Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Burger King Launch Epic Gaming-Meets-Food Crossover Event

The worlds of interactive entertainment and quick-service dining collided as Burger King partnered with Activision to create an unprecedented brand experience centered around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In collaboration with Grubhub, the fast-food giant transformed a Los Angeles location into an immersive gaming venue, showcasing how major brands are leveraging esports and gaming culture to engage younger audiences.

The Burger Town Experience: A Real-World Gaming Hub

On a single day, one Burger King restaurant in Long Beach, California (2955 North Bellflower Boulevard) evolved into a live-action version of the Burger Town location featured within the Call of Duty game. From 3-7pm local time, the venue hosted a competitive gaming setup where customers faced off against professional Call of Duty players Scump and FaZe Apex. Winners of these gaming challenges received an extraordinary prize: free Whopper sandwiches for 15 years—provided in the form of Burger King gift cards equivalent to one sandwich weekly for the next 1.5 decades.

The activation represented a calculated bet by the brands that gamification and experiential marketing could drive foot traffic and brand loyalty among demographics traditionally engaged through digital channels rather than physical retail.

Multi-City Delivery Strategy Through Grubhub

Beyond the flagship Los Angeles event, Burger King and Activision extended their reach through a 16-city nationwide rollout via Grubhub’s platform. Select Burger King locations rebranded their menus as “Burger Town presented by Burger King,” offering Call of Duty-themed meals available exclusively through delivery orders. This approach bypassed geographical limitations of the physical event while maintaining engagement through digital-first ordering channels.

Customers placing delivery orders using the promo code ‘BKCALLOFDUTY’ unlocked progressive rewards tied to in-game content. First purchase yielded a “Burger Town Emblem” code, the second delivered a “Burger Town Calling Card,” and a third purchase provided a “Burger Town Bubby Weapon Charm”—all designed to incentivize repeat ordering through cumulative reward mechanics.

Promotional Mechanics and Value Proposition

The campaign ran from October 24 through November 6, with Grubhub offering free delivery on orders exceeding $10 from participating Burger King and Burger Town locations. The multi-layered incentive structure combined tangible food discounts with intangible gaming rewards, appealing to both casual diners and hardcore gamers simultaneously.

This cross-promotional model reflected broader industry trends: major consumer brands increasingly recognize gaming communities as high-value demographics worth direct investment and integration into their core marketing strategies.

Brand Ecosystem Context

Burger King operates more than 15,000 locations across approximately 100 countries, with nearly complete franchisee ownership. The brand maintains its positioning as the world’s second-largest fast food hamburger chain. Restaurant Brands International, the parent company, generates over $27 billion in system-wide sales across 23,000+ restaurants globally.

Grubhub, as the nation’s dominant delivery marketplace, maintains partnerships with over 125,000 restaurants across 2,400 U.S. cities. Activision, the Santa Monica-based gaming publisher and division of Nasdaq-listed Activision Blizzard, continues expanding its cultural footprint through strategic brand collaborations.

The partnership between Burger King, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Grubhub exemplified how established corporations are bridging the gap between gaming culture and consumer commerce—a blueprint increasingly adopted across the quick-service restaurant industry.