McDonald’s is offering free caviar – yes, caviar – for Valentine’s Day
By Chris Isidore, CNN
(CNN) — McDonald’s is offering a few customers a special Valentine’s meal this year – Chicken McNuggets and caviar.
Starting at 11 am ET on Tuesday, McDonald’s is giving away a limited number of kits including caviar and a gift card for McNuggets at mcnuggetcaviar.com/countdown.
The giveaway underscores the lengths restaurants and retailers are going to grab customers’ attention, hoping the dollars will follow, as consumers remain gloomy about the economy and keep a tighter hold on their paychecks.
McDonald’s said in a statement each kit has all you need for “an upscale yet effortless celebration” including a 1oz tin of “McNugget Caviar,” crème fraîche and a Mother of Pearl caviar spoon, along with a $25 gift card.
Targeted campaigns can help boost brand awareness, and sales. A McDonald’s tie-in last year with “A Minecraft Movie” helped turn around sales after two quarters of sinking numbers. (The movie was released by CNN’s sister company Warner Bros. Pictures.)
And with consumer sentiment at its lowest in well over a decade, businesses have been looking for ways to get customers in the door. In that sense, a free giveaway might not generate immediate revenue, but it can build notice and serve as potentially viral marketing.
While McDonald’s clearly made its name selling burgers, its chicken sales are now on par with beef sales at its restaurants, CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors in 2024.
McDonald’s told Food & Wine magazine that the caviar offer was due to customer choice. For years, fans on social media have lauded the “high lowbrow” pairing. Popstar Rihanna even gave it a taste during a TikTok video in 2024
“They’ve been pairing Chicken McNuggets with caviar long before we made it official,” the chain told the gourmet magazine.
McDonald’s reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday. For the first nine months of the year, sales globally were up 1%, excluding the impact of currency exchange rates. Sales at US stores open at least a year were up 2.4% in the third quarter.
CNN’s Jordan Valinsky contributed reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
