Chick-fil-A Loses Their Homegrown TikTok Star Due To Strict Company Policies, Shake Shack Swoops in
Chick-fil-A lost a great opportunity after it snubbed one of its employees and TikTok star, MiriTheSiren. The worker who became famous on TikTok for posting her employee meals was recently told by the company to stop doing so. While her fans were left disappointed, competing food chain, Shake Shack has now swooped in to bag a sponsorship deal with the star who is posting videos for their products.
Who is MiriTheSiren?
Miri, who goes by @mirithesiren, works at a local Chick-fil-A store. She became famous on TikTok after posting her free employee meal every day and inspiring fans of the fast food chain to try new things based on her creative videos. Miri now has over 112,000 followers on TikTok. She gained most of her followers after she started posting the review videos in January when she joined Chick-fil-A.
@mirithesiren This is a Honey Mustard Lovers Dream! @Chick-fil-A #fyp #chickfilahacks #chickfilasauce #chickfila #chickfilaemployee #freemeal #freefood #curlyhair #blackgirl #honeymustard ♬ original sound - mirithesiren
However, in a video posted last week, Miri explained Chick-fil-A’s corporate team and PR team asked her to stop making content at their stores. She explained that the team cited a rule in an employee handbook that prevents her from making videos at the restaurant. “I do wanna make clear that this rule was in place before I ever started making Chick-Fil-A videos and unfortunately Chick-Fil-A is not willing to make an exception for me or collab with me in this case,” Miri explained, in the video clarifying that she is not being punished or anything and she will continue to work at the restaurant. While Miri complied with Chick-fil-A’s rules, many of her followers were disappointed.
@mirithesiren Chick-fil-A Corporate has asked me to stop making content. I’m sorry you guys :/ Thank you for all the support and love but an era has ended. “The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TC&Js Enterprises, Chick-fil-A Whittwood, nor Chick-fil-A, Inc.” #fyp #chickfila #chickfilaemployee #chickfilasauce #chickfilahacks #curlyhair #blackgirl ♬ original sound - mirithesiren
Shake Shack swoops in
As per a PRWEEK report, Shake Shack’s brand marketing team recently discovered Miri’s lunch break clips and “loved” them. Mike McGarry, the company’s VP of brand marketing, said they along with her community were disappointed after hearing she would not be able to post such videos anymore. Since they loved her energy and authenticity, Shake Shack partnered with Miri as they felt “everything about her content felt aligned with Shake Shack’s ethos of quality food and strong community,” McGarry said in the report. Miri, who is from St. Louis, felt like a natural alignment for Shake Shack and McGarry said it was an opportunity to champion an inspiring creator. He added that the timing of the collaboration was perfect as the fast food chain had recently launched its Chicken Sundays campaign.
The collaboration reportedly started with a TikTok DM and led to a sponsorship. Miri made her first video for Shake Shack in which she tried their Chicken Shack sandwich.
“Every Sunday in April you can get a free Chicken Shack with a $10 minimum purchase using code CHICKENSUNDAY,” Miri wrote in the caption of her video which has now gone viral with nearly a million views.
@mirithesiren Went to @SHAKE SHACK and tried their CHICKEN SHACK - and you can too! Every Sunday in April you can get a free Chicken Shack with $10 minimum purchase using code CHICKENSUNDAY. #shakeshack #shakeshackpartner #chickenshack #fyp ♬ original sound - mirithesiren
One of the most famous influencers and internet celebrities, James Charles responded to her video, which shows how Chick-fil-A missed out on a huge opportunity. Chick-fil-A’s rigid stand on its employee social media policy led to an opportunity for a competitor to connect with an audience that had been cultivated on its behalf.
Since Chick-fil-A doesn’t even have a presence on TikTok, Miri could have arguably been the perfect ambassador for the brand, her fans argued.