Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for McDonald's
- McDonald’s is facing shortages due to the massive popularity of the Travis Scott Meal.
- “It’s been so lit, some of our restaurants have temporarily sold out of some of the ingredients in the meal,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “We’re working closely with our suppliers, distributors, and franchisees to resupply impacted restaurants as quickly as possible.”
- McDonald’s also asked franchisees to make sure that employees would recognize viral catchphrases linked to the Travis Scott deal, including “The Fornite guy burger” and “You know why I am here’ (while playing Travis Scott music),” according to an internal memo.
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McDonald’s is running out of burgers thanks to a partnership with rapper and singer Travis Scott.
The fast-food chain confirmed shortages to Business Insider, after some customers began saying on Twitter that their local McDonald’s had run out of the Travis Scott Meal. The shortages are especially remarkable because the meal is made up of McDonald’s classics — a Quarter Pounder with cheese, fries with BBQ sauce, and Sprite.
“No doubt, Cactus Jack sent you…A LOT of you. SO many of you,” McDonald’s said in a statement.
“In fact, it’s been so lit, some of our restaurants have temporarily sold out of some of the ingredients in the meal,” McDonald’s added. “We’re working closely with our suppliers, distributors, and franchisees to resupply impacted restaurants as quickly as possible. Stay tuned and don’t worry, we’ve got more surprises from Cactus Jack coming soon.”
Due to the popularity of the deal, McDonald's is temporarily controlling the supply of some ingredients, including Quarter Pounder fresh beef, bacon, slivered onions, shredded lettuce, according to sources with knowledge. More restaurants are expected to run out of these Quarter Pounder ingredients in the coming days, as McDonald's weathers supply chain disruption.
Controlling supply is a strategy McDonald's uses to prevent shortages, such as when meat processing plants were shut down earlier this year. However, this is the first time during the pandemic that McDonald's has actually run out of ingredients — a shortage sparked by massive demand for the Travis Scott Meal, not coronavirus-related supply chain disruptions.
Customers have swarmed McDonald's in pursuit of the Travis Scott Meal
Jerritt Clark, Courtesy of McDonald’s
On Tuesday, McDonald's US CMO Morgan Flatley and Vicki Chancellor, the franchisee who is the head of McDonald's Operator's National Advertising Fund, sent out a memo about the shortages and other aspects of the deal viewed by Business Insider.
As part of the memo, Flatley and Chancellor told franchisees — the independent operators who run 95% of the McDonald's locations in the US — to "make sure crew knows how much you appreciate their efforts in support of this promotion." McDonald's employees are receiving custom t-shirts, designed by Scott's Cactus Jack label, as part of the partnership.
The memo also instructs franchisees to make sure that employees know all the catchphrases that have been associated with the campaign.
Customers have been posting videos of themselves ordering the Travis Scott Meal on social media. But, in some cases, they don't order at all, but instead, blast a Travis Scott song and tell employees: "You know why I'm here."
"Various Travis Scott Meal marketing materials include the line, 'Say Cactus Jack sent you', leading some customers to say, 'Cactus Jack sent me' or other social-media-inspired variations including: 'It's lit, sickomode,' 'The Fornite guy burger,' or 'You know why I am here' (while playing Travis Scott music)," the memo reads. "To reduce confusion, please make crew aware of these monikers or alternate ordering methods."
Flatley told Business Insider in late August that McDonald's wanted to partner with Scott because of his cultural relevance, especially among younger customers. According to Flatley, people under the age of 34 are "becoming more and more challenging for brands to reach."
"How they engage with media is different," Flatley said. "They look to recommendations much more than any other generation has. They're very reliant on social media. They're very reliant on their friends."
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski addressed the popularity of Travis Scott deal in an Instagram Q&A earlier this week.
"We put our people and our customers first, and I think our customers have spoken resoundingly — they love it," Kempczinski said. "So do I."