Cardi B and Offset recently teamed up with McDonald’s to share their favorite date-night meal, and not everyone is lovin’ it. The celebrity couple’s partnership, as Bloomberg reports, is upsetting some McDonald’s franchisees who are alleging that the promotion violates a set of internal rules, known as the “Golden Arches Code.”
Due to this, as Today adds, some are calling for the fast food giant to stop selling the Cardi B & Offset Meal, claiming that the “family-focused restaurant chain partnering with entertainers whose songs contain profanities and explicit content” as the outlet notes, might “hurt the brand.”
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Why Some McDonald’s Restaurant Owners Disapprove Of The Cardi B & Offset Meal
Cardi B (real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus), 30, and Offset (real name Kiari Kendrell Cephus), 31, have been married since 2017 and starred in a viral Super Bowl ad last month.
The order includes Cardi B’s choice of a cheeseburger paired with BBQ sauce and a large Coca-Cola, and Offset’s favorite Quarter Pounder with cheese and a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. The joint menu item also includes an apple pie and a large order of fries to share.
The clip promoted their McDonald’s partnership just ahead of Valentine’s Day. While some Twitter users dubbed the ad to be “adorable” or “couple goals,” this sentiment isn’t shared with the aforementioned McDonald’s restaurant owners.
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According to a 2021 copy of the internal “Golden Arches Code” reviewed by Bloomberg, “partnerships with celebrities and influencers that have potential risk to damage our brand based on statements they have made or their positions on certain issues” aren’t permitted by McDonald’s, although the franchisees that have this issue “aren’t specific about which positions Cardi B or Offset hold that led them to speak out,” Today notes.
When reached for comment, the publication reveals, a rep for McDonald’s USA “confirmed that the negative feedback is coming from a small group of franchisees” and is not representative of the “widespread support and excitement it’s seen among franchisees across the country.”
The Cardi B & OFFSET meal @McDonalds @iamcardib @OffsetYRN pic.twitter.com/VqvkkazZR3
— July Phoenix Hamilton (@julyphxofficial) March 2, 2023
Why Did McDonald’s Partner With Cardi B & Offset?
As Cardi B and Offset have huge fanbases, it comes (for many) at no surprise why McDonald’s would choose to partner with the two married artists just before the love-themed holiday.
A representative for McDonald’s told Today in a statement, “McDonald’s stands behind our partnership with Cardi B and Offset. They have been incredible partners and we support them as a family.” The company stressed that they selected the duo to drive excitement for the brand (as seen by the trendy buzz surrounding the campaign).
Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA’s chief marketing and customer experience officer also told Today in a statement, "Across our marketing, we’re focused on putting McDonald’s at the center of culture. Artist collabs have helped reignite fans’ love for our food and fueled significant business momentum, both for the company and our restaurant owner/operators."
Hassan added, "And the reason they’ve been so successful is that our partners are real fans of the brand themselves — that authenticity is our secret sauce."
