By Andrew Byrd
Rapper Travis Scott released a collaboration with McDonald’s that will run from Sept. 8 to Oct. 4 and sell the “Travis Scott Meal” nationwide.
According to the McDonald’s website, “The Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Travis-Style” features a one-fourth pound of 100% fresh beef topped with onions, pickles and two slices of cheese. The burger also includes shredded lettuce, crispy bacon, ketchup and mustard.
The franchise said this burger was Scott’s favorite while growing up in his hometown of Houston.
“Everyone has a favorite McDonald’s meal, no matter who you are,” said McDonald’s U.S. chief marketing officer Morgan Flatley in a press release. “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.”
The collab meal, which comes with medium-sized french fries and drink, costs $6 and is available to order in-restaurant, through carry-out, at the drive-thru and with the McDonald’s app.
“I have tried the burger twice,” Corey Brown, a senior finance major, said. “I think it’s nothing more special than their regular quarter pounder meal with a few extra ingredients.”
Brown said he goes to McDonald’s frequently and did not run to McDonald’s specifically for the Travis Scott meal, but convinced himself to get it the first time after weighing the price options at the restaurant.
“The most appealing part about the burger is the price,” Brown said. “At around $6 for the entire meal, it’s hard to dislike it because it’s cheap and gives you all the parts of the meal you would expect from a more expensive item.”
According to a press release, along with the meal, the collaboration will also include merchandise called the “Cactus Jack x McDonald’s” collection, which was heavily inspired by McDonald’s vintage campaigns.
Some of the designs include a “You Deserve a Break Today” screen printed tee, a Cactus Jack rugby polo, a pair of embroidered slippers and a McNugget body pillow. Cactus Jack is Scott’s nickname and the name of his own record label.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring the Cactus Jack x McDonald’s collaboration to life,” Scott said in the release. “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.”
“I think Travis choosing to collaborate with McDonalds was a smart business move, but I will not be buying any of the merchandise,” Anwar KaiKai, a senior physics major, said. “The whole thing seems toxic to me especially with the fact that people are stealing posters or trying to get T-shirts off of employees to resell them.”
Christina Gluch, a senior biology major, said she thinks the collaboration overall was a genius marketing move because it was not just about the meal, but about creating the hype around the collaboration for a merchandise drop.
“I don’t think this necessarily cheapens his brand,” Gluch said. “I know they had two merch drops and the first drop sold out pretty fast. It was smart because he made something accessible to the majority of his fans and he knows they’ll buy it.”
Andrew Byrd can be reached at andrew.byrd@student.shu.edu.
