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Top 10 Best Fast-Food Collabs Of All Time!
Is there a better feeling out there than when two of your favorite things unite together to create something even more awesome? Probably not, which is why for years now, fast-food restaurants have been collabing with brands and celebrities left and right to come up with the next sensation. From cheesy treats to make-up, here are the Top 10 Best Fast-Food Collabs Of All Time!
10. Doritos And Taco Bell
Everyone loves Doritos. And everyone loves Taco Bell. So what do you get when you put two insanely beloved brands together? A masterpiece. Back in 2012, such status was obtained when Taco Bell decided to join forces with Doritos to create one of the best-seller items the chain has ever known; the Doritos Locos Tacos. More than 50 years after the absolute staple restaurant was founded, the world was finally blessed with this bonafide fast-food icon. The legend is made with the usual ground beef and all the regular fixings but it came in a shell made out of Doritos. Available in either Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, or Fiery, these were the epitome of a successful product. The collab between Doritos and Taco Bell got people hooked. So hooked, in fact, that to meet the crazy demand, Taco Bell had to hire over 15,000 new employees for the Locos Tacos release and set up four new production lines at the factory. And in just over a year? Taco Bell had sold over half a billion Doritos Locos Tacos. Not too shabby, indeed. While the Nacho Cheese flavor is still going strong today, the chain had to temporarily discontinue the rest of the gang in light of the pandemic. There aren’t any return dates yet, but we can’t help but hope they come back soon.
9. Cheetos And Forever 21
How would you feel if you knew you could not only eat your favorite snack but also proudly wear it for everyone to see? If you love fashion and dangerously cheesy snacks, then this next collab is right in your wheelhouse. In 2019, everyone’s favorite orange cheetah collaborated with Forever 21 to create a line of clothing featuring the Cheetos logo and Chester, the famous mascot. The line included a bunch of different apparel, accessories, swimwear, and beach towels, all at a very reasonable price. To give you an idea, the most expensive item was $30, and the cheapest was $5 bucks! It basically had every must-have to round out your summer wardrobe for a low price. One of the reasons why this collaboration was so successful and such a genius idea, is that Forever 21 and Cheetos share a lot of the same core audience. Forever 21 is especially popular among young adults and teens, most of whom probably enjoy Cheetos as a snack. Both companies benefited greatly from this iconic and pretty unexpected partnership, especially since Cheetos had ranked first in the “cheese snacks” category and owned over 87% of the market. In other words, this was an all-around success. Looking like a snack had never been easier!
8. Travis Scott And McDonald’s
McDonald’s is known for having done a lot of successful collaborations in the past. From movie premieres to dedicated meals, the Golden Arches really knows how to deliver enticing deals. For the first time in 3o years, McDonald’s recently decided to add a new celebrity-endorsed meal to their menu – and boy did it get a lot of attention. McD’s partnered with rapper Travis Scott to create a combo meal in 2020. Also known in certain markets as the Cactus Jack meal, the combo featured a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, and lettuce, an order of medium fries, barbecue sauce, and a Sprite – Travis’s go-to order. To say that this partnership paid off would be quite the understatement. The fast-food chain saw an increase in sales of almost 5% during the three months that the offer was available, and even ended up running out of Quarter Pounder ingredients in some locations. Some crazed fans even went as far as stealing promo posters in restaurants and selling their receipts on eBay for ridiculously high prices, ranging from $20 to over $1000. The last time the chain had such a lucrative collab with another celeb was in the 1990s when a value meal in partnership with Michael Jordan was sold in the Chicago area. Similar to this one, it featured a Quarter Pounder with bacon and barbecue sauce, fries, and a drink. Needless to say, McDonald’s and celebs do seem to make one heck of a good pair.
