BTS Meal
McDonald's collaboration meal with BTS, sold in 50 countries.
Fakum Kuliner on YouTube · via Wikipedia: BTS Meal · CC BY 3.0
In the summer of 2021, McDonald’s partnered with the South Korean boy band BTS to offer a limited-time combo called the BTS Meal. The meal included a 9- or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Coca-Cola, and two spicy dipping sauces—Sweet Chili and Cajun—based on popular McDonald’s recipes from South Korea. It launched on May 26, 2021, in a handful of countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, and the Philippines, and eventually expanded to 50 nations before ending on June 20, 2021.
The collaboration was announced by Big Hit Entertainment, BTS’s agency, and fans could pre-purchase meal coupons through a food ordering service. Depending on the location, the meal was available for dine-in, takeout, drive-through, or app orders during regular hours. It marked McDonald’s third celebrity partnership. During the COVID-19 pandemic, large crowds in Indonesia forced some outlets to close temporarily, while Singapore limited orders to delivery only to prevent crowding. The BTS-themed packaging was later resold on platforms like Carousell.
The meal rolled out in waves: May 26 in the U.S., Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Israel, Malaysia, Paraguay, St. Maarten, and Ukraine; May 27 in Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam; May 28 in Malta and Puerto Rico; June 1 in Costa Rica, Delhi (India), Mexico, Panama, and the UAE; June 2 in Bahrain, Cyprus, and Qatar; June 3 in Hong Kong and Macau; June 4 in Mumbai (India); June 5 in Morocco; June 7 in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; June 9 in Taiwan; June 11 in Romania; June 15 in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Suriname; June 18 in the Philippines; and June 25 in Indonesia.
Critics offered mixed takes: Louisa Chu of the *Chicago Tribune* called the sauces “smooth, but unsurprising,” while Rebecca Alter of *Vulture* praised McDonald’s business sense and said the promo made her “optimistic for the future of musician promos at chains.” William Mullally of *Esquire Middle East* described the Cajun sauce as “the stuff of fast food greatness.” In South Korea, the meal sold over a million units and boosted McDonald’s sales, according to the company.
- Field
- Fast food collaboration
- Known for
- Limited-time meal sold in 50 countries in collaboration with BTS
- Release date
- May 26, 2021
- Discontinuation date
- June 20, 2021
- Countries reached
- 50
Lore & Background
The BTS Meal was announced by a representative from the band's agency, Big Hit Entertainment, through an official statement. Fans could purchase a meal coupon through a food ordering service prior to the official release. Depending on the country and location, the meal was available via dine-in, take-out, drive-through, and app-based orders, and it was only available during regular hours. The meal was first released on May 26, 2021, in select countries including the United States, Austria, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Paraguay, the Philippines, Taiwan, Romania, and Sint Maarten. By late June, it had been released in fifty countries.
Reader's Guide
The BTS Meal represents a notable intersection of pop culture and fast food marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its release generated significant consumer response: massive crowds in Indonesia reportedly forced the temporary closure of many outlets, while in Singapore the meal could only be ordered via delivery to prevent crowding. Upon release, the BTS-inspired packaging was listed for resale on several e-commerce platforms, including Carousell. In 2021, the release reached over a million sales in South Korea and caused an increase in sales, according to McDonald's. Critical reception was mixed: Louisa Chu of the Chicago Tribune found the dipping sauces 'smooth, but unsurprising,' while Rebecca Alter of Vulture praised McDonald's business acumen and William Mullally of Esquire Middle East described the Cajun dipping sauce as 'the stuff of fast food greatness.' The promotion was discontinued on June 20, 2021.
Did You Know?
- The BTS Meal consisted of a 10- or 9-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium French fries, a medium Coca-Cola, and Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces.
- The meal was the third collaboration for McDonald's.
- The BTS-inspired packaging was listed for resale on e-commerce platforms including Carousell.
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