McDonald's is taking a bite into the world of crypto-currency for the 50th anniversary of it's classic item...The Big Mac!
Starting this Thursday, customers at the 'golden arches' can receive a MacCoin with the purchase of a Big Mac at 14,000 participating restaurants across the United States.
Similar to crypto-currency, the MacCoin will only work on one platform. What's the "MacCoin" coin good for? Another Big Mac.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to use it on the web, or to purchase some a new iPhone at the Apple store.
Customers can redeem the new currency for a free Big Mac starting Friday and running throughout the rest of 2018.
If you're wondering where the idea for the "MacCoin" came from, McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook explained that the brass-colored coins were chosen because it would've been the 100th birthday of Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchisee in western Pennsylvania who invented the Big Mac.
The coin idea sprung from the role that the Big Mac has played in measuring purchasing power.
In 1986, The Economist started using the Big Mac Index as a way of measuring the purchasing power of international currency. "They use it to this day," Easterbrook said. "Why not have some fun with it? Create our own currency."
McDonald's sold 1.3 billion Big Macs last year, according to the chain.
MacCoins will feature five unique designs, each representing a decade of the Big Mac. The highlights:
What do you guys think? I think this is an awesome and fun way to celebrate the Big Mac!
"It's not often that any food item is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook told Business Insider in a recent interview.
It's so true? What other food item can you think about that is still relevant like this?
Photos: Getty Images