Quick-service and “virtual” kitchens are increasingly adding celebrities as a key ingredient in their recipe for raising revenue and brand awareness. In a bid to attract Gen Z and Millennial consumers, the celebrity roster is expanding from actors and sports stars to include social media personalities and rappers.

“Chunkin”
For example, Dunkin last week announced an agreement to rename TikTok star Charli D’Amelio’s favorite drink, Dunkin Cold Brew (which she features in her videos), “The Charli” As part of a limited-time promotion through month’s end.  And Dunkin is launching a contest today (Sept. 9), asking fans to post a photo on Instagram recreating a “Charli x Dunkin” moments with winners getting to meet D’Amelio on Sept. 19.  Prior to the new agreement, D’Amelio’s unsponsored pro-Dunkin posts have netted the coffee chain 294 million free TikTok views, and fans have taken to referring to the pairing as “Chunkin.”

Meanwhile,  McDonald’s revived its celebrity meal – Remember the McJordan meal with Michael Jordan in 1992? — with rapper and McDonald’s fan Travis Scott.  It will serve Scott’s favorite meal – a $6 combo containing a quarter-pounder with cheese and fries — as part of a promotion that started on Tuesday (Sept. 8) and runs through Oct. 4. 

Name value
And while many of the celebrity programs are short-term promotional deals, they can have long-term impact as restaurants scramble to raise new revenue.

“Generation Z and Milennials have embraced hip hop and social media and these are some of the important ways brands can keep relevant,” says one licensing executive.  “The millions of followers bring very real earned media value to these companies. Traditional advertising only goes so far, and right now young people are loving QSRs, and the competition among QSRs for attention is fierce.”

Celebrity-brand ice cream also is in the mix. Pop star Selena Gomez, a fan (and part owner) of the Serendipity ice cream parlors, partnered with the company for “Cookies & Cream Remix” and worked with K-Pop artists Blackpink to release the song “Ice Cream” to promote her new venture, which launched August 28.

Separately, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero,  known as “The Bodega Boys” (and hosts of the “Desus & Mero” podcasts), last month released a six-flavor “bodega capsule” bundle with ice cream shop OddFellows Ice Cream.

And last year, actor Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson released a Dwanta Clause Holiday Pack with craft ice cream supplier Salt & Straw.

Other pairings we’ve seen:

• Virtual restaurant platform NextBite partnered with rapper Wiz Khalifa for HotBox by Wiz, a delivery-only service that will launch in seven U.S. markets on Oct. 1. NextBite develops menu items — in the case of Kalifa, its Taylor Gang turkey burger and Mac and Yellow macaroni and cheese – and partners with delivery apps and commercial kitchens in local markets to cook and deliver the meals.
• Restauranteur Robert Earl (Planet Hollywood, Bertucci’s) signed an agreement with rapper Tyga for the first of several planned celebrity-tied virtual restaurant concepts that will be available for delivery-only. The Tyga Bites menu, which is planned to be available in 30 U.S. markets through Grubhub, would be prepared by local restaurants, as franchisees.