Except after hours, and then we lock them.

English translation: we lock the doors when we close at the end of the working day

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Except after hours, and then we lock them.
Selected answer:we lock the doors when we close at the end of the working day
Entered by: Yasutomo Kanazawa

13:07 Jan 19, 2015
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations / Tagline
English term or phrase: Except after hours, and then we lock them.
Burger King first opened its door in Miami in 1954. And we've been open ever since. "Except after hours, and then we lock them."

I understand the first two sentences, but I can't understand the last in " " If I rephrase the last sentence, it would be something like ONLY after hours, we lock them, or Excluding open hours, we lock them.

Why is "except" used here?

This is a tagline in a frame hanging on the walls of one of the Burger King chains in Japan.
Would someone kindly explain?
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 01:34
we lock the doors when we close at the end of the working day
Explanation:
A play on words - mildly humorous - meaning "We have been open since the company was founded, but, in truth, we do actually lock the doors when we close down for the night."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2015-01-19 13:19:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"We have been open since the company was founded" could be considered to mean that the stores have been open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year since 1954.

To qualify this statement, which nobody would really consider to mean precisely that, someone added the tag line saying "Although we say that, we do actually close and lock the doors at night when we close the store"
Selected response from:

Yorkshireman
Germany
Local time: 17:34
Grading comment
Thank you Yorkshireman for the clear explanation. Now I get the point and I award you 4 KudoZ points.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +8we lock the doors when we close at the end of the working day
Yorkshireman


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
except after hours, and then we lock them.
we lock the doors when we close at the end of the working day


Explanation:
A play on words - mildly humorous - meaning "We have been open since the company was founded, but, in truth, we do actually lock the doors when we close down for the night."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2015-01-19 13:19:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"We have been open since the company was founded" could be considered to mean that the stores have been open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year since 1954.

To qualify this statement, which nobody would really consider to mean precisely that, someone added the tag line saying "Although we say that, we do actually close and lock the doors at night when we close the store"

Yorkshireman
Germany
Local time: 17:34
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you Yorkshireman for the clear explanation. Now I get the point and I award you 4 KudoZ points.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: was about to post s.t. very similar :)
1 min
  -> Hi Carol, it's "ladies first" next time :-)

agree  Arabic & More
15 mins
  -> Thanks Amel

agree  Terry Richards
45 mins
  -> THX Terry

agree  British Diana
49 mins
  -> Thanks BD

agree  acetran
1 hr
  -> THX2U2

agree  Jack Doughty
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Jack

agree  Paolo Chiocchetti
2 hrs
  -> Grazie tanto

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
8 hrs
  -> THX!
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