Viral moments can easily be spotted anywhere, especially with today’s digital age where a simple post, resharing a blog, and word of mouth can either make or break a reputation. That same cycle is also applicable to fast food brands, their campaigns’ success or downfall is eventually decided by the public.
When a fast food chain goes viral, it’s often a blend of their marketing campaign or a new release that caught the interest of the public. While some fast food moments have been planned out, there are still a lot of spontaneous moments that went viral thanks to how well the audience received them.
We’ve compiled 10 examples of viral fast food moments that made headlines. Some may be orchestrated, but most are driven by passionate fans.
10. Wendy’s Pretzel Love Songs
Let’s start with an oldie but goldie. Wendy’s launched the “Pretzel Love Songs” campaign in 2013 to promote their Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. Wendy’s efforts were present in social media channels promoting the hashtag #PretzelLoveSongs on both TV commercials and inside Wendy’s restaurants. Plus, Wendy’s also took part in PR efforts, Community Management and they even released a song with the same name, “Pretzel Love Songs” in 2014, which is now available in Spotify.
You can say that this campaign was a success, as the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger was Wendy’s best-selling limited-time offer (LTO) burger in 40 years. Moreover, Wendy’s stock price also increased by a whopping 41% during the campaign run. Eventually, the “Pretzel Love Songs” campaign won a Bronze Pencil award from The One Club in the Interactive – Social Media/Branded Social Campaign Category.
9. Taco Bell’s Breakfast Menu Launch
Throwback to March 2014 when Taco Bell launched their national breakfast menu and 7 years later, we still reap the results of this big business venture. Taco Bell’s first breakfast items included the A.M. Crunchwrap, Waffle Taco, and Cinnabon Delights. Truly the golden age of Taco Bell!
With the support of Taco Bell’s biggest marketing campaign ever, breakfast items became available until 11 AM at the Tex-Mex giant. That’s already 30 minutes later than McDonald’s, which offers their breakfast selection only until 10:30 AM. Maybe that’s why Taco Bell (thanks to agency Deutsch L.A) invited not 1 but 25 guys named Ronald McDonalds to prove that they have the best “Breakfast anybody can love — even Ronald McDonald.”
It gained reputable comments both from customers in social media and from the press, with Business Insider hailed the menu as innovative, fun, portable, and delicious, plus the news outlet also said it could be a contender for McDonald’s. Which it did eventually, as within two years from its launch, the breakfast menu selection has accounted for 10% of Taco Bell’s business.
8. Chick-fil-A’s Sauce Shortage
You may remember the series of unfortunate events after pandemic hit. One strong example is that back in 2021, Chick-fil-A experienced a shortage for its sauces. That’s right! Chick-fil-A, one of the giant chicken fast food restaurants almost ran out of their dipping sauce and people lost their minds.
On a previous announcement last May 2021, Chick-fil-A stated that due to industry-wide supply chain disruptions, they faced shortages of the fan favorite Chick-fil-A sauce. As a result, the fast food chain limited the release of their sauce to one sauce per entree, two sauces per meal, and three sauces per 30-pieces chicken nuggets. Regular customers and chicken lovers were shocked and expressed their panic online. In X (was called Twitter back then), fans expressed dismay and even compared the shortage to gas and price inflation, citing that “Gas shortage is one thing, but Chick Fil A shortage is unacceptable”.
It wasn’t just Chick-fil-A that experienced shortages, all other markets and industries had their own share of supply chain disruptions, but since Chick-fil-A is loved by many and addressed it head-on by setting a limit on their sauces, that’s where the fans noticed and took it to heart.
7. McDonald’s Travis Scott Meal
McDonald’s is not a stranger to celebrity collaborations and celebrity meals. Over the years, they have partnered with singers, athletes, and other A-list personalities for a meal deal that satisfied both kids and adults.
A notable celebrity collaboration that McDonald’s has launched was the “Travis Scott Meal” in 2020, made possible through the multilevel partnership of The Golden Arches and Cactus Jack, the record label founded by Travis.
Priced at $6, the “Travis Scott meal” highlighted the artist’s favorite McDonald’s food items in a single meal, featuring fresh beef Quarter Pounder with cheese, sizzling bacon, and crisp lettuce, medium World Famous Fries with BBQ Sauce to dip, and a Sprite.
The goal wasn’t just to gain profit, but behind the iconic collaboration lies a much greater cause – Travis and McDonald’s explored opportunities to support charitable organizations during their month-long program. This further fueled support from Travis’ fans and McDonald’s regulars, which eventually led to one of the company’s best-selling meals. The Quarter Pounder sales doubled in the first week, and sales grew 10% in four weeks, amounting to $50 million in total revenue. Wall Street even recognized the impact of this collaboration and McDonald’s stock prices leaped and added $10 million to the brand’s market cap.
RELATED: These 17 Restaurants Have The Cheapest Value Meals For Back to School
6. Burger King’s Moldy Whopper Ad
Contrary to popular advertising strategies where Ad agencies and fast food brands showcase the appealing sides of their food, Burger King breaks the mold and goes off to launch the “Moldy Whopper Ad campaign”.
