Removing your menu is a scalpel-sharp statement about your place in culture, is it not? If you don’t need to look at the menu to order, you love that restaurant. So Leo Burnett Dubai convinced McDonald’s remove its menu across all its restaurants in Saudi Arabia.

The move took McDonald’s fans by surprise but soon caught on as word spread about the menuless makeover of their restaurants. Fans made a beeline outside the restaurants for a chance to record themselves inside placing their favourite orders without the help of the menu. The McMenuless Challenge took over social media and turned into a trend with McLovers posting videos of themselves rattling out entire menus and tagging McDonald’s to show off their achievement.

Fayrouz Hassounah, marketing & comms lead, McDonald’s KSA, western & southern regions & Tabuk, stated, “Over the past few years, a lot of fast-food joints have opened in Saudi Arabia offering different kinds of burgers – from the bizarre to the downright outrageous. To prove that McDonald’s has been the undisputed burger choice of Saudis for over 30 years now, we decided to remove our menu while our competitors proudly displayed theirs.

“When we removed the menu, we weren’t taking something away we were revealing something deeper. The simple truth is people don’t need a menu at McDonald’s. They already know what they’re getting. It’s not just a meal, it’s a ritual; their go-to order is part of who they are. This campaign was about celebrating that unshakable bond between our fans and their McDonald’s favourites.”

Nadim Ghrayeb, business lead on McDonald’s, added, “Menuless wasn’t just a campaign, it was a statement. At McDonald’s, our products have transcended marketing to become part of culture. You don’t need a menu when your audience already knows what they love.”