McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski is owning the awkwardness of a video that turned him into an internet punchline. In a interview published April 6, he said one of his children called to tell him he had gone viral after his February review of the Big Arch burger.
Kempczinski had posted the clip in February, holding up a burger built with two quarter-pound patties, three slices of cheese, crispy onions, pickles, slivered onions and lettuce. He called it a “delicious product,” said, “Holy cow! God, that is a big burger,” took a very small bite and added, “That is so good.” He also described it as “distinctively McDonald’s,” saying, “Only McDonald’s could do this type of burger, but it also is unlike anything else on our menu. It’s a delicious product.”
The video was seen by millions of Instagram users, and the reaction did not fade the way a brand promo usually does. Asked by business columnist Tim Higgins about eating on camera, Kempczinski laughed and said the best approach is to “just dive right in.”
That light answer sits against a much less forgiving response online. The Big Arch is a hefty, limited-time menu item, and his food video drew thousands of comments scrutinizing him. Some viewers found the burger bite one thing and the chicken nugget bite in the interview even worse, according to. For a CEO whose job is usually to project polish, the episode showed how quickly a casual taste test can become the story itself.
And that is the point now: the viral moment has already happened, the jokes have already landed, and Kempczinski is left trying to talk about McDonald’s food without getting trapped by the clip that made him famous for the wrong reason.
