The mysterious “McGold Card” came into the spotlight when actor Rob Lowe flashed his on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2015. Lowe didn’t get his just for being famous, though—he also happens to be friends with David Peterson, who owns and operates six McDonald’s locations in California and whose dad invented the Egg McMuffin, according to Business Insider. With his card in hand, Lowe was entitled to unlimited free food at his friend’s franchises for a year. (Hopefully he stayed away from this one drink McDonald’s employees would never order.)
Actor Rob Lowe, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffet have their hands on McDonald's exclusive Gold Card. http://pic.twitter.com/zuYJ686LWu
— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) August 19, 2017
Lowe isn’t the first person to receive a McDonald’s gold card from Peterson—and actually didn’t even get the best deal. The franchisee also gave one to local philanthropist Larry Crandell as a 90th birthday present, which Crandell tried to use at least once a month. That solid metal card earned him a lifetime of free meals until he passed away at 93.
Other locations—and sometimes even the whole company—have been known to give those valuable cards away too. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney revealed his dad was a proud owner of “a little pink card” that gave him free McDonald’s meals. George Romney had done training sessions with McDonald’s employees before the chain really took off, so Ray Kroc—who helped launch the fast food chain into an international powerhouse—gave him a lifetime of “a hamburger, a shake, and French fries at McDonald’s,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The card didn’t go to waste either. Mitt Romney said his dad would go in almost every day for a hamburger or fish filet sandwich. (If a soda is on your go-to order, find out why Coke tastes extra good at McDonald’s.)
Warren Buffett revealed to CNBC that he has a card that gives him free McDonald’s in Omaha with no expiration. The billionaire also revealed Bill Gates has a McDonald’s gold card that gives him free food at any location around the world for the rest of his life.
Non-billionaires still have a shot at getting their hands on the coveted McGold Card, but you’d have to do something more than buddy up with a restaurant owner. In 2013, Cleveland local Charles Ramsey saved three women and a girl who had been kidnapped by his neighbor years before. In interviews, Ramsey kept mentioning he’d been holding a “half-eaten Big Mac” when he made his rescue, and thousands of Twitter users urged the company to reward him with a McDonald’s gold card. The fast food chain listened and gave him free McDonald’s for a year, and 14 Ohio locations offered to keep giving him free burgers for the rest of his life, according to CNN Money. (We’re willing to bet he gets an order of fries too—learn the secret ingredient that makes McDonald’s fries so addictive.)
If McDonald’s isn’t your fast food chain of choice, Burger King has its own version of the McGold: the “Burger King gold card,” which grants free meals for life. Jennifer Hudson earned one as a former BK employee, while George Lucas got a card to thank him for partnering with the brand during movie releases. Famously, Burger King sent one to Hugh Laurie after he claimed he had one in an interview—even though he didn’t. The card might be even more exclusive than the McDonald’s version. As of 2008, only 12 people were proud holders of the card, according to AdAge.
Alas, the rest of us might be stuck paying out of pocket for our burger cravings. For a new Mickey D’s experience, learn the surprising reason one Arizona McDonald’s has turquoise arches.
The post The True Story Behind the Mysterious McDonald’s Gold Card appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest http://ift.tt/2kpXQ0w
No comments :
Post a Comment