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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA pair of social media posts led people to realize a meal at Burger King, a Miami-based chain, is seen as an “I made it” moment for thousands of immigrants.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA pair of social media posts led people to realize a meal at Burger King, a Miami-based chain, is seen as an “I made it” moment for thousands of immigrants.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Photo by B. Scott McLendon<\/p>\n
Paper crowns, onion ring-laced French fries, hours of laughter, and a place where language barriers dissipate in the presence of a universal word: \u201cWhopper,\u201d Burger King is a place that evokes powerful memories for immigrants, as many are sharing in a pair of social media posts. Commenters from social media who spoke to New Times agreed that the Miami-based burger joint<\/a> is an essential part of the American Dream; it\u2019s where a meal signifies that you\u2019ve made it.<\/p>\n The realization for many began where all major modern trends spawn: TikTok<\/a>, where users began sharing stories of their parents\u2019 love for Burger King. Americana buffs may recall that Burger King actually began as Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville in the early 1950s, before moving its headquarters to Miami in 1959, where it completed its transformation into the Burger King we know today. According to Miami culinary savant Burger Beast<\/a>, the first Insta-Burger King in Miami opened on December 4, 1954, at 3090 NW 36th St.<\/p>\n Nine more locations opened in then-Dade County during that decade, establishing a sizable foothold in South Florida just before scores of Cuban immigrants arrived. But proximity to immigration hotspots is only part of the equation, according to those who spoke to New Times. After all, McDonald\u2019s has, in many cases, been in the same markets longer than Burger King (which did not respond to New Times\u2018 request for comment).<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t treat you any differently, you wouldn\u2019t get ridiculed, questioned, or made to feel bad for having an accent,\u201d Vanessa Weir, the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, tells New Times when pondering why immigrants gravitate to Burger King over McDonald\u2019s over other burger chains. Her comments mirrored the sentiments of many others in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year, make your gift count \u2013 \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur work is funded by readers like you who make voluntary gifts because they value our work and want to see it continue. Make a contribution today to help us reach our $30,000 goal!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The page @wearemitu posted the aforementioned TikTok story, where a user shared an emotional photo after hearing about his dad\u2019s first day in the U.S. Droves of commenters seemed to have had the same lightbulb moment, collectively recognizing Burger King as the place where their immigrant parents felt they had made it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a place you could go and laugh for hours,\u201d Weir tells New Times. <\/p>\n Weir\u2019s parents immigrated to Florida from Ecuador after her grandfather, whom she called \u201cGrandpa\u201d because he loved having an American title, she tells New Times. She has countless memories of grandpa taking her to the Burger King counter for a Whopper; it was one of the first English words he learned to say.<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandfather didn\u2019t speak a word of English, but he was working lots of jobs,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe could say \u2018hamburger,\u2019 but that\u2019s all he knew at first.<\/p>\n \u201cThen he discovered Burger King. He could order a Whopper and understand that word.\u201d<\/p>\n Something about that word, about that particular sandwich, has woven itself into the fabric of immigrants\u2019 lives as they sew themselves into the American tapestry. Miami resident Danny Beltran agreed the word is nearly sacred in his house, too. But like Weir and hundreds of commenters on social media, he didn\u2019t know the restaurant meant so much to other immigrant families.<\/p>\n Beltran\u2019s parents moved from Cuba in the \u201980s before getting married in South Florida, where he grew up, spending many a meal at Burger King. He didn\u2019t realize those family memories at the chain \u2014 as is true for many first-generation immigrants \u2014 actually predated him.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were here for a few weeks, working odd jobs in their 20s, you know. They didn\u2019t know any English when they went in the first time, so they ordered what everyone else was getting: the \u2018Whopper,’\u201d Beltran says. \u201cIt cost a dollar, so they had their first date here (in the U.S.) at a Burger King.\u201d<\/p>\n For many, family memories revolve around trips to Burger King, Beltran tells New Times. Mike Flores, also the son of Cuban immigrants, was one of dozens of commenters who agreed with Beltran, telling New Times the restaurant became synonymous with rewards and all manner of celebrations, ranging from good report cards and birthdays to milestones like first jobs, first dates, and first paychecks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really started because of my parents,\u201d Flores, who described Burger King meals among his earliest memories, tells New Times. \u201cThey took us there any time we were feeling good, or anytime my dad wanted to take us out to a nice restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n He remembers walking with his parents from their apartment for miles to the nearest Burger King. While he may be far removed from his report card days, and he\u2019s outgrown the Whopper Jr., Flores still goes to Burger King anytime he wants to treat himself, he says.<\/p>\n For Beltran, Weir, Flores, and seemingly many other immigrant families, the memories of Burger King and its status as an American welcome mat are charbroiled into their souls.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you come to this country, the American dream is buying a house,\u201d Weir says, \u201cbut this is the first step that says, \u2018I made it.’\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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