McDonald’s “has for decades been a family-friendly brand, so it’s a challenge to manage that”, he said in an interview.
“You want to remain family-friendly and at the same time you want to appeal to younger generations, which don’t necessarily line up.”
Kalinowski said he heard about some McDonald’s owners being upset about selling the Travis Scott celebrity meal in 2020. The company credited the partnership with the black rapper and hip hop star for boosting business. McDonald’s said Quarter Pounder sales doubled during the first week of the promotion. However, some franchisees weren’t happy about the tie-up due to Scott’s song lyrics and vulgarities, which they thought didn’t sync with the brand, Kalinowski said.
“We don’t live in a society where everybody’s liking all the same things,” Kalinowski said.
“It’s really hard to please everybody.”
Representatives for Cardi B, Offset and Scott didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
McDonald’s is trying to diversify the ranks of its restaurant owners across the US, where it has about 13,500 locations. In 2021, the chain promised to train and recruit more minority and women franchisees with a $250m (about R4.5bn) loan programme to help finance loans for underrepresented groups. The plan has faced backlash from a group of black McDonald’s owners who have said the chain needs to do more to help reduce the inequities they face as franchisees.
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