The McDonald's Peace Theory was first proposed by Thomas L. Friedman in 1996, hypothesizing that no two countries that both have a McDonald's within their borders have ever fought a war against each other (at the time, he was right — and stayed right until the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict). Now comes the time to see if the fast food empire can make peace domestically, too: By joining forces with its rival, Burger King.
The idea originated, unsurprisingly, with Burger King, the number two fast food chain in the nation, and still — excuse the pun — small fries next to McDonald's global domination. On Wednesday, Burger King took out full-page ads in The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune, asking if, just for a day, the two companies might open a pop-up store midway between a McDonald's and a Burger King restaurant in an Atlanta parking lot and sell the "McWhopper," a combination of the chains' most popular burgers. McDonald's, whose spokesperson declined to comment to The New York Times, has admittedly been put a little on the spot: After all, how would it look turning down an event that Burger King suggests donate proceeds to Peace One Day, a nonprofit group that raises awareness of International Peace Day?
The proposed burger would be made jointly by Burger King and McDonald's employees in their neutral restaurant, created from the Big Mac's top bun, Big Mac sauce, tomato slices, and Burger King's 4-ounce Whopper patty.
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So now we wait for the answer: Will McDonald's give peace a chance?
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