McDonald's Sees Notable Profit Bump Thanks to Viral Grimace Shake Trend

The popular shake — and viral videos — were a major hit for McDonald's this summer.

By Jenna Anderson

One of the biggest pop culture surprises of the year thus far has been the Grimace Shake, which McDonald's debuted in June to celebrate the beloved mascot's birthday. The shake and accompanying meal became a popular commodity this summer, both for the fans who wanted to just enjoy the meal, and those who wanted to use the shake to create their own bizarre viral videos. Either way, it sounds like the hype around the Grimace Meal has manifested in some major ways for McDonald's itself. According to the newest numbers released by McDonald's, the company had a 14% increase in revenue and nearly doubled net income to $2.3 billion in the latest quarter, which covers the period of April, May, and June 2023. In  a conference call with investors on Thursday, McDonald's executives cited the Grimace trend as one of the reasons for this success.

"Grimace has been everywhere the past few months. All over the news, and more than 3 billion views on TikTok," CEO Chris Kempczinski said. "This viral phenomenon is yet another proof point of the power of marketing at McDonald's today."

What Is the Grimace Birthday Meal?

Grimace's Birthday Meal provided customers with the option to select either a Big Mac or a 10-piece chicken nugget option, alongside fries. But the centerpiece of the meal might be the Grimace Birthday Shake, which is purple and has a distinctly berry flavor. The meal was available at participating locations beginning June 12th, and could be purchased in-store, through the drive-thru, or in the McDonald's rewards app. McDonald's even released a tie-in video game to celebrate the affair. 

"Our fans have amazing childhood memories of their birthdays at McDonald's...and Grimace's Birthday is all about paying homage to the amazing, fun moments we all share," McDonald's chief marketer Tariq Hassan said in a press release. "We're excited to put a modern spin on these memories to continue to drive McDonald's relevance with a new generation. Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald's meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."

What Is Grimace? 

In previous years, Internet lore has suggested that Grimace is really a giant tastebud — but when announcing the Grimace Birthday Meal, McDonald's was less willing to confirm that information.

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"For those just realizing how little you actually know about your purple pal...Grimace is from Grimace Island and comes from a huge family (including his Grandma Winky, aunts Millie and Tillie and his Uncle O'Grimacey!)," the company's press release added. "Our timeless bestie has become a fan-favorite known for his signature fuzzy purple look, friendly and playful personality, love for shakes, and of course – ambiguous nature. What exactly is Grimace? Perhaps we'll never know..."

What do you think of McDonald's latest numbers? Did you try the Grimace Birthday Meal? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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