\n<\/p>\n
The chief executive officer of McDonald\u2019s recently blamed etiquette guidance from his mother for a February on-camera taste test that made him a target for ridicule \u2013 and summarily recorded another video of him eating one of the fast-food giant\u2019s offerings in a manner potential consumers found awkward.<\/p>\n
Chris Kempczinski suggested to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) earlier in April that he was simply heeding maternal advice to never talk with his mouth full when he took the humorously small bite at the center of a viral video which depicted him discussing and sampling the new Big Arch burger from McDonald\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI blame it all on my mom because she told me, \u2018Don\u2019t talk with your mouth full,\u2019\u201d Kempczinski remarked to Tim Higgin, a WSJ columnist, in an interview captured on video. \u201cAnd I think, probably in that case, I should have just said, \u2018You know what? To hell with it. I\u2019m gonna go talk with my mouth full.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
During the conversation, Higgins asked Kempczinski whether he had any advice for how to smoothly eat on camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust dive right in,\u201d Kempczinski replied while laughing \u2013 before announcing his intent to take a bite out of a McDonald\u2019s chicken nugget and proceeding to do so.<\/p>\n
The reaction was familiar to any of the many internet denizens who were put off by the 4 February social media video of him barely biting into a Big Arch, referring to it as a \u201cproduct\u201d that he didn\u2019t \u201ceven know how to attack\u201d because \u201cthere\u2019s so much to it\u201d.<\/p>\n
One Instagram user responded to the chicken nugget video by writing that Kempczinski\u2019s minuscule bite in that clip \u201cwas worse than the burger one\u201d.<\/p>\n
Another user of the platform added, \u201cHe still looks like he does not want to eat his own \u2018products.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
On TikTok, one user mused: \u201cWhy does he make it look painful?\u201d A second user commented: \u201cThis doesn\u2019t help,\u201d while another asserted, \u201cDamage control not working.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rhetoric in such comments called to mind the reaction to the Big Arch video, which achieved virality in late February and early March \u2013 and inspired one social media user to write: \u201cIt scares me when you call the food product.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Another said Kempczinski\u2019s \u201caura screams kale salad\u201d, implying he made an unconvincing sales pitch for the decadent Big Arch\u2019s white cheddar cheese, tangy sauce and two quarter-pound beef patties.<\/p>\n
Multiple users expressed frustration with Kempczinski being in the public spotlight again.<\/p>\n
Business leaders have increasingly sought to place themselves in front of cameras as they try to seem relatable to social media-first audiences. The strategy can pay dividends if done correctly \u2013 yet it can invite digital mockery when it backfires.<\/p>\n
None of the fun being had online at Kempczinski\u2019s expense may bother him too much. Business Insider recently reported that McDonald\u2019s stock was up about 3% over the previous year, despite the lukewarm critical reception with which the Big Arch was met in some sectors.<\/p>\n
Kempczinski joined McDonald\u2019s in 2015 after stints as a PepsiCo vice-president and Kraft International president \u2013 along with induction into the American Advertising Federation\u2019s Hall of Achievement. He became the Chicago-based chain\u2019s CEO in 2019.<\/p>\n