Education Minister and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett dined at Ariel's local 'Burgeranch' (also known as 'Burger Ranch') on Sunday, fulfilling a five-year-old promise to be one of its first customers.
In 2011, the owner of rights to the McDonald’s franchise in Israel refused to open a store in the Samarian city of Ariel, opining that the area was "disputed".
In response, the Israeli Burgeranch fast food chain, McDonald's main competitor, said that it had no problem with operating over the Green Line and promised to open a branch in the Ariel mall that was snubbed by McDonald's.
"Ariel is a major city in Israel, and there is no reason for us not to have a branch there,” Burgeranch CEO Eli Orgad told Maariv. “I will open anywhere that the state of Israel has decided that its citizens are located.”
Following Orgad's announcement, Bennett had praised Burgeranch and promised to be its first customer. "Eli Orgad, the owner of Burger Ranch, announced in response to the McDonald's boycott of the city of Ariel that he would set up a beautiful branch of Burgeranch in the city. I promise to get to eat the first burger on its opening day."
Now, five years later, Bennett fulfilled his promise on Sunday when he dropped by Ariel's new Burgeranch joint. "In my opinion, this is not only a commercial decision but also true Zionism. I promised I would come here to eat a hamburger for the opening, and now I came to keep my promise. It was delicious and exciting," he said.