By Hank Shield

“Cactus Jack sent me” is what rapper and producer Travis Scott advises you to say when ordering his new collaboration deal with McDonald’s. This meal essentially consists of a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with bacon and lettuce, a side of fries, barbeque sauce, and a Sprite. 

The collaboration between Travis Scott and McDonald’s has resulted in a mass frenzy of young people rushing the nearest McDonald’s to try this meal. Plenty of people I know have gone out of their way to try this meal, including myself. 

I was curious to try this burger because I am a big fan of some of Scott’s songs, like “Pick Up the Phone” and “Goosebumps,” and some of my friends were eager as well. 

I asked a couple of my friends if having the words “Travis Scott” identified with their burger influenced their decision to try it, and they said it 100 percent does. 

When I asked what they thought of the overall composition of the meal and what they expected, answers came from all sides. Will Pace (‘22) described it as a “phenomenal” and an “excellent addition to the McDonald’s menu.” Brent Hailes (‘22) agreed that “the immaculate and utter flavorictic [sic] taste of the bacon, lettuce, onions (Mmmmm), and the cheesy ketchup-soaked patty itself all came together to create an original, unfamiliar satisfaction of my tastebuds.” Eric McDaniel (‘22) added, “I thought it was a great burger. The Sprite was a great compliment to it.”

On the other hand, Will Edwards (‘22) said when he “tried the Travy Patty, I was slightly disappointed. It was simply a Quarter Pounder with bacon.” Personally, I did not have high expectations for the Travis Scott meal and was not surprised when I could have ordered a Quarter Pounder with bacon and lettuce and gotten the same result. 

A McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese. Photo credit: Evan Amos.

What disappointed me the most was that after I ordered my meal and waited for a couple minutes sitting in my car, I was handed a cold, cardboard, lifeless, McDonald’s Quarter Pounder box. I was at least expecting some sort of Travis Scott design incorporated into the fabrication of the platter on which it would be served. Instead, I looked at a normal cardboard box with no significance nor meaning.

Why did McDonald’s decide to pursue a partnership with Scott? In recent years, McDonald’s revenue has been in an overall decline since 2013, when they had a total global revenue of around 28 billion dollars. Although they have made 21 billion dollars each of the past two years, they still believe they can go higher. This partnership has allowed McDonald’s to advertise to young people without all of the pitfalls that come with actually trying to advertise to young people. Failed ad campaigns aimed at younger generations include a collaboration between clothing brand Supreme and Oreos to make red Oreos that say “Supreme” on them, or Olive Garden tweeting out “Basil starts with bae. Coincidence? WE THINK NOT.” Both of these are poor attempts at reaching out to young people through social media.

Scott gets to show off his new partnership with one of the most successful, well known, and most valuable fast food brands on the planet. He also gets advertising in a way that has never been seen before. Through this new Travis Scott meal, he will be able to spread his name and influence people that have may never heard his music before. 

One trend that has surfaced due to the Travis Scott meal is rolling up to the drive-thru window of McDonald’s, saying, “You know why I’m here,” and blasting “Sicko Mode,” Scott’s most popular song, to indicate that you would like a Travis Scott meal. 

Sadly, the Travis Scott meal was a limited time offer through October 4, but if you want to know what it tasted like, just order a Quarter Pounder with bacon and lettuce.  

Featured image credit: McDonald’s via YouTube.