McDonald’s is tapping into a popular food pairing trend this Valentine’s Day by launching a special McNugget Caviar kit, melding the fast-food classic with an upscale delicacy. The exclusive offer, available on Valentine’s Day Eve, February 10, via McNuggetCaviar.com, features a one-ounce tin of Paramount’s Siberian sturgeon caviar bundled with a $25 McDonald’s gift card specifically for purchasing Chicken McNuggets. The package also includes crème fraiche and a dedicated caviar spoon, providing customers with an all-in-one gourmet experience to enjoy at home.
Valentine’s Day holds significant commercial value for U.S. dining establishments, ranking as the second most frequented occasion for eating out following Mother’s Day, according to insights from the National Restaurant Association. Casual dining venues notably benefit the most from increased patronage, particularly when the holiday falls on a weekday, data shared by market research firm Circana reveals. Conversely, fast-food chains traditionally experience smaller sales uplifts during this period.
Despite this, McDonald’s is joining a growing cohort of quick-service brands attempting to elevate their holiday appeal with creative promotions. White Castle, for instance, celebrates Valentine’s Day by converting its venues into "Love Castles" for the 35th consecutive year, deploying Valentine’s-themed décor, hostesses for seating, and tableside service — with many of its 300 participating restaurants expecting full bookings for the occasion.
Other fast-food chains are also innovating with heart-shaped offerings: Chick-fil-A provides nuggets in heart-shaped containers, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut supply heart-shaped pizzas, Auntie Anne’s markets heart-shaped soft pretzels, Jack in the Box distributes themed straws, Hardee’s features heart-shaped biscuits, and even 7-Eleven participates with heart-shaped doughnuts and discounts on delivery orders.
The inspiration for McDonald’s caviar and nugget pairing stems directly from consumer enthusiasm on social media platforms, where combining luxury caviar with fried chicken has become a recurring motif. Celebrity influences have amplified this trend; for example, chef David Chang has frequently shared his fondness for combining caviar with fried chicken and Popeyes biscuits, while pop star Rihanna featured a similar pairing in a viral TikTok video during 2024.
McDonald’s has not disclosed the exact quantity of the Caviar kits to be made available but emphasized that supplies are constrained, which aligns with the high market value of the caviar included. On Paramount’s official website, a single ounce of Siberian sturgeon caviar commands an $85 price tag, equating roughly to the cost of 166 individual Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s.