More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered on Wednesday over virus fears as the chain's new BTS Meal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop-mad country.
Jakarta and several other cities slapped closure stickers on at least 13 outlets that were deluged with online food-delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the hugely popular Korean boy band.
"We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's stores here in Semarang for a couple of days," said Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency head.
"I don't want Semarang to be in the Covid-19 red zone again."
Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit nations in Asia.
Jakarta authorities did not respond to requests for comment, but local media said five stores in the capital were shut over BTS Meal orders.
BTS have become global superstars with millions of fans around the world since their debut in 2013.
The BTS Meal, as it's called, includes a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets meal, with medium World Famous Fries, medium Coke, and sweet chilli and Cajun dipping sauces, inspired by popular recipes from McDonald's in South Korea.
UAE customers will be able to order the BTS Meal through the McDonald's app, Drive-Thru and at all McDonald's restaurants until Monday, June 28.
To mark the launch of the BTS Meal, McDonald's and the seven-piece band released a line of branded clothing and accessories on the Weverse Shop app.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the clothing line:
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'The band has great memories with McDonald’s,' said BTS' label, Big Hit Entertainment. 'We’re excited about this collaboration and can’t wait to share the BTS Meal with the world.' Courtesy McDonald's -
To celebrate the launch of BTS' McDonald's menu items, the band are dropping a line of merchandise with the fast-food restaurant. Courtesy McDonald's -
A purple bathrobe in the BTS x McDonald's collection. Courtesy McDonald's -
A low-key black hoodie, with a purse in the shape of McDonald's fries. Courtesy McDonald's -
The sweet chilli and Cajun dipping sauces on the BTS Menu are inspired by popular recipes from McDonald's South Korea, and are reflected in the merchandise. Courtesy McDonald's -
Each of BTS' seven members is represented in the pieces. Courtesy McDonald's -
The BTS Menu includes a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets meal, with medium World Famous Fries, a medium Coke, and sweet chilli and Cajun dipping sauces. Courtesy McDonald's -
A purple bathrobe in the BTS x McDonald's collection. Courtesy McDonald's -
A record-style bag, in McDonald's colours. Courtesy McDonald's -
An umbrella is also included in the line. Courtesy McDonald's -
Represent with a hoodie and socks. Courtesy McDonald's
BTS McDonald's chicken nugget sells on eBay for $100,000
The response to the launch of the BTS Meal has been frenzied the world over.
A chicken nugget from the meal was sold on eBay for close to $100,000, thanks to the resemblance it bears to a character from the gaming phenomenon Among Us.
The single nugget was uploaded to the online auction site by eBay user Polizna, who listed the item – which came as part of the newly launched limited-edition BTS collaboration meal – alongside a pot of Sichuan sauce, for $0.99 last week.
Once the official Twitter account for Among Us caught wind of the nugget's resemblance to one of its characters, the auction received a flurry of interest, with the final bid coming in at $99,997.
It’s not the first time a McDonald’s menu item has sold for astronomical amounts on eBay. In 2017, a bottle of the fast food chain's secret sauce, which was part of a competition prize, sold for $100,000, while in 2018, a pot of Sichuan sauce sold for $34,000.
- Additional reporting by AFP
