What’s a McNibble? By now, we’ve all seen the video of Chris Kempczinski, Chairman and CEO of McDonald’s, trying the Big Arch on camera. His wimpy bite and bland reaction went viral for all the wrong reasons. Instead of promoting the new menu item, people reacted with hilarious comments about Kempczinski’s small bite, deemed the “McNibble,” and roasted his corporate jargon and unenthusiastic expression for the burger.
Since the video, a burger war has begun among multiple executives running fast food empires, and different chains are filming their own bite videos. While some clap-backs are hilarious and land well, others are just as weird and uncanny as the Big Arch video. What we’ve taken away from this online feud is that it’s pretty clear which CEOs actually eat the food they oversee. With so many response videos to the McDonald’s bit, we’re definitively ranking every fast food CEO’s hamburger bites based on how funny they are, how well they clap back at McDonald’s, and how personable their on-screen exec is.
6. McDonald’s
We obviously have to start with the context of WTF happened at McDonald’s. Kempczinski’s controversial bite kicked off this fast food CEO bite war that left social media users unsure if he even liked the burger. In addition to his small nibble, Kempczinski referred to the “Big Arch” as a product, making him seem too corporate and “above” the average person. Does this guy even eat hamburgers? Does this guy even eat solid food?? We’re just wondering who approved the final take for the official Mickey D’s social channels.
5. Smashburger
CEO Jim Sullivan took to Instagram for his fast food chain, Smashburger, captioning the post “We only take big bites around here.” His short and sweet response to McDonald’s shows him excitedly biting into a Smashburger, and looking at the camera to report “you only take big bites when it’s great taste.” With a burger as stuffed and juicy as the Smashburger shown in the video, you can’t help but agree with the company slogan “belief is in the bite.” Even though this video clearly shows Sullivan’s fondness towards Smashburgers, we wish his reaction was a bit funnier and that the video had more to it. At the end of the day, it seems like the social media manager at Smashburger only had time for one take and a five minute set-up.
4. KFC
Popular chicken joint KFC joined in on the burger feud by posting a video of President Catherine Tan-Gillespie representing girl power in the fast food world. She decides to “leave that beef to the boys,” enthusiastically taking a messy bite of a fried chicken sandwich. People responded with praise for this girl boss, commenting things like “a woman CEO and she’s believable that it’s good” and “This is the only ‘corporate’ international women’s day post I want in my feed, thank you.” Based on this CEO bite, it’s pretty clear that KFC really is finger lickin’ good.
3. Wendy’s
Wendy’s president Pete Suerken made a video taste testing the classic Baconator burger, and in addition to taking multiple bites of the meal, he paired it with French fries dipped in a Frosty. The Wendy’s X account reposted the video to their page, referencing the McDonald’s video by saying, “This is what it looks like when you don’t have to pretend to like your ‘product.’” They also started a satirical campaign seeking a new role called “Chief Tasting Officer.” The application is now open, and the job description is looking for applicants that will “help bring the vibes, taste and creativity to the company in ways no one else can.” I better go put in my two weeks notice.
2. A&W
A&W exec Allen Lulu donned a nearly identical outfit to Chris Kempczinski’s from the original McDonal’ds bit, mimicking his monotone burger review. Lulu jokingly describes the burger as a product as well, but takes a dig at McDonald’s by saying he loves their Teen Burger product, “which most people call a burger.” He described each ingredient in this same mocking manner, following the commentary with a respectable bite and shot of the marks left in his burger.
1. Burger King
President of BK Tom Curtis has been building buzz on social media for a bit now, and after giving out his number online, he grew popular for a unique campaign Burger King rolled out. The social team recorded Curtis personally answering tons of the calls and texts he received, and their goal was to show his hope at connecting better with the fast food community to get recommendations on how to improve Burger King. After the McDonald’s small bite fiasco, Burger King posted an older clip of Curtis working hands-on in the kitchen, where he doesn’t hesitate to take a massive bite of a Whopper. Fans absolutely loved this clever clap-back, and Curtis has since become the people’s princess of the fast food industry.