Burger King boss: English women unattractive, food terrible

Bernardo Hees has only been CEO of Burger King since September, so maybe no one's gotten around to telling him that insulting an entire country's cuisine and the appearance of its women might not be a good idea. It's too late now, as last week Hees let slip his opinion of the UK, saying, "The food is terrible and the women are not very attractive."

Hees also said his favorite item on the BK menu is the "Whopper." No kidding.

The fast food boss was speaking to a gathering of students at the University of Chicago, and his words were dutifully recorded in the school paper, the Chicago Maroon. Hees was making a point that he studied so hard when he attended England's University of Warwick because he was free from distraction. Distractions like good food or appealing women, apparently.

British women and chefs are, understandably, upset about the comments.

"If he views women as potential distractions in academia, I wonder how we views them in the workplace?" Warwick student Chari Fritzner asked the Guardian. "It doesn't make Burger King an attractive employer for women."

Marcus Wareing, a famed UK chef known for his home-grown cuisine, told the UK newspaper, "It's an insult to British gastronomy."

The 40-year-old Hees, who has been the CEO of Burger King since its purchase by Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital in September, has no experience in the food service industry.

But "the customer is always right" isn't exclusive to restaurants, is it? If Hees didn't know before, he does now.