Burger King wins bid to sell alcohol at Waterloo station

The fast food chain’s Waterloo station branch has been given permission to sell beer from Lambeth Council. Beer will be the only alcoholic drink available, must be less than 5% and will be sold from 11am to 8pm according to the newspaper, which added that Lambeth Council had also imposed extra rules on the premises, including improved staff training, better CCTV and more management supervision.

Burger King’s plans to start serving at London’s Victoria and Paddington train stations were rejected by Westminster council in the face of fierce opposition from the Metropolitan Police, who argued it would increase crime and set a precedent for other fast-food chains to follow suit.

The Met said: “To us, it’s fast food, fast service, fast alcohol and fast drunkenness as a result. People consume alcohol and have a desire to eat fast food on the way home. At this point, they have had enough to drink but then will be offered more alcohol at the station.”

Leading voices from the industry have argued that alcohol offers from Burger King and coffee shop chains Pret A Manger and Starbucks don’t pose a threat to pubs.

Yummy Pub Company operator and British Institute of Innkeeping chairman Anthony Pender said pubs ‘occupy a key part in our country’s culture’ and stressed that coffee shops and fast food chains should be subject to the same strict training and regulations as pubs.