Haynes: KOi Fusion Drops Promotion Of Planned McMuffin Exchange

As p.r.o.o.f.PTB noted in the FanShots on Monday, KOi Fusion is running a promotion that will allow fans to trade in the coupon for a McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin they receive when the Portland Trail Blazers score 100 points at home for a free taco from the popular Portland food cart.

Here's KOi Fusion's announcement.

Basketball Fans Can Now Exchange Their 100 Point Game Coupons for KOi Fusion Tacos!

Bring your Basketball 100 Point Coupon to any of our KOi Fusion locations while eligible and get your hands on a fresh Korean Oregon-Infused taco!

We are soaking up that winning feeling and standing by for all the taco hungry Bball fans who would rather enjoy a taco than scarf a breakfast item!

We'll really know we've shaken things up when we hear you chanting at the next high scoring game!

"KOi-TA-COS! KOi-TA-COS!"

Fine Print: Limit one coupon trade per customer per visit. Expired coupons will not be accepted.

Update (Sunday): Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that KOi Fusion has elected to stop promoting the exchange.

According to a source close to the situation, KOi Fusion will not be promoting its McDonald's exchange promotion anymore. The source who spoke on the condition of anonymity says after some time to reflect on the idea, owner Bo Kwon realized he had bit off more than he could chew.

When CSNNW.com attempted to reach Kwon by email, he refused to speak on the matter, stating he had "no comment regarding the promotion at this time."

Back in September, Blazersedge reported that the Blazers' long-standing "Free Chalupa" promotion with Taco Bell was coming to an end. McDonald's stepped in as the new sponsor, but fans at the Moda Center are continuing to chant "Cha-Lu-Pa" rather than "Mick-ee-dees" during games, apparently in a mass protest against the switch.

The end of the Chalupa promotion drew all sorts of responses on Twitter, some which expressed anger and disappointment.

Some of the frustration about the new promotion has centered on the fact that the McDonald's coupons expire after just three days whereas the Chalupa coupons were valid for a much longer period of time. Other fans have suggested that Chalupas functioned much better as a late-night, post-game meal. Still others have expressed a strong preference for Taco Bell over McDonald's on principles that I don't totally understand.

Anyway, it should be noted that KOi Fusion previously ran a similar promotion exchanging a taco for a Chalupa coupon.

Katherine Cook of KGW.com offers additional reporting on the new exchange promotion, including an interview with KOi Fusion's owner Bo Kwon.

"Blazers fans were throwing away McMuffin coupons," KOi Fusion owner Bo Kwon told KGW Tuesday. "We'll trade them for a free taco and give the coupons to the homeless."

But he added that the coupons must be turned in to KOi Fusion ASAP, so that the people receiving the Egg McMuffin coupons still have time to use them before they expire, three days after the game.

An additional quote from Kwon in the video...

"It's a chance for us to give back to the community and work with the shelters that we already partner with. Utilize those coupons that I kind of see in the garbages and the gutters, just not being used effectively."

KOi Fusion added this on Twitter...

we see a win-win. Mcd's get on the bigscreen, get the marketing, plus they don't have to supply product and vegetarians get to eat!

Community activist Jessie Sponberg slammed the McDonald's promotion back in October after spending years giving away the Chalupa coupons to local homeless organizations. On Tuesday, he offered his thoughts on Facebook...

props to Koi Fusion for announcing they would accept McMuffin coupons, they have also done this in the past w/ Chalupas.

the problem still remains that they only accept "unexpired" coupons, and the three day expiration window still doesn't allow for them to be redistributed on a large scale...

Also, a McDonald's bathroom is a dangerous, unlocked place, whereas Taco Bell provides a safe, clean, locked place.

The Blazers declined comment to Blazersedge when asked about KOi Fusion's promotion on Tuesday and did not reply to an inquiry as to whether they would consider loosening up the redemption timeline on the McMuffin coupon promotion.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter