The chief executive of McDonald’s recently blamed his mother’s etiquette guidance for an on-camera taste test in February that left him the subject of ridicule — and briefly recorded another video of him eating at one of the fast-food giants, in ways that potential consumers found awkward.
Chris Kempczinski suggested to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in early April that he was simply heeding his mother’s advice to never talk with your mouth full, when he took a humorously small bite at the center of a viral video showing them discussing and sampling McDonald’s new Big Arch burger.
“I blame it all on my mom because she told me, ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full,'” Kempczinski commented to WSJ columnist Tim Higgin. An interview captured on video. “And I think, maybe in that case, I should have just said, ‘You know what? That sucked. I’m going to talk with my mouth full.'”
During the conversation, Higgins asked Kempczinski if he had any advice about going easy on eating on camera.
“Just dive right in,” Kempczinski replied laughing – before announcing his intention to bite into a McDonald’s chicken nugget and proceeding to do so.
This response was familiar to any of the many Internet denizens who were distracted by a February 4 social media video in which he barely chopped a Big Arch, referring to it as a “product” that they “don’t even know how to attack” because “there’s so much of it”.
An Instagram user reacted to the chicken nugget video Write Kempczinski’s little bite in that clip was “worse than the burger guy”.
Another user of the platform said, “He still looks like he doesn’t want to eat his own ‘product’.”
But tiktokOne user wondered: “Why does he make it look painful?” Another user commented: “This doesn’t help,” while another said: “Damage control isn’t working.”
The rhetoric in such comments brought to mind the response to the Big Ark video, which achieved virality in late February and early March – and prompted one social media user to write: “It scares me when you say ‘food product’.”
Another said Kempczinski’s “aura screams kale salad”, meaning he made a disjointed sales pitch for the decadent Big Arch’s white cheddar cheese, tangy sauce and two quarter-pound beef patties.
Many users expressed disappointment at Kempczinski’s return to the public spotlight.
Business leaders are increasingly putting themselves in front of the camera as they try to appear trustworthy to a social media-first audience. The strategy can pay off if done right – yet when it backfires it can invite digital mockery.
Any fun being had online at Kempczinski’s expense can’t seem to bother him too much. business insider recent informed McDonald’s stock was up about 3% over the past year, despite The Big Ark receiving a lukewarm critical reception. some sectors.
Kempczinski joined McDonald’s in 2015 after stints as vice president of PepsiCo and president of Kraft International – with induction In the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement. He became CEO of the Chicago-based chain in 2019.
