Burger King Is Giving Free Whoppers to Bronx Locals Annoyed With Tourists at the "Joker Stairs"

Burger King and Uber Eats are teaming up this weekend to give some joy to Bronx locals who are annoyed with tourists swarming the Joker stairs.

“Dear Bronx, we know clowns can be annoying. But don’t worry,” Burger King wrote in a video for the promotion, filmed on the infamous stairs, of course.

In the video, tourists can be seen dressed in elaborate clown costumes, posing in a similar way to Joaquin Phoenix’s character as the Burger King mascot looks flabbergasted -- and then starts dancing himself.

Through Sunday, January 12th, Bronx residents can put in their orders through Uber Eats using the code “KINGSTAIRS” for a free Whopper.

The stairs sit in the Highbridge area of the Bronx, which in the past has decidedly not been a tourist destination. In fact, the movie’s director, Todd Phillips, told The New York Times he chose the stairs because he was looking for something gritty.

But since the movie, tourists have headed to the stairs — which contain 132 steps — in droves to take photos and post them on social media, often recreating the movie’s now infamous dance moves. On Instagram, the hashtag “#JokerStairs” has produced more than 9,200 posts as of Friday, many people pictured dressed in clown makeup as a nod to the movie.

This is not the first time Burger King has taken an opportunity for a fun promotion. In December, the chain offered travelers whose holiday flights were delayed a free plant-based Impossible Whopper for their trouble. And in 2018, Burger King gave hungry customers a burger for only a penny if they got within about 600 feet of a McDonald’s and opened the BK App.