How Celebrities Get Free Food at McDonald’s, Dunkin’ and More

• Brands often offer free gifts to celebrities and influencers in the hopes that they will bring more exposure to their products.
• Fast food is no exception.
• From Chipotle to McDonald’s, here’s a list of places that offer free food to celebrities, sometimes for life.

Olivia Rodrigo calls it her “most precious possession.” Yeah, we’re talking about her… Chipotle card?

Brands like Chipotle frequently offer passes to celebrities and other influencers to get free food, in the hopes that they will post about it and promote the brand to their audience. million followers.

Here is a list of some of the companies known for offering exclusive cards to celebrities for free food:

McDonalds

McDonald’s has reportedly issued free food cards at the franchisee and corporate level.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett said he has a McDonald’s card good for free food in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. (The card would be useful for Buffett, who also said he gets McDonald’s every day for breakfast.)

Other reported recipients of McDonald’s cards include actor Rob Lowe, whose card was issued by a franchisee and is valid for McDonald’s franchises in Santa Barbara or Goleta, California. Lowe obtained the card through his friendship with David Peterson, whose father, Herb, is credited with introducing the first Egg McMuffin to a Santa Barbara McDonald’s in 1972.

Senator Mitt Romney bragged in 2012 about his father’s card entitling him to “a lifetime of a hamburger, a shake and fries at McDonald’s.” Romney said at the time that his father put the card to good use, going to McDonald’s almost daily for a hamburger or Filet-O-Fish.

George Romney received the card from former McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc after attending employee trainings in the company’s early days, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Bill Gates’ McDonald’s Gold Card apparently entitles him to free food for life, anywhere.

McDonald’s did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

Chipotle

The Chipotle Celebrity Card is owned by “a small group of brand superfans, celebrities, athletes, musicians and creators,” said Stephanie Perdue, vice president of brand marketing at Chipotle, in a statement to Business Insider.

Perdue told BI that other cardholders included Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, who had talked about eating Chipotle while training. Another Chipotle recipient confirmed to BI is Roy Murray; you may remember him as the kid who blessed us with a viral video in 2014 in which he exclaimed, “Chipotle is my life!”

To be considered for a Celebrity Card, you “must be an authentic Chipotle fan and organically share your passion for the brand in everyday life,” Perdue said.

Reported recipients of Chipotle’s Celebrity Card include Diplo, Olivia Rodrigo, Tony Hawk, Big Sean, Addison Rae and Abby Wambach.

Candice Beck, former director of social media and influencers at Chipotle, previously told BI that Chipotle created its celebrity card in 2003 for Ozzy Osbourne, who frequently praised the company on his show. Its card is valid for life, but for other cardholders, the company evaluates renewals each year to ensure the card is “owned by our most dedicated fans and those who continue to celebrate the brand.”

Burger King

Burger King began offering cards to celebrities for a lifetime of free food in 2006 and had given away a dozen by 2008, according to Ad Age.

The company told Ad Age in 2008 that its criteria for issuing the cards was celebrities who had a “long-standing relationship” and were “good friends” with the brand.

Reported recipients of the card include Jennifer Hudson, who worked at a Burger King; Hugh Laurie, who initially said he had one when he didn’t, ultimately leading to BK sending him one; and George Lucas, who partnered with the company to promote its films. Robert Downey Jr. and Jay Leno also received the card, according to Ad Age.

Burger King did not respond to our request for comment.

Nando’s

The Nando’s Celebrity Card, known as the High Five Card, is said to offer free food to its owners and up to four friends (hence the name) for a year.

A since-removed card page on Nando’s website says you definitely won’t get one by asking: “All we can tell you for sure is that no one who has asked for a card, no matter how politely -he never received one. … Asking for one is simply the biggest taboo – a definite no no.

Reported recipients include Ed Sheeranwho posted about his Nando’s card on X. Jack Whitehall also reportedly had a Nando’s card but said his card was revoked because he used it too much.

Nando’s did not respond to our request for comment.

Dunkin’

The Dunkin’ Black Card is “offered on occasion to select fans as a thank you for their loyalty and passion for the brand,” Dunkin’ previously told BI.

The company said at the time that the Black Card “is not any sort of formal program but rather a personalized, reloadable gift card that Dunkin’ Donuts occasionally sends to guests as a thank you.”

The list of Dunkin card recipients is quite small. BJ Novak claimed to have received the card for his birthday in 2015. One has to imagine that DunKing Ben Affleck also has a black card, although this is unconfirmed.

Dunkin’ declined to comment for this story.