McDonald's World Menu Heist Returns

Following the success of last year’s ‘World Menu Heist’, Leo UK and McDonald’s are back with an even bigger operation, bringing nine menu items from eight countries to the UK and Ireland.

First launched by Leo UK in 2025, ‘World Menu Heist’ was built on a simple fan truth: for years, McDonald’s fans had taken to social media to share their envy that some of the brand’s most-loved menu items were not available in the UK. Leo UK turned that global food FOMO into a heist, bringing international favourites home. The platform was adapted by McDonald’s markets around the world, with over fourty markets running their own heist.

This year, Leo UK and McDonald’s used social listening to identify fans’ most-wanted menu items and turn them into the targets of a new global operation. The haul features nine products from eight countries; the biggest number of new items McDonald’s UK has launched within a single campaign. These include Germany’s Big Rösti, Canada’s Maple & Cheddar Chicken and China’s Szechuan Sauce.

The campaign is fuelled by creators acting as ‘the insiders’ and amplified by partners acting as ‘the reporters’, letting fans participate in the heist through classified intel, creator content and real-time updates. From launch, a LADbible partnership will see a former detective analyse the hero film for clues about the heist.

Inspired by classic heist films, the campaign unfolds across five stages: Plan, Execute, Plot Twist, Execute and Dispose. It follows the McDonald’s crew as they track down fans’ most-wanted products, steal them from around the world and bring them home. 

The campaign launches with the first of two 30-second hero films created by Leo UK on 22 September. The first spot follows the crew securing and transporting McDonald’s goods from around the globe before a golden McDonald’s parachute carries the haul to safety. The film is supported by 10-second spots and dedicated McDelivery creative. The second 30-second film will follow the ‘plot twist’ on 20 October.

The golden vault idea extends across OOH advertising, where the international products sit on solid-gold vaults like valuable pieces of loot. The entire in-restaurant experience is re-designed to let fans participate in the heist, with hero stunts including a golden parachute resting across the Golden Arches, as if the haul has just landed.

On 25 September, media and creators will be invited to an immersive London event set inside the secure vault where the stolen menu items are being kept. Guests will taste the menu, explore the heist world and co-create content to share across their channels.

Launching on 22 September, the eight-week campaign is extended from five weeks in 2025 and will run across TV, cinema, out-of-home advertising, social, radio, CRM, partnerships, activations and events.

Hannah Pain, Marketing and Menu Director at McDonald’s UK, said: “Our fans are very good at telling us which McDonald’s products they want us to bring home next, so this year we listened. But every good heist has a plot twist, so watch this space. We may not be finished yet.”

Jason Keet and James Hodson, Creative Directors at Leo UK, said: “McDonald’s fans gave us the targets. We just planned the heist. That is what fan-fuelled creativity means to us at Leo UK: listening to what people genuinely want and turning it into an idea everyone can enjoy. After last year’s campaign travelled around the globe, we knew the next heist had to go bigger. More loot, more accomplices and a twist halfway through. It would have been criminal not to.”

The campaign was created by Leo UK for McDonald’s, with Leo UK leading creative, digital and social. Media planning and buying was handled by OMD. PR, events and influencer activity were handled by Red Consultancy. Social partnerships were handled by LADbible. CRM was handled by TMW, digital activation by TMS, and POP and in-restaurant communications by Linney.

Credits:

Campaign Title: ‘World Menu Heist’
Creative Agency: Leo UK  

CCO: Andrew Long  

Creative Directors: Jason Keet & James Hodson  

Creative: Matt Adams & Will Butler  

Head of Strategy: Joe Beveridge  

Planning Partner: Hannah Cameron  

Planner: Alisya Rozhan  

Managing Partner: Natalie Barry  

Business Director: Bella Bertolotti  

Account Director: Lauren Murphy  

Senior Account Manager: Dominic Thomas  

Account Executive: Amy Neal & Lucy Brennan  

Head of McDonald’s Production: Anna Cartwright  

Senior Producer: Peter Williams  

Senior Project Manager: Michael Davies  

Studio Director: Ricky Pettiford  

Design Producer: Ethan Lynton  

Design Director: Paul Reddington  

Senior Designer: Tomek Drozdowski  

Designer: Max Hain  

Designer: Danny Flint  

Designer: Kiko Wu  

Motion Designer: Bey Redding-O'Brien  

Motion Design Director: Carmen Perez Jimenez

Production Company: Academy Films  

Director: Romain Chassaing  

Executive Producer: Darapen Vongsa-Nga  

Producer: Stephen Overs  

Production Manager: Colum Ewart  

Food Stylist: Elaine Ngan

Service Company: B2Y PRODUCTIONS  

Producer: Ivan Ivanov  

Producer: Kristin Arakchieva  

Production Coordinator: Gergana Dobreva

Edit House: tenthree  

Editor: Jack Williams  

Edit Assistant: Matt Marshell  

Edit Producer: Rachel Goodger

Post House: Harbor  

VFX Producer: Dan Love

Sound Design: Harbor  

Sound Design & Mix: George Castle & James Benn  

Audio Executive Producer: Savannah King

Music Supervision  

Music Supervision: Wake The Town  

Music Supervisor: Sam MacNamara

VI Production  

Photographer: Scott Grummet  

Producer: Farah Ikhlas  

Food Stylist: Udo Reichelt-Schaurer  

1st Assistant: Matt Trapp  

Digi Op: Jon Rose & Ben Colsen

Additional Partners  

Media Agency: OMD UK  

Business Director: Emma Gilmore  

Associate Director: Eddie Fisher  

Account Manager: Isabelle Milnes  

Strategy Partner: Chris Mitchwell

PR & Influencer: Red Consultancy  

CRM: TMW  

Digital/App: TMS  

POP & In‑restaurant: Linney  

Social Partnership: LAD Bible

Publicis Production  

Senior Production Manager: Nick Hodkinson  

Production Director: Lisa Petchey  

Senior Creative Retoucher: Darren Grieves  

Senior Creative Retoucher: James Wootton  

Senior Creative Artworker: Paul Jeffreys  

Senior Print Designer: Vassen Iyaroopoolay