McDonald’s has had many interesting promotional items over their 65-year history. There was the Szechuan sauce that they released along with the film Mulan in 1998 (and more recently because of Rick and Morty fans). There’s the annual release of the Shamrock Shake and the thrill of the seemingly random return of the McRib. Now, there’s an entire meal you can get at McDonald’s purely based on the favorite order of popular rapper Travis Scott. The Travis Scott meal has been trending on social media for the past week, so I decided to take a break from WebEx and social distancing to try it. 

Scott has been trying to make 2020 the Year of Travis Scott. If you’ve been living under a rock, Scott had his breakout hit “Sicko Mode” two years ago and has been a major figure in rap ever since. He’s been nominated for six Grammys and has gone platinum with tracks like “Goosebumps” and “Highest in the Room.” Lately, Scott has been trying to translate his popularity among rap fans into becoming a household name. He had the first #1 album of the decade, Jackboys. He had a Fortnite skin available after his record-setting concert on the platform in April.  He’s released a track for the movie Tenet. He’s on this month’s cover of GQ, and is working on a collaborative album with Kid Cudi.

And now, the burger.

Well, it’s not just the burger. McDonald’s has partnered with Scott on a new viral ad campaign. Scott’s usual McDonald’s order is being featured as a special limited-time meal and Cactus Jack himself is appearing in ads and (supposedly) unplanned in-person promotions for McDonald’s. This type of promotion isn’t new–Michael Jordan famously had his favorite order as a menu item in 1992. Scott benefits from the exposure to folks who don’t know him, McDonald’s benefits from the extra traffic of Scott’s fans.

It worked. Scott’s fans are eating all this up–literally. According to an internal memo, the promotion is going so well that some McDonald’s are running out of ingredients. As the promotion gets more media exposure, it just seems to be getting wilder. Fans are going up to drive-thrus, telling the clerk “You know what I want,” and blasting “Sicko Mode” at them. Scott is even selling McDonald’s-themed lifestyle products through his clothing line Cactus Plant Flea Market: recent bestsellers have included Mickey D’s house slippers, over two dozen different t-shirts, and a three-foot chicken McNugget body pillow.

But the question remains: is the meal worth all the hype?

The Travis Scott order is simple: a quarter pounder with cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce, bacon, ketchup, and mustard; a medium Sprite with extra ice; and a medium fry paired with tangy barbecue sauce. No special ingredients and no secret menu required. I was a little disappointed that the advertised price of $6 is just the quarter pounder and not the full Travis Scott package, but it’s hard to complain when the whole meal is under ten bucks. 

After sitting down, I took off my mask and hesitantly took my first bite. And it was glorious.

The main highlight is the burger. The addition of the lettuce is refreshing with every single bite and the choice of bacon really manages to blend well with the (supposedly) made-to-order meat of the quarter pounder. Then there’s the fries, which are to be dipped in the barbecue sauce to enjoy the full experience of the meal. It’s a bold yet interesting choice–the first few fries were kind of iffy, but after a few more combined with bites of the sandwich, it was clear that the flavors had really good chemistry. Obviously, the Sprite is just a Sprite but colder, but considering how McDonald’s Sprite is almost its own taste, the colder temperature helps the Sprite be extremely refreshing.  

I found that the Travis Scott meal wasn’t just good… it’s the best version of the quarter pounder that McDonald’s has offered. It’s big, it’s flavorful, and it is completely satisfying. I was worried that the medium size wouldn’t be a lot of food for a teen, but I found it to be enough (though you may want to order the large of everything if this is a concern). While the memes and general absurdity around the release may make the meal seem like just a gimmick, it is an item–no, THE item that has the power to distract you from all the misery of the pandemic. So if you want to try something bold and new, order the Travis Scott meal at your local McDonald’s before it (supposedly) goes away on October 4.