Marketing

  • A promotional image for Hut Rewards
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut shifts loyalty program toward experience and exclusivity

    The pizza giant is adding merchandise drops, digital games and experiential rewards to boost consumer engagement.

    By • April 21, 2026
  • A rendering of a building prototype that is red and beige with Smoothie King sigange
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    Permission granted by Smoothie King
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    Smoothie King to add flatbreads, high-protein food items

    The rollout is part of a brand evolution plan that includes store redesigns and national advertising to support the chain’s aggressive growth strategy. 

    By • April 21, 2026
  • A sign on a Chipotle restaurant.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    A look at how Chipotle’s loyalty relaunch could affect customer behavior

    Value is key to the loyalty revamp, and the approach could drive in-restaurant traffic and help the company win over less frequent customers.

    By Bryan Wassel • April 20, 2026
  • A collage of people enjoying different meals in varied settings, from outdoor dining to casual indoor eating.
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    stock.adobe.com/Mal de Ojo Studio

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    Sponsored by TikTok

    What restaurants are doing differently on TikTok and why it’s driving visits

    How TikTok turns trends into restaurant visits, orders and loyal repeat customers fast.

    By Gurbani Chadha • April 20, 2026
  • A photograph of two arms holding up a plate of prawns above a wooden table full of food.
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Who’s Hungry? What GroundTruth’s first-party data says about today’s restaurant visitors.

    Most diners eat at places within 10 miles of their homes, so operators should target customers closest to their restaurants before expanding outward, GroundTruth’s Hayden Erwin says.

    By Hayden Erwin • April 17, 2026
  • A Starbucks store stands in Manhattan on January 30, 2024 in New York City.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Starbucks lets customers discover drinks, start orders in ChatGPT

    The app, in beta, takes the prompt-driven inspiration of ChatGPT and pushes customers into the Starbucks ecosystem to complete their orders.

    By Bryan Wassel • April 15, 2026
  • A person eats Smashburger food
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    Courtesy of Smashburger
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    Smashburger hires newcomer agency Understory amid creative revamp

    The shop, which launched this year, looks to bring more cultural relevance to Smashburger’s marketing after the brand recently admitted it lost focus.

    By Peter Adams • April 15, 2026
  • Six versions of Chili's Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich
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    Courtesy of Chili's
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    Chili’s serves up new Big Crispy chicken sandwich platform

    The chain is balancing the 3 for Me value offering with more premium versions of its Big Crispy sandwich to preserve its margins and sales mix.

    By • April 15, 2026
  • A promotional image for Chipotles "rewards on repeat" loyalty launch.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle overhauls rewards system

    More free items, greater redemption flexibility and an in-store campaign to boost enrollment could help the fast casual giant grow its rewards base.

    By • April 13, 2026
  • A family eats Five Guys food at home
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    Courtesy of Five Guys
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    Five Guys serves up largest integrated brand campaign to date

    Created by indie agency Chemistry, “Your Burger Guy” positions the chain as a “sure bet” in the highly competitive fast food space.

    By Chris Kelly • April 9, 2026
  • A man holds a starbucks drink next to a phone with a Bank of America card onscreen.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Why points-based loyalty programs aren’t cutting it anymore

    Segment leaders like Starbucks are instead using AI-targeted messaging, aspirational experiences and gamification to nudge consumers from one-time visitors to lifetime fans, Paytronix says.

    By • April 8, 2026
  • A collage of Coke pairings at QSR chains
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    Courtesy of Coca-Cola
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    Coca-Cola reasserts fast food dominance over Pepsi in new campaign

    For the first time, the soda giant is bringing together more than a dozen QSRs to demonstrate how diverse customers are united by their drink orders.

    By Chris Kelly • April 3, 2026
  • A picture of Burger King signs.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Burger King to hire 60K workers as part of turnaround

    Investment in menu items, marketing and renovations have helped the chain bring in customers. Now it needs the workers to serve them.

    By • April 2, 2026
  • An image of a gray building with a white logo that says "Shake Shack"
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Shake Shack will overhaul its tech with focus on AI, loyalty

    The fast casual burger brand hopes a new rewards system, modernized point-of-sale platform and AI-backed operational analytics will aid its growth.

    By • April 2, 2026
  • A spread of KFC items including sandwiches, snackers, nuggets, fries and drinks.
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    Courtesy of KFC
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    KFC mimics Taco Bell in latest value play

    The $7, $9 and $11 Value Feast Boxes can offer significant discounts — almost reaching 50% — according to a Restaurant Dive analysis.

    By • March 31, 2026
  • A photograph of a gray sign with a red box inside with white letters that says "Jack" under the box it says "in the box."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box names CMO to strengthen product innovation, loyalty

    Katelyn Zborowski previously spent over a decade at Yum Brands, where she helped develop more than 40 limited-time offerings for Taco Bell.

    By Peter Adams • March 30, 2026
  • A close up of a white logo that says Wing Stop with a neon green glow.
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    Circana: Value and flavor propel Chili’s and Wingstop’s growth

    The two brands rose fastest in Circana’s 2026 Definitive U.S. Ranking as macroeconomic uncertainty pushed consumers towards holistic value.

    By • March 27, 2026
  • An image of three large platters in the forefront with various food items. I nthe bagkround there are three cups, chips and tortillas.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    How 10 major restaurant chains are overhauling their strategies

    From Wendy’s to Outback, heavyweight brands are investing in new menu items and operational improvements  — often accompanied by closures and renovations — to get back on track.

    By • March 26, 2026
  • A woman with shopping bags checks her cell phone in front of a store.
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    Getty Images
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    Why consumers love, and sometimes hate, tiered loyalty programs

    Tiers add flexibility and exclusivity, but when done wrong they can feel frustratingly slow or complex.

    By Bryan Wassel • March 26, 2026
  • A spread of pasta entrees from Maggiano's Little Italy.
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    Courtesy of Maggiano's Little Italy
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    Maggiano’s raises portion sizes in Chili’s-style value play

    Increasing portions could help the brand draw more traffic, but structural factors mean its turnaround won’t be as fast — or dramatic — as Chili’s revival.

    By • March 18, 2026
  • El Pollo Loco's first LA Mex restaurants, which emphasize off-premise, opened in 2021.
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    Courtesy of El Pollo Loco
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    El Pollo Loco adds big experiences to loyalty program

    Personalized offers, bonus rewards and access to menu items and events, like the 2026 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, could boost engagement.

    By • March 17, 2026
  • Burger King ad campaign
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    Retrieved from Burger King on March 13, 2026
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    Burger King’s CMO on firing its mascot as brand evolves in new campaign

    “There’s A New King And It’s You” is the next step in a turnaround effort that puts the fast food chain’s customers at the forefront.

    By Chris Kelly • March 16, 2026
  • A smiling restaurant worker at a takeout window hands a bag of food to a customer outside, while holding a handheld payment device.
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    Smallhands Creative

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    Sponsored by Toast

    Recognition is the loyalty perk most restaurants aren’t offering

    Discounts aren't the only reason why guests come back. So what is?

    By Caroline Price • March 16, 2026
  • A Taco Bell Mexican Pizza with premium chicken
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell makes Nacho Fries permanent, teases more LTOs

    The brand showed off more than 20 new menu items at its third-annual Live Más LIVE event, including LTOs meant to ramp up sales momentum.

    By • March 10, 2026
  • A marketing image for Burger King's reworked Whopper
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King names 2 new agencies following viral Whopper bite moment

    Mojo Supermarket, now the chain’s U.S. social AOR, claimed credit for a video swiping at McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski’s awkward Big Arch review. 

    By Peter Adams • March 10, 2026