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McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski is facing outrage after text messages between Kempczinski and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot were revealed last week, in which he appeared to blame the parents of two children killed in Chicago shootings this year, one at a McDonald’s drive-thru lane.
- In texts to Lightfoot from April, disclosed through a Freedom of Information Act request, Kempczinski reportedly wrote “the parents failed those kids which I know is something you can’t say,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
- The texts refer to the deaths of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was killed by a Chicago police officer in March, and seven-year-old Jaslyn Adams, who was killed by gunfire while at a McDonald’s drive-through in April.
- Last Tuesday, Kempczinski addressed the texts, saying his response lacked “compassion and empathy,” as reported by the Chicago Tribune. (Lightfoot’s spokesperson also released a statement criticizing his comments.)
The Service Employees International Union is running ads in the Chicago area, which began on Monday, calling for Kempczinski to meet with McDonald’s workers and community leaders, per Ad Age. The ad ends with a message urging viewers to call McDonald’s customer-service line to put pressure on the fast-food CEO. (McDonald’s declined to comment to Ad Age. Marketing Brew reached out but had not received a response at the time of publication.)
CNBC reported that Kempczinski did meet with workers on Monday and has also shared apology messages to employees, franchisees, and suppliers.
Zoom out: The uproar over the texts comes as fast-food workers around the country call for better pay and treatment. Last month, McDonald’s workers in 12 cities held strikes over alleged sexual harassment in stores. Earlier this year, a Black franchisee filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging racial discrimination.
+1: Earlier this week Byron Allen, owner of Entertainment Studios, called on the McDonald’s board of directors to fire Kempczinski in ads in the Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, and Wall Street Journal. McDonald’s pledged in May to more than double spending with diverse-owned media operators. Also in May, two divisions of Allen’s media group filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, alleging a pattern of racial discrimination in the chain’s ad structure.—ZS