Viva! Activists Protest McDonald’s Pop-Up

Protestors from Viva! and Rage Activism joined forces outside McDonald’s The Counter butcher-shop pop-up, highlighting the animal welfare and environmental impact of each and every beef patty.

[Bristol, UK, 23 September 2026] – Activists from Viva!, the UK’s largest vegan campaigning organisation, and Rage Activism, a protest group focused on animal exploitation, prompted the temporary closure of McDonald’s latest marketing stunt – an immersive butcher-shop pop-up in Shoreditch.

While members of the public queued to enter the pop-up beneath the slogan Beef. Salt. Pepper. (That’s it.), protesters holding placards and posters drew attention to what McDonald’s slogan leaves out: the sentient animals exploited and killed to make its signature beefburgers.

“Cynical marketing ploys like McDonald’s The Counter pop-up dress up red meat as trendy, aspirational and harmless while completely ignoring the realities of beef production,” says Katie Robinson, campaigns manager at Viva!. “Although the fast-food giant was showcasing whole cuts and positioning its products as ‘simple’, each batch of mince used for its beef patties can contain meat from more than 100 animals – 100 sentient and gentle individuals who didn’t need to die for a five-minute meal. By protesting alongside other animal rights organisations, we made it clear that polished branding and stylish shop interiors can’t take away the horrors of the industrial meat industry or the damage it’s doing to our planet.”

Running from 17 to 19 September at 149 Shoreditch High Street, London, the pop-up was hosted by McDonald’s chefs and producers and offered people the chance to hand-make their own beef patties, taste samples and “hear from the people behind the ingredients”.

Given the public outcry, The Counter temporarily closed to visitors as the organisers tried to decide how to proceed with the event in the face of dwindling visitor numbers and significant negative attention. As well as highlighting the slaughter of cows, protesters outside the pop-up also drew attention to the environmental impact of beef, which is largely considered one of the most harmful foods to produce because of its high land and water use, as well as the substantial methane emissions produced by cattle.

“McDonald’s said its aim was for people to discover ‘the truth’ about its ingredients for themselves, and Viva!, alongside our friends at Rage, was only too happy to help,” adds Robinson. “Consumers do deserve the truth, but they’re shown only what brands want them to know. The way cows are exploited and slaughtered never makes it into the adverts: it really is the side of beef they don’t want people to see, and it’s a very deliberate attempt to stop people from making the connection between animals and meat. The second you help people join those dots, change happens – and change is exactly what the likes of McDonald’s want to avoid.”

Robinson adds: “By not letting The Counter go unchallenged, we’re reminding McDonald’s and its customers that animals should never be on the chopping block. The success of the McPlant shows there’s real demand for plant-based options that offer a more compassionate choice with a lighter environmental footprint. Choosing kindness means choosing vegan.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Viva! is the UK’s leading vegan campaigning organisation
• Information on the number of cows in McDonald’s beef mince can be found here
• Information on how beef cattle are farmed and killed can be found here
• Information on the environmental impact of beef can be found here
• For interview requests, high-resolution images or further information, please contact Rachael Simpson-Jones, PR manager – rachael@viva.org.uk