McDonald's Cardi B & Offset meal draws pushback from some franchisees

Some McDonald's Corporation franchisees have raised concerns over the fast food chain's collaborations with celebrities for its "Famous Orders" line, recently over its partnership with rappers Cardi B and Offset because they allegedly do not reflect the company's values.

Several McDonald's owners in the U.S.A. are refusing to promote the new Cardi B & Offset meal over the artists' songs containing profanities and sexual innuendos. The collaboration allegedly goes against the chain's "Golden Arches Code" which prohibits partnerships with "celebrities and influencers that have potential risk to damage" the brand "based on statements they have made or their positions on certain issues."

Likewise, the code forbids "music partnerships associated with content that includes offensive language in the lyrics." All McDonald's employees, franchisees, agencies, and suppliers are tasked to uphold the code.

Grammy-award winner Cardi B stirred controversy in the past because of the explicit content in her songs, particularly her 2020 track with Megan Thee Stallion called "WAP." She and her husband Offset have also collaborated on several songs.

According to Fortune, franchisees own about 95% of McDonald's stores in the U.S.A. There are over 1000 franchise owners but it is unclear how many of them are declining to promote the new Cardi B & Offset meal. There are those who criticised the partnership whose restaurants are in Southeastern and mid-Atlantic states.

The Wall Street Journal states that these restaurant owners sent messages to the U.S. division urging other franchisees to remove advertising and merchandising related to the artists in their stores because they could "erode McDonald's family-friendly image."

Dick Adams, a former McDonald's restaurant owner and consultant to franchisees, called it a "culture-shock thing when you consider the McDonald's brand over the years, especially if you're a franchisee and you're 50 or 60 years old and you don't have any kids and haven't been exposed to any types of these lyrics."

He does not think that "there's a lot of pushback" although he acknowledges that there is some grumbling and complaining. He said he has talked "to many franchisees who are concerned about it, but it's good for sales and corporate endorses it."

Despite the criticism, McDonald's said last week Tuesday that it has received widespread support and excitement from owners and their restaurant employees over the Cardi B & Offset meal. The company said the couple's promotion intends to focus on love and celebrating special moments.

McDonald's U.S. Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan said, "Across our marketing, we're focused on putting McDonald's at the center of culture. Cardi and Offset are an iconic couple who have their own date-night tradition at McDonald's that goes back years. We're proud to share a little piece of that."

Representatives for Cardi B & Offset have yet to respond to requests for comments. McDonald's introduced its "Famous Orders" meals back in 2020 with rapper Travis Scott. The meals typically include a combination of the celebrity's handpicked menu items in promotional packaging. Its launch reportedly helped the company recover its U.S. sales losses at the COVID-19 pandemic's onset. Executives have also said that these celebrity-backed meals drive more online orders and app downloads.

Morgan Flatley, the chain's global chief marketing officer, said that the McDonald's Travis Scott meal campaign helped draw younger customers and that it exceeded sales expectations. The company has since collaborated with other artists including South Korean boy band BTS, Saweetie, and J Balvin.

McDonald's ran an ad for the Cardi B & Offset meal in February during the Super Bowl, promoting a Quarter Pounder with cheese and Hi-C Orange Lavaburst for Offset and a cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and a Coke for Cardi B. The set also comes with large fries and an apple pie.