Op/Ed: The $6 meal deal is “Lit”
A quarter pounder with cheese, bacon and lettuce paired with a medium fries, sprite and don’t forget the barbecue sauce. This may seem like a simple order from any fast food restaurant, but you would be mistaken as this is the Travis Scott meal.
McDonald’s has collaborated with multi-award winning rapper Travis Scott and has come out with this celebrity meal all for only $6.00 that has taken the franchise by storm across the U.S.
According to the McDonald’s website news.mcdonalds.com/travis-scott, “Everyone has a go-to order from McDonald’s, even some of today’s biggest superstars. And now, two icons are coming together, as The Golden Arches meet Cactus Jack for a multi-level innovative partnership. From September 8th through October 4th, McDonald’s is taking it up to another level, as cultural sensation Travis Scott’s favorite meal is offered at restaurants all across the U.S.”
This is the first time in almost 30 years since McDonald’s has done a celebrity meal, the last being the Michael Jordan meal in 1992.
So, while the meal may be available to all with a McDonalds in the area, the two also collaborated with exclusive merch from T-shirts, hoodies and even a $90.00 chicken nugget body pillow. But if you are looking to purchase any of this exclusive merch, you will have to dive into the world of reselling websites such as stockx.com/Travisscott to see prices for this collaborative merch skyrocket in price some pieces such as t-shirts reaching a price of $180.00.
So, the question comes into play is the meal worth the price and the hype that has surrounded it?
Driving to my nearest McDonald’s in Canyon, Texas and ordering the meal, I expected at least a custom bag that the food came in or perhaps a limited-edition cup or toy. However, upon ordering the meal it comes with none of these things.
Instead you are greeted with the same McDonald’s branding and packaging we have all become familiar with. In a nutshell, while I feel that the price for the meal is fair at $6.00, anyone could have ordered this exact meal at any time of the year seeing as it is a burger with bacon, lettuce and cheese. Nothing would stop you from custom ordering this at any location at any time.
So, what you are paying for is the hype or status that Travis Scott brings to this collaboration and getting sucked into the marketing that McDonald’s has done around the successful music artist.