Casting ballots with their palates—that’s what patrons of Burger Heaven in New Westminster, B.C., have been asked to do weeks ahead of a provincial election. Customers are offered a special menu of burgers representing party leaders, such as the B.C. Conservative Lorne Doerkson, with a couple of strips of bacon and some melted Chilcotin blue cheese, or the David Eby NDP, with a nice dash of provolone. Each burger sold marks a tally on the board at the restaurant for each respective party. Chris Gieb manages Burger Heaven, and he told CTV News that people called and asked whether the poll would return not long after Eby called a snap election. “It’s a good money grab for us, is what it comes down to. So, thank you, Mr. Eby, for pulling this snap election for us,” he said. Gieb explained that the burger poll system started 35 years ago, when Burger Heaven’s original owner ran for mayor. He said patrons have come to provide fairly accurate polling for their provincial riding, New Westminster-Coquitlam. “For our particular riding, yeah, we’re pretty much 100 per cent,” he said. One customer told CTV News that the “Bun-official” burger poll was a fun way to look at the election. “It’s awesome,” he said. “Something different than just negativity.” “I think it’s a great idea,” another patron added. “It gives the public kind of a hint of what everyone’s thinking and can’t get a more delicious way to get a vote.” For those interested in the poll but not the burger, Gieb said Burger Heaven is happy to accommodate, as getting customers talking about issues is just as important as getting them in the door. “We found in the past that not everybody wants to have the burger; they would rather have something off the menu instead. So instead of forcing them to have the burger, (we) gave them the option,” he said. “Get out and vote. That’s the main priority behind this whole scenario.”
