Why Travis Scott’s Collab with McDonald’s was an Unusual Yet Totally Genius Move

Fast-food chains usually introduce limited-time menu items to create hype among consumers and drum up their sales. A pretty genius trick, right?

McDonald’s seemed to have achieved the same results with its partnership with rapper Travis Scott though, all without adding anything new on their menu. Here’s how they pulled it off.

The Travis Scott Meal

McDonald’s: The limited-time meal would be available until October 4

The collaboration saw the creation of the Travis Scott Meal. Launched on September 8, the $6 meal includes a Sprite drink, medium fries with BBQ sauce, and a Quarter Pounder burger with lettuce, bacon, and cheese.

This combo is reportedly the 28-year-old rapper’s favorite meal to eat at the fast-food chain. Although the Travis Scott Meal won’t be available for long, you can still technically order it after its limited-time run as all of its components are individually available on McDonald’s regular menu.

Like its peers, McDonald’s is no stranger to introducing unique menu items to generate buzz around the brand and get people talking about it on social media. Among the McDonald’s most popular special offerings include the McRib, the Szechuan Sauce, and the Shamrock Shake.

Perfect Compromise

Sorbis/Shutterstock: Most McDonald’s locations in the United States are pushing for a simpler menu

While these menu items often do translate to better sales, producing them can be tough. In operating fast-food chains, time is of the essence and introducing food items that are more complicated to prepare can create more complexities in the kitchen.

And with McDonald’s locations cutting down their menu during the coronavirus pandemic, it seems like the Travis Scott Meal is a genius compromise.

Customers were still hyped by the new meal, especially because it’s tied to a popular celebrity, and the fast-food chain didn’t have to make life harder for workers with an item that needs elaborate preparation.

There are about 13,800 McDonald’s locations in the U.S. today with around 95% of them being owned by franchisees.

Standing by the Decision

Travis Scott/Instagram: The partnership also involved Scott designing McDonald’s clothing items through his Cactus Jack brand

However, the partnership with Scott did come with some drawbacks. As it turns out, not all McDonald’s franchisees were happy about the brand associating with the rapper, who they criticized for using explicit lyrics in his music.

The fast-food chain stood by its decision to work with Scott though. In fact, it’s actually gearing to take on similar partnerships with other big celebrities in the future.

Seeing how the collaboration reached the top spot on Twitter’s trending topics, it’s not hard to see why. Not to mention, the Travis Scott Meal has been so in-demand in some locations that ingredients for the meal are running low in supply.