McDonald’s launched a meal collaboration with rapper Travis Scott on September 8 and it’s been a viral success ever since.
I ordered the new meal and while the burger didn’t taste like anything out of the ordinary, it was cool taking part in this year’s oddest celebrity collaboration.
Celebrity partnerships like the one with Scott will be the future as restaurants look to simplify their menus due to food supply chain issues with the COVID-19 pandemic while still offering new reasons to return.
I should have realized that maybe I wasn't hip enough to order the Travis Scott burger when the McDonald's manager at the drive-thru questioned my intentions.
"I have to ask, do you actually like Travis Scott or are you ordering this because of the internet hype?" they asked me through the window.
"Uh, I'm actually doing a food review," I responded, acknowledging I'm not an active listener of the famous rapper.
He told me the meal had become a popular order at the store, even though it was basically just a "quarter-pounder with lettuce."
But that's exactly what McDonald's is counting on with its star-studded, albeit strange, collaboration with the "Sicko Mode" artist.
As fast-food restaurants pare down their menus due to supply strains imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the McDonald's marketing ploy makes sense.
McDonald's "Travis Scott Meal" is already the newest TikTok trend and hot internet topic without the chain adding any of the labor or financial burdens that come with adding new menu items.
But does the $6 Cactus Jack collaboration deserve the hype? I went to McDonald's to find out.
I rolled up to my local McDonald's and looked to see if I could pick the Travis Scott meal from the menu. Nothing.
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But when I specifically asked for it, the order immediately popped up on the screen.
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There was confusion at the McDonald's I went to and they charged me separately for the fries when the whole meal was supposed to be $6. They were also out of Sprite, so I picked it up at a different restaurant for the sake of consistency.
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The meal is marketed by McDonald's as "Cactus Jack's" favorites. The burger is a quarter-pounder with cheese topped with Scott's "go-to toppings" of bacon and lettuce.
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The meal also comes with a medium fry, barbecue sauce packet, and a Sprite that is supposed to be ordered with extra ice
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At first glance, the burger looked appetizing with the melted American cheese oozing through the beef patty's crevices.
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My sandwich came with toppings McDonald's already offers, so even after the collaboration ends October 4, I could hypothetically order it again. (But not for the deal price of $6.)
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With the first bite, the McDonald's taste-nostalgia hit me. The perfectly round, sweet, white bun took me back to my childhood.
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It was clear with subsequent bites, however, this wasn't just your plain McDonald's Happy Meal cheeseburger.
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Albeit messy, the shredded lettuce added a crisp and cool texture to the burger that let me convince myself that I'm being healthy by adding vegetables.
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The bacon was the least desirable part of the burger. It was chewy and extremely salty.
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The rest tasted similar to a typical McDonald's burger.
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The patty was peppery and less greasy than other chain burgers. The cheese, ketchup, mustard, and pickles added flavor contrasts and textures that gave the whole thing a more complex taste.
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But the Travis Scott meal isn't just about the burger. It's about the whole trifecta, down to the personal touch of a side of barbecue sauce.
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Big gulps of Sprite are delicious with a McDonald's burger to begin with. The sweet, carbonated, citrusy drink contrasts well with greasy foods.
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Because it balanced out the salty bacon, the thirst-quenching Sprite tasted even better.
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Hot McDonald's fries are one of life's greatest joys. Those salty, skinny potatoes blow most things out of the water. Until they get cold.
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But when paired with barbecue sauce, the cold fries at the bottom of the bag weren't mediocre. The sweet and salty flavors made them oh, so good.
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The meal itself wasn't incredibly exciting.
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But as an internet-centric woman in her 20s, the kooky idea that a Travis Scott meal is available at my local McDonald's made it less about the food and more about the experience.
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And that's what companies like McDonald's are banking on as they try to reach the increasingly elusive under 35 consumer.
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Young adults are increasingly turning to what influencers and celebrities are recommending, according to McDonald's CMO Morgan Flatley in an interview with Business Insider.
Collaborations like this aren't anything new. Just look at the long-lasting marketing success of the company's Happy Meal toys.
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The internet-based pull of Travis Scott and the viral spark that comes from the weird collaboration is what made the meal fun and left me feeling "in the know." Based on the TikTok videos, others agree.
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When I told my parents about it, they shrugged. When I told my teenage cousins, they were excited.
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While I wouldn't order the burger combination again, I can appreciate that in 2020, at least we can order a Travis Scott x McNugget body pillow.
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