McDonald's recent partnership with Cardi B and Offset for their Valentine's Day meal promotion has been met with criticism from some franchisees. The Wall Street Journal reports that these franchisees believe the collaboration goes against the brand's family-friendly values due to the couple's lyrics and lifestyle.

As a result, some store owners have taken down advertisements and merchandise associated with the promotion and urged others to do the same. The Golden Arches Code, McDonald's marketing guidelines, states that promotions and branding should not involve "musical partnerships associated with content that includes offensive language in the lyrics.

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Many of the complaints came from franchisees in the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions. Despite the backlash, McDonald's executives believe that the star-powered collaborations have positively impacted the company's earnings and generated excitement among consumers. Last year's collaboration with Travis Scott, in particular, boosted their digital business significantly.

 Despite the controversy surrounding McDonald's celebrity partnerships, the company remains committed to creating cultural connections and capturing the attention of consumers, particularly the youth.

As long as these collaborations continue to generate buzz and drive business, it seems McDonald's will stay the course.