Can I have a medium cold brew with whole milk and three caramel swirls? That’s how you would have ordered that drink at Dunkin before September; now it’s just called The Charli, named after TikTok star Charli D’amelio.

Celebrities have been endorsing companies for as long as advertisements have been around. Remember Cardi B’s Pepsi ad? However, a new trend in business marketing is emerging in which companies are actually naming menu items after celebrities. Back in May, Chipotle released its limited edition burrito called The Dobrik, after YouTube star David Dobrik. Now, we are seeing this trend really take off with more companies utilizing celebrity orders to promote their products, including The Travis Scott meal at McDonald’s, named after rapper Travis Scott and The Charli and Dunkin.

Ever wonder what your favorite celebrities’ go-to order is at a fast food restaurant? Well, now you don’t have to wonder anymore. Both The Charli and The Travis Scott meal are limited time menu items that feature their personal orders at each restaurant chain. These represent a recently popularized marketing strategy for businesses to draw in a new demographic of customers in a short period of time, as people don’t want to miss out on the product before it is discontinued.

“I think celebrities making brand deals with companies certainly attract more customers,” said WHS senior Jordan Ortiz. “I personally hadn’t been to McDonald’s in years before I heard about the Travis Scott meal, so I assume that there will be more collaborations to come.”

I also am not a frequent McDonald’s customer, but I will admit that The Travis Scott meal made me rethink my diet choices. The Travis Scott meal is $6 and consists of a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, and lettuce, medium fries with barbeque sauce, and a medium Sprite. Besides the fact that my meal looked nothing like what was shown on the menu, it was actually really good and didn’t taste like typical fast food. 

Ortiz said, “Overall it was a solid meal, 8/10. I would get it again.”

The Charli also received a positive review from WHS senior Julia Anderson, who heard about the drink from TikTok, where Charli D’amelio dominates the platform with over 85 million followers. 

“I think Charli having her own Dunkin drink is really cool and smart of Dunkin because I know so many people who went to Dunkin just to try the Charli,” said Anderson. 

Although The Charli, which is $3.19, isn’t my go-to order at Dunkin, I really enjoyed it and understand why this is Charli’s usual order. Dunkin even released a song on TikTok called “The Charli” to help promote this drink on the platform where Charli started her fame.

This type of celebrity branding has clearly proven its effectiveness and is definitely something we will see more of in the future with celebrity’s orders at various restaurant chains. Now go out and try The Charli and The Travis Scott meal before a new celebrity brand deal takes their place.