In partnership with Ogilvy, Burger King promoted how Whoppers were made with no artificial preservatives, breaking and winning over many advertising rules. The ad campaign included a film and out-of-home visuals that showed what happens to the Whopper if it’s left out for a month, becoming the “Moldy Whopper”.
This ad is not for the faint of heart but Burger King saw success in this campaign. There was a 14% sales increase after the ad was released, achieved 8.4 billion impressions and $40 million in Earned Media Value highlights, and a whopping 88% uplift in positive brand sentiment.
5. The Rise of Plant-Based Meat and Burgers
Burgers are one of the classic fast food items, and everyone’s a fan of its juicy and meaty patties. And by everyone, we meant even our vegan friends. That’s why fast food brands collaborated with plant-based meat companies to launch plant-based burgers.
The plant-based burger revolution was first pioneered by White Castle with its Impossible Slider, then followed by none other than Burger King’s Impossible Whopper. Next up is The Veggie Shack at Shake Shack, and even if it’s no longer available, McDonald’s The McPlant also deserves a mention.
Among other benefits, some researchers suggest that plant-based burgers are healthier than their meat counterparts. They even produce between 30% and 90% fewer greenhouse gases than real meat. Plus, a 2020 Gallup survey showed that a promising future awaits the plant-based industry. In 2020, 21% of US adults said they had eaten plant-based meat, and 49% of those adults said they were willing to eat it more often. That already says a lot about the acceptance and demand for plant-based burgers in the future.
4. McDonald’s BTS Meal
BTS, the world’s biggest boyband, took over McDonald’s with their previous collaboration in 2021. The BTS Meal featured more than 10 Pieces of Chicken McNuggets, new limited-time sauces picked by BTS, medium Fries, and a Coke.
Though the meal contents are simple, the BTS Meal saw worldwide domination as it was released not only in South Korea but also in nearly 50 countries, namely the United States, Austria, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, the Philippines, Taiwan, Romania, Sint Maarten, and more.
As a result of the worldwide promotion and the support of BTS’ fanbase called ARMY, the BTS meal landed on headlines and McDonald’s generated social media engagement of 11.5 million social mentions, 2,316 earned media placements, a huge jump of 41% increase in global sales, and a 25% category lift. That’s a clear worldwide domination!
RELATED: Best Fast Food Deals This August
3. Burger King vs McDonald’s Ad War
There isn’t a single year we haven’t seen Burger King and McDonald’s exchanging banters. The fast food giants enjoy sharing a long-standing competition seen in ads, limited time deals, and seasonal promotions.
Both Burger King and McDonald’s makes an effort to capture the attention of their customers, while throwing a witty blow to the other. Their ad war is seen in all ad platforms and formats. From posters, store coverups, billboards, and social media content, they keep their rivalry fun and alive.
Burger King and McDonald’s display of creativity and humor won the approval of the audience and made them a top choice for fast food customers. Until today, they both enjoy the benefits of this friendly competition; their revenue increased thanks to free and fun advertising.
2. KFC’s Double Down
Before we unveil the top fast food viral moment, let’s see one of the most sought-after menu items that earned mixed reactions from both online and offline worlds.
KFC’s Double Down started as an April Fool’s Day announcement in 2010 and later became famous for its richness and boldness. It’s a bun-free chicken sandwich that features cheese, bacon, and sauce in between two fried, grilled, or spicy chicken fillets. KFC’s Double Down’s release saw a massive success and made more than 10 million sales at the end of its first month.
Thanks to its big flavors and generous serving, fans have been continuously asking for its comeback as part of KFC’s permanent menu. The brand heeded the call and brought back the Double Down in April 2014, and made its latest return in March 2023. Last year, it was made available with mayo or spicy sauce and could be ordered as a combo meal with Secret Recipe Fries and a medium drink.
KFC’s Double Down deserves the second spot as no other food item has gained its status – having mixed reactions from critics and being sought after by fans. In the end, KFC proves that its Double Down is a massive success, where fans and chicken lovers alike are constantly waiting for its next comeback.
RELATED: 10 Secret Menu Food Hacks From TikTok You Must Try
1. Fast Food Chicken Sandwich Wars
Move over, Burgers and Subs. Since 2019, Chicken sandwiches have been the new contender for an ideal fast food staple. It all started when Popeyes unveiled its now-famous fried chicken sandwich, which originally went unnoticed until Chick-fil-A went to Twitter to roast the release. Popeyes responded with a gentle tweet and a social media frenzy followed. Popeyes saw a 38% jump in Popeyes’ same-store sales in Q4 2019 and other competing brands saw the opportunity.
Every chicken and burger place wanted a piece of the action, so they released their very own Chicken Sandwich. Some launched a refresh of their current offerings, but still, it’s in answer to the growing demand for more Chicken Sandwiches. Thus, the Fast Food Chicken Wars was born. Golden Chick, KFC, Fatburger, Chick-fil-A, Church’s, Wendy’s, Zaxby’s, BurgerFi, Jack in the Box, Fuku, SONIC, Carl’s Jr., Shake Shack, McDonald’s, and Burger King followed and until today, we’re still reaping the benefits of this delicious war.
Five years later, fast food has never been the same after the Chicken Sandwich Wars started and I’m sure it’s not slowing down soon. That’s why this viral moment deserves the top spot and I’m sure you’re also seeing this viral trend continue for years.