On Tuesday, Melbourne fast-food chain Mr Burger announced it would give free burgers for life to any person who legally changes their surname to “Burger”.

The response over the past 48 hours has been massive, with Sunrise and apparently even Colombian national radio jumped to cover it.

Today, marketing manager Maleik Edwards says Mr Burger “may have been a victim of our own popularity.”

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

This afternoon, Mr Burger received a letter from no lesser authority than the Victorian Government Solicitor's office, saying it will not process any applications for people changing their name to “Burger” for the purpose of winning burgers.

The letter, which has been sighted by Broadsheet, says, “Under s 28 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 (BDMR Act) the Registrar may refuse to register a change of name if the change is sought for an improper purpose. We are informed that the Registrar considers that a change of name for the purpose of participating in a marketing promotion is improper. Consequently, any change of name application that is made to participate in the Promotion will be rejected.”

The letter goes on to explain that an individual can only successfully change their surname to “Burger” (with the intention of winning free burgers) by providing false or misleading information about the purpose of the name change – which is a lawful offence.

It states that such applications are not in the spirit of the name-change process, and officially requests Mr Burger remove all promotion and advertising around the competition, or face legal action.

Edwards told Broadsheet that the letter “was a real surprise.” He has confirmed the competition is being pulled.

Mr Burger will instead give away free burgers tomorrow (Friday July 1) between 12pm and 2pm at its Melbourne Central store (opposite the State Library).

Edwards says somebody in the queue tomorrow will be picked to win free burgers for life. All they have to do is get a free burger, fill out a card and drop it in a provided box. A winner will be announced on Mr Burger’s Facebook page at 5pm tomorrow. You even don’t need to change your name.