The hamburger chain's statements to Ohio news outlets didn't directly confirm reports that the picture was taken at a restaurant in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Heights.
Burger King Corp. says the franchisee that runs the independently operated restaurant quickly investigated the matter, and three employees were terminated.
The company says it won't tolerate such violations of its strict procedures for safely handling food.
It didn't comment on the circumstances in which the photo was taken. News outlets say the picture was posted on the free-for-all website 4chan.org, and GPS data embedded in the photo led to the restaurant.
Burger King Corp. is a unit of Burger King Worldwide Inc.
