The big arch burger featured in a taste test by McDonald’s president and chief executive Chris Kempczinski went viral after a clip of the event drew widespread online mockery, as reported by the Guardian.
In the video, which was posted in February but became widely shared over the weekend, Kempczinski describes how much he loves the new offering and calls it the "product", an unusual term for a sandwich.
He explains the burger consists of two quarter pound beef patties, three slices of melted white cheddar cheese, crispy onions and a signature "Big Arch" tangy sauce, and says he will eat it for his lunch.
The Guardian reports Kempczinski then hesitates, saying he does not "even know how to attack it", before taking a very small bite and showing the camera the small indentation he made.
Commenters reacted quickly, with one writing "Man’s aura screams kale salad", another saying "That was the smallest first bite I’ve ever seen", and a third mocking the use of corporate language about the food.
A Reddit user advised that if McDonald’s cares about its future it should keep Kempczinski away from cameras, the report added, and the company did not reply to the Guardian’s request for comment.
Background And Wider Context
The Guardian noted that business leaders increasingly put themselves in front of cameras to appear more relatable to social media audiences, and the strategy can backfire when presentation seems forced.
Kempczinski has been president and chief executive of McDonald’s since 2019, having succeeded Steve Easterbrook after Easterbrook was fired for engaging in a relationship with a senior female employee.
The Guardian also reports that in 2023 Easterbrook, who is British, was fined $400,000 by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for "concealing the extent of his misconduct".
The McDonald’s Big Arch burger will launch nationwide in the US for a limited time beginning on 3 March, according to the same report, which framed the viral clip against that upcoming product release.
