McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has finally addressed his now-viral reaction to the food chain’s new Big Arch Burger, and his explanation has caught many off guard.
The moment, which first went viral in February, showed him taking a noticeably small bite during a promotional video. Weeks later, when fans asked about his tiny bite, he pointed to something unexpected- his mother’s advice.
Highlights
- McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski faced massive online mockery after a promotional video showed him taking an extremely small bite of the new Big Arch Burger.
- Kempczinski jokingly blamed his mother’s advice for the small bite.
- The awkward moment prompted rival chains like Burger King and Wendy’s to post their own "big bite" videos.
“What a terrible excuse, how old are we lol?!!” one user wrote.
McDonald's CEO addressed backlash over his small bite of Big Arch Burger.
Image credits: Chicago Tribune/Getty Images
The clip, posted on February 3, showed Kempczinski trying the newly launched Big Arch Burger. While describing it as “a delicious product,” viewers quickly focused on how little he actually ate.
“Not a single calorie was consumed in this video,” one user wrote, while another joked, “Is the BIG BITE in the room with us??”
Many also pointed out his repeated use of the word “product,” saying it made the moment feel more like a corporate demo than someone enjoying food.
The reaction spread quickly, with the video racking up 16 million views and becoming a talking point across platforms.
The Big Arch Burger, introduced in the U.S. on March 3, is being positioned as McDonald’s 'biggest' burger.
It features two quarter-pound beef patties, three slices of white cheddar cheese, crispy onions, raw onions, lettuce, pickles, and a signature Big Arch sauce, all inside a sesame and poppy seed bun.
Kempczinski learned about the backlash from his children
Image credits: chrisk_mcd
Kempczinski later revealed that he didn’t initially realize how widely the video had spread.
“I got a call from one of my kids, and they said, ‘Dad, you’ve gone viral—and not in a good way,’” he said.
He added that soon after, he began receiving a flood of messages. “Texts, emails, calls… by the thousandth time, it was like, yeah, I’ve seen it.”
Image credits: mcdonalds
Despite the backlash, he said he understood how these moments work online.
“When you go onto social media, you have to have a thick skin,” he explained, adding that the attention still got people talking about the Big Arch.
Following the backlash, Kempczinski explained why he took such a small bite
Image credits: chrisk_mcd
Image credits: chrisk_mcd
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal shared on April 6, Kempczinski explained why he took such a small bite.
“I’m definitely not a vegetarian,” he said, responding to online theories, before adding, “I blame it all on my mom because she told me, ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full.’”
He also admitted that, in hindsight, he should have handled it differently. “I probably should have just said, ‘You know what? To hell with it, I’m gonna talk with my mouth full.’”
Image credits: chrisk_mcd
The explanation didn’t land well with everyone.
“Bro is grown, and he’s gonna blame his mom?” one comment read. Another added, “Throwing his mom under the bus doesn’t seem like a great PR move either.”
Others were more blunt. “At almost 60, he’s still blaming his mom,” one user wrote.
Not only viewers, but also record-breaking eaters and rival brands roasted the CEO
Record-breaking eater and rival brands added to the conversation
The discussion around the Big Arch Burger didn’t stop with the CEO’s explanation.
Donald Gorske, the Guinness World Record holder for eating the most Big Macs, also shared his thoughts after trying the burger.
“I wasn’t really crazy about it,” he told The Guardian, adding that he still prefers the Big Mac.
At the same time, rival chains used the moment to their advantage.
Burger King shared its own taste-test video featuring a much larger bite, while Wendy’s followed with a similar clip that included subtle jabs at McDonald’s.
"It's always the mother's fault," wrote one user
Image credits: www.facebook.com
