Retail technology innovation of the week: McDonald's x Loki 1982 takeover hits Brooklyn

Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series from RTIH highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives.

Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report early next year.

So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Walmart, and Wing.

And now we’re focusing on McDonald’s.

Ahead of the release of Marvel Studios’ Loki Season 2, the Disney+ series has teamed up with the fast food giant, which makes an appearance on the show’s timeline.

McDonald’s latest campaign, the As Featured in Meal, showcases a collection of fan favourite menu items that have appeared over the past few decades across film, television, and music, which also now includes crossing paths with the God of Mischief.

As part of this, it transported a Brooklyn, New York store back to 1982 as seen in the upcoming Loki season. This ran from Wednesday, 30th August through to Friday, 1st September.

Customers were able to take a step through a Time Variance Authority (TVA) timedoor to be transported back to the 1980s McDonald’s restaurant.

They could also see props used during filming of season two, like Sylvie's uniform, her name tag, and the menu board. As well as check out a themed AR feature when they scan a Loki branded Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce lid on Snapchat, with new animated videos available weekly throughout the promotion.

Loki Season 2 premieres on 6th October and picks up in the aftermath of the season one finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority.

Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15, and a team of new and returning characters, he navigates an ever expanding and increasingly dangerous Multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes, and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

The series stars Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, with Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan, and Owen Wilson.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw, and Kasra Farahani direct episodes.

The head writer is Eric Martin. Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kevin R. Wright, Tom Hiddleston, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Eric Martin, and Michael Waldron are the executive producers, with Trevor Waterson serving as co-executive producer.