Burger King has a long history of trolling their competitor, McDonald’s.

The Stephen King-inspired version of Ronald McDonald (who was creepy before the makeover) that appeared in Burger King’s 2017 Halloween advert continues to haunt my nightmares.

That was unnecessary, Burger King, and I still haven’t forgiven you.

Their latest prod at the fast food joint happened in Japan.

DesignTaxi with the deets:

A Burger King in Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood flame-grilled its rival with a subtle sizzle when the McDonald’s location closed down after a 22-year-long run.

The Burger King outlet, located just two doors away from the McDonald’s restaurant, put up a seemingly kind poster to thank the latter for staying around.

@Sato322 posted pictures of two posters on Twitter.

The first is the ‘goodbye’ poster that McDonald’s posted outside their store:

This was Burger King’s response poster, “thanking” them:

The translation of the above poster reads as follows:

“Thank you for a happy 22 years…” it wrote in the note, translated by CNN. “Esteemed rival, and fellow friend who loved Akihabara, we performed at our best because you were close by.”

“Without you here, McDonald’s, thinking of the future fills us with sadness,” it added. “It is selfish for us to say this, but please everyone, go to McDonald’s today.”

Seems sweet enough. Except, it wasn’t.

Eagle-eyed internet users spotted a passive-aggressive anagram hidden in the sign.

Customers found that when the first character of each line was read downwards, the message read, “watashi tachi no kachi,” which translates to “we won.”

The best burn, is a slow burn.

They wouldn’t be able to get away with this in South Africa. The last time they tried to take on a local brand, they were snotklapped. 

Your move, McDonald’s.

[source:designtaxi]