‘A ransom fit for a King’ could end fast food plans
Source: Burger King ‘wants £250,000’ to move
Burger King’s return to Scarborough could be scuppered by a £250,000 ‘ransom’ bill.
Last week, the fast food giant confirmed rumours that it was eying up a return to Scarborough by moving into a street dubbed “fast food alley”.
But sources claim that the franchisee would potentially seek £250,000 from a landlord to assist with refit costs.
That princely sum may make any move “unlikely”, with sources adding: “Burger King would be signing up for a long lease, so there’s a benefit to paying them the cash, but it’s obviously a lot of money for any landlord to find, especially in Scarborough.”
Interested parties looking at opening a Burger King franchise in town are understood to have had their eyes on a number of vacant properties in Huntriss Row, which has earned the greasy nickname after KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds opened within yards of each other.
One of those units is the Salisbury Arcade, which is undergoing a major revamp.
The burger chain – famous for its grilled Whopper – had been rumoured to be looking at coming back to Scarborough for a while, having previously had a store in Westborough.
Scarborough’s Chamber of Trade welcomed the American firm’s plans, with chairman Janet Jefferson saying: “They’ve obviously looked at the footfall of existing businesses and they are not a company that go rushing into things lightly, and they obviously think it’s a good trading street.”
A Burger King spokesperson said: “Nearly 100 per cent of Burger King restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees.
“Burger King Corp has no information on this topic.”