The fast food chain turns to crypto collectibles as it marks 31 years since its first restaurant opened on the Chinese mainland.
McDonald’s China has released a collection of NFTs to celebrate 31 years since its first fast food restaurant opened on the mainland.
The “Big Mac Cube” — named after the chain’s most famous burger — is also a nod to the company’s shiny new headquarters that have opened in Shanghai.
A total of 188 digital collectibles are going to be distributed to employees and consumers to mark the anniversary.
Zhang Jiayin, the CEO of McDonald’s in China, says the company has become the first domestic catering brand to release an NFT collection, adding:
“McDonald’s is a young and trendy brand that always pays attention to fashion trends and cutting-edge technology.”
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An Interesting Development
McDonald’s China releasing NFTs is all the more interesting given how Beijing has been making a concerted effort to clamp down on cryptocurrencies.
This comes ahead of the official launch of the digital yuan, which is expected to happen before the Winter Olympics kick off in February 2022.
The Conflux Network collaborated with the fast food chain on the collection — heralding the project as an “ultimate example of East meets West.”
McDonald’s very first outlet in China opened in Shenzhen all the way back in 1990. Fast forward to now, and the latest figures suggest it has 3,787 stores dotted around the country, with plans to open thousands more in the coming years.
Internationally, this isn’t the first time that the brand has dabbled in NFTs. Back in April, McDonald’s France released digital collectibles depicting pixelated versions of Big Macs, Chicken McNuggets and ice cream sundaes. A total of 20 works were up for grabs.
Burger King has gone one further by launching the Keep It Real Meals campaign — a star-studded affair that includes the American rapper Nelly as a collaborator.
QR codes have been printed on millions of meal boxes, giving customers the chance to collect nine sets of NFTs, each containing three collectibles.
Collecting all three within a set unlocks a fourth NFT that’s jampacked with prizes — including a year’s supply of Whopper sandwiches and the chance to have a phone call with a celebrity.
