McDonald’s franchise owners push back on promotion with rapper

But some say fast food giant will get new customers

McDonald’s has kicked off a marketing partnership with hip hop star Travis Scott despite pushback from franchise owners concerned that Scott’s often profane lyrics don’t fit with the fast food giant’s familyfriendly image.

From Sept. 8 to Oct. 4, consumers can order the “Travis Scott Meal” — a Quarter Pounder with bacon and lettuce, medium fries with barbecue sauce and a Sprite with extra ice.

The meal — Scott’s favorite, the company says — is called The Cactus Jack, which is Scott’s nickname and the name of his record label.

“For $6, you can eat just like Travis,” a McDonald’s news release said.

“Travis is a true McDonald’s fan having grown up visiting our restaurants in Houston, not to mention one of the biggest musical acts and cultural icons in the world,” Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s U.S. chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “This is the first time in nearly 30 years we’ve introduced a superstar’s name to our menu.”

The last time that happened was in 1992 when the company rolled out a meal named after NBA superstar Michael Jordan. It too featured a Quarter Pounder with bacon and barbecue sauce, fries and a drink. But Jordan’s barbecue sauce went on the burger, not with the fries.

Yet the trade website Restaurant Business reported last week that twothirds of McDonald’s franchise operators opposed the collaboration because they were concerned with lyrics of some of Scott’s music. The website said the concerns were outlined in a summary of a survey it saw.

Lyrics of a 2018 Scott hit called “Sicko Mode” posted by Billboard.com contains not-safe-for-work words that begin with the letters s, h, p, m and b.

The tie in with Scott, currently one of the nation’s most popular music stars, is an opportunity for the fast food giant to reach younger adults who haven’t developed brand loyalty to McDonald’s, says Brent Upchurch, whose family’s Upchurch Management owns and operates 30 McDonald’s restaurants in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Scott is recognized as a top social media influencer, with 32.3 million Instagram followers and 4.4 billion YouTube video views.

As part of the collaboration, McDonald’s and Scott “will also be exploring opportunities to support charitable organizations” as well as outfitting McDonald’s crew members in custom apparel designed by Scott’s company, the release said.

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring the Cactus Jack-McDonald’s collaboration to life,” Scott said in a statement. “We are bringing together two iconic worlds. Including a charitable component was key for me, and I can’t wait for people to see what we have in store.”

Upchurch said pushback from franchisees stemmed from the company’s failure to collaborate with its operators before the Scott promotion was finalized.

As to whether concerns remain that its association with Scott could hurt McDonald’s brand, Upchurch said, “I don’t think you can be 100% sure of anything in this day and age.”

“I think [the corporate marketing team] did their homework,” he said. Scott “has a massive following. From that perspective, it makes all the sense in the world.” He added, “I can’t condone that language and those lyrics. But I think that’s how the younger generation talks.”

The tie-in “is about changing times and changing demographics,” Upchurch said. “We need to reach out to potential customers and reengage with people who are not as loyal to McDonald’s as their parents were.”

Younger adults, known as Gen-Z, aren’t loyal to specific brands, he said. “They’re more mobile and opportunistic. They ’re more into value and deals, and we’ve got to get into that game.”