Fast facts
Some 188 “Big Mac Cube” NFTs will be distributed to
employees and customers as a gift, and the NFT is connected to the Conflux
wallet, McDonald’s China said.
“McDonald’s is a young and trendy brand that has always paid
attention to fashion trends and cutting-edge technology,” said Zhang Jiayin,
CEO of McDonald’s China. “I am very happy that McDonald’s has become the first
domestic restaurant brand to release NFT.”
According to its official website, McDonald’s China stated
the NFT is only for display and redemption and called for “prohibition of hype,
over-the-counter transactions, and fraud.” The Chinese government does not support
NFT speculation. The Chinese state-run media “Securities Times” once wrote to
criticize NFTs as hype.
McDonald’s is just one of the fast-food chains to have
recently delved into NFT. Other companies like Taco Bell, Burger King, as well
as Budweiser have previously released NFTs.
In March, Taco Bell became the first fast-food chain to jump
on the NFT trend. The company released five versions of digital art called
“NFTacoBells”, selling five copies of each. The 25 total pieces of crypto-art
sold in under 30 minutes on Rarible, an NFT trading platform.
Last month, Burger King also launched an NFT campaign with
the online NFT platform Sweet. The “Keep It Real Meals” initiative showcases QR
codes appearing on nearly six million meal boxes. Scanning the QR codes unlocks
a digital collectible, and collecting them could lead to unlocking bonus NFTs.
McDonald’s has been making efforts to adapt to the
ever-evolving digital world. Just last month, the franchise became the first
major fast-food restaurant in the world to accept Bitcoin as a payment option.
This was possible because of El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender.