McDonald's CEO's "Big and Curved Hamburger" Epic Disaster Live-Stream Incident

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s perfect demonstration of a “robotic face” made viewers feel awkward, but he doesn’t have to feel lonely. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski personally filmed an Instagram eating short to promote McDonald’s “product,” the Big Arch Burger. His stiff expression and scripted language quickly sparked discussions on social media. Within days of posting, the video surpassed four million views, becoming a source of amusement.

CEO Calls McDonald’s Limited Big Arch Burger a “Product”

Kempczinski earnestly said on camera: “I really love this ‘product’ and am having it for lunch today.” His table displayed a very plain-looking Big Arch Burger meal. When he took the dry, flat burger out of the box, it was completely unappetizing.

Then, the CEO repeatedly used the word “product” to refer to the burger. To most consumers, a burger is “food,” a hot, satisfying “meal.” No one would order a “product” at a fast-food restaurant. But for a CEO immersed in revenue reports and market share, a burger seems to be just a “product.” This disconnect from reality in the script gave viewers a chilling feeling—thinking, “Hmph, these wealthy CEOs probably don’t eat this kind of cheap fast food; they’re just pretending for publicity,” or “Even McDonald’s boss wouldn’t dare eat fast food.”

How painful is it to eat your own burger?

The climax of the video—and what made netizens go wild—happened when the CEO “attacked” the burger. After showing the “product,” Kempczinski claimed the Big Arch Burger had a quarter-pound beef patty, multiple layers of cheese, and special sauce, with a hefty portion. But on camera, it looked like a dry, ordinary burger. He carefully lifted the burger, tentatively took a small bite, appearing reluctant and unenthusiastic. Well-known film critic Super Pixel said he looked like he was forcing himself to take a bite just for filming, then turning around to spit it out immediately. In this clip, his hesitation before biting and the expression as if swallowing something unknown made viewers question what exactly was in that burger. In the social media age, authenticity is the only hard currency. When audiences sense that this is over-rehearsed, staged performance, brand trust instantly crumbles.

Burger King Laughed

In an epic disaster scenario, there’s always an opportunist waiting to kick a fallen opponent. As McDonald’s CEO’s video went viral, Burger King’s CEO Tom Curtis quickly posted his own video of eating a Whopper. Unlike McDonald’s CEO’s hesitant nibble, Curtis took a big, hearty bite, even getting mayonnaise on his cheek, and asked for a napkin to wipe his mouth. His straightforward, unpretentious eating style immediately gained favor, making McDonald’s cold, stiff eating broadcast look even more awkward.

Black and red can also be red? From a marketing perspective, although the Big Arch Burger eating video caused the CEO to be mocked online, it unintentionally brought this “tech product” into the screens of millions, serving as an accidental advertisement.

This article, “McDonald’s CEO’s ‘Big Arch Burger’ Epic Disaster Eating Broadcast,” originally appeared on Chain News ABMedia.