7. Miley Cyrus And Chipotle
When going to Chipotle, everybody knows that guac is extra. It’s a very unfortunate thing, but we’ve all learned to accept the fact that paying a little more to enjoy creamy guacamole is necessary. Back in December of 2020, a new burrito was added to the Chipotle menu featuring no extra charge for the delicious guac. The one responsible for this treat? None other than Miley Cyrus – and it all goes back to November of the same year. Miley was part of a viral Tik Tok trend in which users would caption their videos with “if Miley comments, I will..” and Miley had to fill in the blank. Her replies were obviously very anticipated and received thousands of likes, with subjects ranging from inspiring tattoos to haircuts and children’s names. Chipotle heard of this trend and decided to get in on the fun by posting something saying if Miley commented, they would make a Miley Burrito available on their app. She responded, and the rest is history. Well, actually, the “Guac is extra, but so is Miley” burrito was born. Known for her activism, animal advocacy, and pescatarian diet, the burrito was true to Miley; it was a veggie burrito with white rice, fajita veggies, black beans, tomatillo-red chili salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, romaine lettuce, and of course, a lot of guacamole. This social media success cost about $8.75 and was available for a limited time only exclusively from Chipotle’s U.S. app or website.
6. Charli D’Amelio and Dunkin’
Unless you’re a Gen-Zer or an active member of the Tik Tok cult-like community, then you probably have no idea who Charli D’Amelio is. Well, for those who are curious, Charli D’Amelio happens to have the biggest following on the app, with over 100 million followers. The 16-year-old TikTok dance star was approached by Dunkin’ after repeatedly professing her love for the chain’s coffee across her highly-followed platforms, and they offered to have something named after her. How could you say no to that? On September 2, 2020, Dunkin dropped “The Charli,” a cold brew with whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl. Charli can be seen sporting Dunkin merch with her signature orange-strawed beverage across all of her social media accounts. As the elite Tik Toker, Charli was the absolute perfect partner for Dunkin’. With millions of people watching her videos every day, it’s the best place to advertise not only the drink but the entire chain. The collaboration obviously had an immediate effect on the coffee company. On the day “The Charli” was launched, Dunkin’ saw a record-breaking number of active users on their app. It really looks like Gen Z will continue to be a clear source of growth for companies, as the impact of influencer campaigns keeps going up year after year. So, if you’re in the mood for a nice cold brew, you know where to go to!
5. Pringles And Wendy’s
Pringles is renowned for having released some pretty unique and never-seen-before chip flavors – especially overseas – yes, we’re looking at you, Egg’s Benedict, Pigs in a Blanket, and Pecan Pie Pringles! However, this particular funky flavor happened right here, in America, and it’s like something that came right out of a dream. Pringles partnered up with none other than Wendy’s to create a flavor modeled after one of the chain’s most popular burgers, the Baconator. Haven’t you ever wished you could turn your favorite sandwich into a chip? Probably not, but hey, at least you can say that you’ve tried it, right? Dubbed the one-bite Baconator, the new acclaimed Pringles flavor was first launched to the U.S market in the summer of 2020, and it was such a hit, the company decided to bring it north of the border. The flavor combines all the elements that make the Baconator so tasty; a strong taste of beef, melted cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, ketchup, and mayo, all blended into a single, bite-sized snack. Fans of both the chips and the burger were happily surprised with how close the taste was to the real thing. This limited-time edition flavor was described as “bold, unique, and insanely accurate,” and maybe a little comeback would do us all some good. No need to go all the way to Wendy’s to enjoy a Baconator anymore – just open your cupboard instead!
