BTS Meal
The BTS Meal was a meal sold by the international fast food chain McDonald's in collaboration with the South Korean boy band BTS. Consisting of Chicken McNuggets, medium French fries, a medium Coca-Cola, and two spicy dipping sauces (Sweet Chili and Cajun), the BTS Meal was introduced on May 26, 2021 to June 20, 2021 in select countries and eventually reached a total of fifty countries. Product description. The BTS Meal consists of a 10- or 9-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium French fries, a medium Coke, and Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces inspired by "popular  McDonald’s South Korea recipes". History. The BTS Meal was first released on May 26, 2021, in select countries, including the United States, Austria, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Paraguay, the Philippines, and Sint Maarten. By late June, the meal had been released in fifty countries. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, massive crowds in Indonesia reportedly forced the temporary closure of many outlets, whereas in Singapore, the meal could only be ordered via delivery to prevent crowding at outlets due to the pandemic. Upon its release, the BTS-inspired packaging that the meal is served  in was listed for resale on several e-commerce platforms; one Carousell user in Singapore reportedly set an asking price of a few billion dollars. The promotion was discontinued on June 20, 2021. Reception. Writing for the "Chicago Tribune", Louisa Chu found the dipping sauces "smooth, but unsurprising". Rebecca Alter of "Vulture" praised McDonald's business acumen, while stating that the collaboration "made me optimistic for the future of musician promos at chains". William Mullally of "Esquire Middle East" described the Cajun dipping sauce as "the stuff of fast food greatness". The release reached over a million sales in South  Korea alone, arriving at 2021, according to the fast food chain itself, a significant increase in sales of the franchise itself. The surge in the popularity of the BTS Meal prompted some McDonald's outlets in Indonesia to close down in fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.