TOKYO: The whiff of a Whopper made hundreds of customers hungry for a Burger King special on Wednesday — “Flame Grilled” cologne.

Bottles of the fragrance were sold at the fast-food chain’s stores in Japan for 5,000 yen ($40), including one Whopper burger. At a downtown Tokyo outlet, 17-year-old student Yuki Ishibashi bought one out of curiosity.

He learned late last month about the cologne and “I really wanted to try it,” Ishibashi said. He took a whiff of the spray and described the scent as “spicy”.

Nanako Katabami bought one as an unusual gift, and quoted her friend as saying it smelled like a Burger King store. Burger King said the cologne sold out at about half of its 90 Japanese outlets by evening. The promotion, available only in Japan, was timed deliberately for April Fools’ Day. The company said it hoped the scent would make customers identify Burger King with a grilled-beef burger smell.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2015

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