It's kind of an understatement to say that MSCHF has been on fire recently. Between melting handguns into swords, dropping late-capitalism clothing lines, taunting Disney, and our Blur Stack drop, the low-key Brooklyn-based collective's latest stunts have been especially spicy.
As spicy as Chick-fil-A's spicy chicken sandwich, perhaps? Maybe even more so, because MSCHF's new provocation is a send-up of the famously religious fast-food chain.
See, CFA has this policy of closing its doors every Sunday, a practice that goes back to the mid '40s, when founder Truett Cathy would shutter his restaurants on the Sabbath so that its "employees [can] set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose."
Cathy was a staunch Baptist and his family is no less religious.
Cathy's son, Dan, ran the company until this very month but he got into hot water several times over the years for vocally opposing gay rights. Around the same time that Dan's blunder first caught the public's eye, Truett Cathy's charitable company was revealed to be donating to anti-gay organizations.
"People say you can’t mix business with religion," the elder Cathy once said. "I say there’s no other way."
And thus, a new target for MSCHF's playful poking. Cue the inevitable conservative outrage.
If you don't get the reference, MSCHF Sunday Service is cheekily named for Sunday church service, much like Kanye's weekend concerts. He didn't serve any CFA, though, last I checked.
"MSCHF uses any pieces of culture we can get our hands on as building blocks," the collective told Highsnobiety. "The stronger the associations, the better it is to work with. Christianity is obviously a potent cultural element in the US and therefore attractive for us to play with; both Satan Shoes (and Jesus Shoes before it) and Sunday Service take advantage of this."
MSCHF Sunday Service consists of a genuine Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich — purchased from real Chick-Fil-A establishments — repackaged in special "666" bag with a Shroud of Turin napkin, so you can dab away pickle juice with the (supposed) face of Christ. Of course, it costs $6.66.
And, yes, it's delivered on a Sunday, the same day that every Chick-fil-A location in America is closed.
"'The market finds a way,' and, in this case, it’s the road to hell," MSCHF's Sunday Service website says.
The site not only includes a link to sign up for the Sunday Service program, which begins September 26, but also a button that allows you to tweet at Chick-fil-A and let them (or at least their social media team) know that you're indulging in chicken sandwiches on the day of rest.
There are some potential questions to be had about consuming a prepared chicken sandwich that's at least a day or two old but MSCHF isn't purposely trying to give anyone food poisoning. Still, Sunday Service is clearly more about the provocative messaging than the actual meal.
As MSCHF says in its own Terms & Services page, "Consume at your own risk," because the customer "assume[s] ANY and ALL RISKS of INJURY OR DEATH resulting from use of the product."
Given past, er, corporate comeuppances, how does MSCHF expect Chick-fil-A to respond the project? "As for CFA's response," MSCHF continued, "I assume they will be displeased."
And, meanwhile, you can review our previous MSCHF partnership below.