4. McDonald’s And Pokemon
Continuing in the “McDonald’s is the king of collaborations”saga, it’s important to mention its ever-successful partnership with Pokemon. At the beginning of the year, to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary, McDonald’s had the brilliant idea to collab with Pokemon on new Happy Meals. Of course, it was a huge success. The chain saw its largest driver of Happy Meals since the 1990s when they were including mini Beanie Babies. Let’s just say kids aren’t the only ones excited to get Happy Meals now. Along with an extremely cute little Pikachu box and a surprise gift, fans of the Pokemon Trading Card Game have the opportunity to collect special 25th-anniversary cards with their Happy Meals. Each box comes with a pack of four Pokemon trading cards – including a McDonald’s-exclusive holographic card. These cards have been driving people nuts, to say the least. Many McD’s have ran out of stock faster than ever as some people are testing just how many Happy Meals they could buy up all once just to get their hands on the cards. And rare cards undoubtedly means seeing them on eBay selling for exorbitant prices. Some scalpers are even selling boxes with more than 100 packs of the new cards for up to $1,000. It’s not the first time McD’s dared its customers to “catch’em all,” but nothing ever created as much frenzy as this particular promotion. Having rare cards like that might have been a little hard to control, but it’s definitely good business. After all, what’s a successful collab without a little bit of craziness to go along with it.?
3. Ben Affleck And Burger King
We all have to start somewhere, even the most famous of people often came from humble beginnings. Back in the 1980s, you know, before he was an Oscar-winning actor, Ben Affleck appeared in a very popular fast-food commercial that many people might not even remember. Before his superhero days, Affleck starred in a Burger King commercial in which he was trying to score a date with a pretty lady on the phone. With poofy hair, car phones with cords, and letterman jackets, this commercial brings you straight back to the 80s. In the ad, his character receives a call from a woman who had intended to call Burger King to place an order. Since Affleck happens to be driving by a Burger King when he gets the call, he decides to pick up her order and bring it to her – basically, pretending to be a BK delivery man. Now, it goes without saying that this commercial has nothing to do with the cinematic successes he’s been in since, but going back to your roots is always interesting. The vintage commercial had resurfaced a couple of years back and started making its way around the Internet. Wonder how many other celebrities did fast-food collabs that we don’t know about.
2. KFC And Cheetos
The Number one “cheese snack” is back at it again with another amazing collaboration, but this time, it has nothing to do with clothes and everything to do with tasty, delectable food. What could make this crunchy snack even better, you ask? Well, what if you could enjoy a handful of Cheetos in a crispy fried chicken sandwich from KFC? Yes, it sounds too good to be true, and yet, a couple of years ago, it was a thing. KFC and Cheetos went through a few dozen versions of the sandwich before coming up with the perfect recipe. Available for a limited time only, the bright-orange Cheetos Chicken Sandwich was destined to become an instant hit. In New York, you could even enjoy Cheetos hot wings, Cheetos loaded fries, and a Mac and Cheetos Bowl as part of the partnership. Combining two delicious things that people love can never be anything but a great idea, and this one-of-a-kind creation proves it. This partnership worked out splendidly, mostly because it was a win for both Cheetos and KFC lovers, and you can never seem to go wrong when mixing the two of them together. This masterpiece of a sandwich was available for a total of 4 weeks and cost $4.79, making this more than worth it.
1. Chipotle And Elf
As we’ve seen earlier, fast-food restaurants are not only good at creating delicious food items – but pair them up with the right brand, and they can also create some exciting inedible wonders as well. More than once, fast-casual Mexican chain Chipotle worked with E.l.f Cosmetics to create a limited-edition makeup collection inspired by ingredients used by the chain. Yes, you heard that right, a makeup line named after your favorite Mexican foods. The first collaboration in May 2020 sold out in four minutes, so the next time, they were prepared. The 2021 line featured an eye shadow palette with 12 shades reflective of ingredients like rice, guac, and hot salsa, a salsa-red lip gloss with a “mild-yet-alluring tingling sensation” when applied, an avocado-shaped makeup sponge, and a tortilla chip-styled makeup bag. With each palette purchase also comes a coupon for a free order of Chipotle’s chips and guacamole – what more could you want! Beauty and fast food collaborations are usually pretty rare, and this one really sets the bar high for any future plans. Chipotle is committed to sustainability-friendly practices, which is why partnering up with E.l.f. Beauty and its cruelty-free and vegan products was the right way to go.
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