“I seriously hope you guys have all hands on deck - this is probably the most anticipated event in Bradford all year,” wrote Natasha Leskiw, who is a moderator for the Welcome to Bradford Facebook page.
Even with the hype, Carniello said she was surprised to see the new Burger King so busy, but she has already been back a second time for more food — and to wear a Burger King paper crown, of course.
“What’s a Burger King experience without wearing the crown?” she said. “It’s nice to see Bradford growing and getting more options.”
While the launch was not without hiccups, and, so far, online reviews are mixed, Carniello said she is unsure whether Burger King quite understood the level of anticipation from some local residents.
“I don’t think they were ready for how busy it was going to be. Bradford was crazily waiting for them.”
