French fry deal at McDonald's in Japan sparks "potato parties"

GlobalPost

A special deal on French fries at McDonald's in Japan has sparked a teen consumer craze fueled by social media.

McDonald's began offering customers any size fries for ¥150 (less than $2), a sharp markdown from traditional Japanese prices at the famous chain.

The move sparked a frenzy, reported Kotaku, with groups of friends ordering absurd amounts of fries and then photographing them for their social media mates.

The phenomenon, known as a "potato party," sees dozens of orders placed followed by a round of pics that are shared on Twitter, Facebook and blog sites.

The Daily Meal said the parties were sparked after one teen posted a picture of 23 orders of fries.

The image shot around the net and encouraged others to top it.

Orders have apparently reached about 60 at one time causing McDonald's employees to protest on Twitter.

One employee supposedly tweeted, said Kotaku, "Plus, during our restaurant's busiest period, 11am to 2pm, there was no prior notice about such a large order [from you], and this impacted what food and what tables we could offer to other customers."

The cheap fries deal began in early October.

The sale ran until November 2.

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