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Cardi B and Offset's meal at McDonald's has brought in a lot of customers to its army of restaurants around the country, but some of the franchise owners aren't happy about it.
According to a report Fortune published earlier this week, numerous McDonald's franchisees believe that the partnership with Grammy award-winning rapper and her husband will hurt the brand. Owners recently complained that the profanity and sexual content in both artists' music goes against their "Golden Arches Code." Their internationally-known policies state that “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” are prohibited.
Owners have also emphasize the clause that states “music partnerships associated with content that includes offensive language in the lyrics" are also forbidden. They're convinced that the violations in their code will hurt the brand. Although at least 95% of McDonald's stores are owned by franchisees, McDonald's corporate office doesn't see it that way.
The Cardi B and Offset meal was announced in a pricy commercial that aired during Super Bowl LVII last month. Their combo comes with Bardi's favorite, a cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and a large Coke, and a Quarter Pounder with Cheese with a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst, which is Offset’s go-to order. It also comes with a large fries and an apple pie. Since Cardi and Offset's meal hit stores, business has been booming with more younger customers rolling in each day. Still, owners who might be culture-shocked by the partnership are worried about the brand.
“We’re focused on putting McDonald’s at the center of culture,” chief marketing and customer experience officer for the U.S. Tariq Hassan said in a statement. “Cardi and Offset are an iconic couple who have their own date-night tradition at McDonald’s that goes back years. We’re proud to share a little piece of that.”
Since their music partnerships launched in 2020, McDonald's has teamed up with artists like Travis Scott, J Balvin, BTS and Saweetie. Some franchise owners reportedly brought up a similar issue back when Scott kicked off the inaugural campaign. Nonetheless, McDonald's previously credited the "Antidote" rapper for boosting business.