Fast Food Celebrity Collabs

By: Jessica Scroppo Layout Designer

Want to eat like your favorite star? Fast food chains have something new to offer customers: celebrity endorsed meals. or Chase Hudson, has a spicy chicken sandwich, four-piece mozzarella sticks and a chocolate shake. Delicious right?

In September of 2020, the Travis Scott Meal hit the McDonald’s menu, offering a quarter pounder with bacon, fries with barbecue sauce and a medium Sprite. Scott, also known as Cactus Jack, collaborated with McDonald’s on merchandise, posters and commercials. The result was an advertising uproar. TikTok was flooded with videos of people ordering with Scott’s songs playing in the background. Fans were snatching promotional posters off windows and selling them for profit. If only we would have known that the Travis Scott meal would be just the beginning for celebrity meals.

In late 2020, McDonald’s introduced the J Balvin Meal. The Colombian singer has collaborated with artists like Cardi B, Dua Lipa and Bad Bunny. His meal rode on the coattails of Travis Scott’s success. A niche advertising sector was developed as modern influencers continued partnering with big fast food names. Recently, Popeyes recruited Megan Thee Stallion for her fast food debut. Her commercials include a western inspired fight over her “Hottie Sauce.” You may remember the trendy Popeyes chicken sandwich that went viral and caused hungry guests to wait in hour long lines to get a taste. The infamous sandwich is now coated in “Hottie Sauce” and endorsed by Megan Thee Stallion personally. You better keep your hands off my Hottie Sauce!

According to www.cnn.com, “Fast food chains like McDonald’s operate on razor-thin profit margins, so promotions and new items help them stand out from the competition.” Celebrity promotion isn’t a new concept, but it seems to have been particularly beneficial in increasing revenue for fast food companies this year. The negative effects of COVID-19 have lasted far beyond the disease. Businesses are finally on the rebound and fast food is no exception!

2021 offered the BTS Meal dedicated to the hit South Korean boy band. Female rapper Saweetie’s meal served up a Big Mac, a 4-piece McNuggets, fries and Sprite with BBQ and Saweetie ‘N Sour sauce to top it off. (It’s every celebrity’s dream to have a sauce named after them.) Combining convenience with star power grabs the attention of new and existing customers. University of St. Francis junior, John Raspante, states, “I feel like I need to try the celebrity meals at least once. Sometimes they have limited edition food you can’t get at any other time.”

McDonald’s hasn’t been the only fast food chain to participate in this new advertising venture; Burger King has recently started their own gimmick. According to www.delish.com, “The ‘Keep It Real Meals’ are three different selections made by each artist from the brand’s ‘Real’ menu, each worthy enough to use their real names, not their stage names.”

Singer Nelly, or Cornell Haynes Jr, introduced his meal: a Whopper with fries and a Sprite. TikTok Star Lil Huddy, Here’s to trying every celebrity endorsed meal to come!