Burger King Italy trials in-store reservations as restrictions ease

The country went into lockdown last March.

Burger King is trialling an app for ordering food and booking a table at its outlets in Italy, in a bid to convince locals it is safe to eat out again after more than two months of national lockdown due to the coronavirus.

“We need to be good at showing people that it’s safe to come to a place which is perceived as being crowded, and give them options so they understand there is a safe way to come in,” Andrea Valota, Burger King’s chief in Italy, said in an interview with Reuters.

The chain plans to start testing the app in three of its Milan restaurants as soon as they are allowed to fully reopen, expected to take place from June 1. If successful, Valota said the app could be used in other countries.

Almost all of Burger King’s 220 outlets in Italy have been shut since the government imposed tight restrictions on people’s movements and forced businesses and shops to close in early March. Italy was one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic.

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