Two Pearland men featured in McDonald's commercial

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - During the summer, Jevh Maravilla and Christian Toledo were eating at a McDonald’s in Pearland when one of them noticed none of the advertisements inside had Asians featured in them. So, they got creative and set up a tripod, snapped a picture of themselves holding McDonald’s food and then mounted it on a blank wall inside the restaurant.

“We had some eyes, but it was just customers and luckily I was able to dress like a McDonald’s employee and kind of choreograph where the poster was supposed to be. But yeah, it was insane," Jevh Maravilla says.

“That restaurant, it was just Asians that were not in there. So that wall was blank. We didn’t take off any other faces. So yeah, I guess what we want to say is there’s room for everyone,” says Christian Toledo.

“I was stunned. I was really stunned, because it was so creative and it was ingenious,” says Mariselle Quijano, who owns the restaurant. Quijano says she noticed it right away and commented on how much it looked like other photos inside.

Over the course of the next few months, the video of what they did went viral and eventually McDonald’s asked the two guys to be in a nationally televised commercial. The company sent them to Los Angeles for a three-day trip, and naturally they too say they were excited they got their message across.

“The commercial that we were a part of kind of highlighted Asians in there too, as well as other minorities, so I’m glad that that was a big step for them to have us be part of that,” says Maravilla.

“It’s really been a fun experience for me and I think a fun experience for them and and who knows what’s to come really," Quijano says.

McDonald’s sent FOX 26 a statement:

“McDonald’s commitment to diversity in casting and language is a core tenet of the brand as it reflects all our customers, and we enjoyed involving Jevh and Christian in our national marketing process to celebrate their hard work and creativity. As a brand, we appreciate the honest perspective and conversation that Jevh and Christian initiated with their poster.”

The poster was also recently taken down from its location because the restaurant was remodeled inside, but it has since been donated to the Ronald McDonald House Houston so it can be auctioned off for charity.