A new trend has been created in the American fast food industry in recent years: celebrity meals. The history of celebrities putting their names on special items at fast food restaurants dates all the way back to the late 20th century when McDonald’s released the McJordan special in 1992. This meal included Bulls star Michael Jordan’s “signature order,” which was a quarter pounder with bacon and special barbecue sauce. 

In 2020, Mcdonald’s brought this idea back, releasing a Travis Scott meal which was overwhelmingly successful, going viral on numerous forms of social media. Once more, it included the rapper’s signature order, which this time included a Quarter Pounder, fries, and Sprite. In the years after the “Cactus Jack” meal success, McDonald’s has attempted to replicate it with meals from, but not limited to, J Balvin, Mariah Carey, and BTS.

As one would expect, many other fast food restaurants copied this approach. Popeyes tried this with a Megan Thee Stallion hot sauce in 2021, and Dunkin’ Donuts released a Charli D’Amelio drink in 2020, but neither were quite as successful as Travis Scott’s original meal. With Dunkin’ Donuts still searching for answers in 2023, they turned to famous artist Ice Spice for a solution.

Ice Spice (real name Isis Naija Gaston) burst onto the rap scene in late 2022 with her song “Munch (Feelin’ U).” In 2023, she dropped her debut EP “Like..?,” which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. Ice Spice is a major figure in the rap industry today, known for her dance moves and music videos. 

It seems as though a partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts was destined to occur, with the fast food restaurant boasting their famous Munchkins item (known by many as donut holes), and Ice Spice’s fans referring to themselves as “Munches.” On Tuesday, September 12, this speculation came true, with Dunkin’ Donuts dropping an advertisement for the drink on their Youtube channel, with Ben Affleck helping Ice Spice in announcing the new special edition item. 

Of course, when I heard that there was a new drink sporting Ice Spice’s name in Dunkin Donuts, I was instantly intrigued. Although I am not a major fan of Dunkin’ Donuts, I am a self-declared “munch,” as I have been a big fan of Ice Spice’s music since first hearing her voice almost a year ago. 

When I walked to the Dunkin’ Donuts a few blocks away from my grandma’s house in the Bronx, NY, I was very excited to taste the drink. The Dunkin’ store I was headed to was just 16 minutes away from the Manhattan corner store where Ice Spice filmed her viral “Deli” music video. Also, the Bronx, a suburb of New York City, is Ice Spice’s hometown.

The drink is described as a pumpkin spice frozen coffee mix with crunched up munchkin donuts. I thought the donuts would be a great addition to a drink that was sure to taste similar to a pumpkin spice frappuccino from Dunkin’s rival Starbucks. 

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

In just my first sip, I was stunned by the gritty taste of the munchkins in the drink. The munchkins had been broken up until they were of granular size, leading to little taste and a texture similar to sand. The drink itself was no sweeter than I was expecting out of a Dunkin’ promo, but still overly sweet. I have no doubt that at least 50% of the 590 calories that a small size of the drink has according to the Dunkin’ app came from sugar alone, with the drink containing whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and of course, two broken up munchkins.

After just three or four sips of the drink, I decided that it was not worth the sugar high that it would definitely put me on if I finished it. I gave the rest of my drink to my 13 year old brother, who commented that the drink “wasn’t all that,” before assuring that he would still identify as a munch.

I would advise you to resist any impulse to get the Ice Spice drink from Dunkin’ Donuts. It is not worth the time or money, and you will be much better off with a normal pumpkin spice frappuccino from Starbucks. On the other hand, I hope that this failure of a drink at Dunkin’ Donuts will not taint Ice Spice’s musical career, as the 23 year old has a bright future ahead of her. Alas, it seems that for now this future will be in the musical industry instead of the culinary arts.