An Awkward Video from the McDonald’s CEO Resurfaces After Going Viral for Big Arch Flub

After CEO and president Chris Kempczinski’s video of himself trying the brand-new Big Arch went viral for all the wrong reasons, an old 2024 video resurfaced of him trying two other menu items. 

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What happened in this 2024 video? 

The CEO has other videos of himself reviewing McDonald’s “products,” but this one is particularly egregious. It was filmed in the same brightly lit, sterile office on his phone, and he uses similar awkward language to describe the classic Big Mac and the Chicken Big Mac, which was then newly returning. 

“We’re here to do another spectacular McDonald’s taste test,” said Kempczinski without a hint of irony. For whatever reason, the point of the video was for Kempczinski to compare the Big Mac and the Chicken Big Mac to see which one is better, never mind that one is made with beef and the other with poultry, so they’re very different meals. 

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Once again, Kempczinski used awkward phrasing that shows he doesn’t know much about food, such as calling the cheese in the Big Mac “tempered” and commenting on the “beef notes,” which made me shudder. It’s as if he asked ChatGPT for some terms used in food writing and sprinkled them in without any clue what they meant—which is most likely what happened here, since his latest Instagram Reel is of him talking about how much he loves using AI.

When it came time to try the Chicken Big Mac, Kempczinski said he enjoys the “crunch” in the sandwich that the signature burger doesn’t have, which gives it a “little bit of a different mouthfeel.” It’s low-hanging fruit for comparison, since a breaded chicken patty isn’t going to taste or feel like a beef patty. 

Was the bite at least bigger this time?

Thankfully, yes. He took a sizable bite of the Chicken Big Mac, leaving lettuce hanging from his mouth and making him need a napkin. However, the camera cuts right before he swallows it, so there is no way to know if Kempczinski actually ate either of the Big Macs. 

Did the McDonald’s CEO even choose between the classic Big Mac and Chicken Big Mac?

As you can probably guess from his shallow descriptions of the products, Big Macs, this Instagram Reel was just a way to tell customers that they should be getting both. “My advice would be, don’t choose. Just choose to buy both.” It’s a very out-of-touch remark, given that most McDonald’s diners can’t afford two items for themselves in this economy. A Big Mac Meal is $12.49, and the Chicken Big Mac (which was only available for a limited time) cost $10.49. 

What are commenters saying about this resurfaced video?

If it hadn’t been for the latest review from Kempczinski going viral, this 2024 clip would’ve been completely forgotten, as it barely broke 700 likes. The comments are mostly new, with many poking fun at Kempczinski’s “beef notes” remark. Someone aptly pointed out that the CEO said “‘beef notes’ as if it’s not real beef,” which doesn’t make you want to choose McDonald’s over competitors who’ve made it a priority to use fresh beef, like Wendy’s. 

Now that the CEO is going viral, will this change anything for McDonald’s?

It’s clear Kempczinski talks like this because he’s a finance guy, not a chef or someone with culinary knowledge. While McDonald’s can poke fun at the matter on social media, it’ll be interesting to see if Kempczinski actually returns to making the reviews and doubles down on them, or decides to take on a new approach. Either way, McDonald’s is still the top fast food chain — with or without its CEO talking about the Big Mac’s “beef notes.”