Marketing

  • An image of a building with Cracker Barrel branding
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    Courtesy of Cracker Barrel
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    Cracker Barrel debuts rewards program to drive sales, traffic

    The chain hopes that the platform, which launched nationwide Wednesday, can improve performance after retail and restaurant sales missed Q4 expectations. 

    By • Sept. 21, 2023
  • Half of the image is a orange background with the other half depicting a person on bike, sipping a coffee.
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    Courtesy of Peet's Coffee
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    Peet’s Coffee brews large integrated campaign with Mischief

    Hold the foam: Consumers’ love of simple, quality coffee sits at the center of what the brand says is its largest campaign to date.

    By Sara Karlovitch • Sept. 18, 2023
  • A photograph of Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Permission granted by Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Shipley Do-Nuts rolls out tier-based loyalty program

    Do-Happy Rewards, which was piloted in company-owned locations earlier this year, already has 40,000 members.

    By • Sept. 18, 2023
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    Permission granted by Huddle House
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    How Ascent Hospitality reinvigorated franchising at Perkins, Huddle House

    Prior to Peter Ortiz joining Ascent Hospitality as chief development officer, growth was virtually at a standstill for the brands. Now they have signed over 70 franchise agreements.

    By • Sept. 13, 2023
  • Rapper Ice Spice appears with her namesake Munchkins Drink in a Dunkin' ad
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    Courtesy of Dunkin'
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    Dunkin’ taps Ben Affleck, Ice Spice to put a name to its new fall drink

    An ad promoting the limited-time Ice Spice Munchkins Drink is the first work since the chain formalized its partnership with Affleck’s Artists Equity.

    By Jessica Deyo • Sept. 13, 2023
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Domino’s boosts rewards points with new loyalty program

    The pizza chain cut the order minimum required to earn orders points from $10 to $5, and added new redemption choices like drinks and stuffed cheesy bread.

    By • Sept. 12, 2023
  • A woman grins at her phone while eating a Subway sandwich in a promotion image for the chain's MVP Rewards.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Subway rolls out tiered rewards program

    The sandwich chain’s MVP Rewards program, which will go live Saturday, offers three tiers based on a customer’s annual spend.

    By • Sept. 7, 2023
  • First Watch chief brand officer Matt Eisenacher wears a blue suit and leans against a beige column.
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    Courtesy of First Watch
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    First Watch appoints chief brand officer

    Matt Eisenacher’s elevated role could help increase brand awareness as the 490-unit chain works toward its goal of 2,200 domestic units. 

    By • Sept. 6, 2023
  • CKE CMO Jennifer Take and CFO Mike Lenihan
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    Courtesy of CKE Restaurants
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    CKE appoints CMO, CFO

    The new executives join the company during an ongoing brand overhaul at Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.

    By • Sept. 6, 2023
  • A Chipotle Mexican Grill employee.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle takes Gen Z behind the scenes to recruit new employees

    The chain is rolling out social media content highlighting employee perks and inside scoops as it attempts to recruit staff from a younger generation.

    By Jessica Deyo • Aug. 31, 2023
  • A pair of ghostly hands surround a new Burger King Whopper that features black sauce underneath orange text reading, "Home of the Ghosts Whopper."
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    Retrieved from CNW Group/Burger King Canada on October 11, 2022
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    Burger King must face class action suit over Whopper size

    A federal judge denied the chain's efforts to scrap a complaint over the size of Whoppers in advertisements, which consumers claim made the burgers look 35% larger.

    By • Updated Aug. 30, 2023
  • TGI Fridays CEO Brandon Coleman in a dark suit.
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    Permission granted by TGI Fridays
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    TGI Fridays promotes CMO to CEO

    Brandon Coleman III takes the reins as the chain experiments with virtual brands, a new loyalty structure and major menu overhaul in a growth push. 

    By , • Aug. 29, 2023
  • A rendering of a remodeled Pretzelmaker unit.
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    Permission granted by Pretzelmaker
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    Pretzelmaker to rebrand, remodel stores

    The chain's makeover will touch everything from its logo to employee uniforms and physical restaurant design, Fat Brands Chief Brand Officer Mason Wiederhorn said.

    By • Aug. 23, 2023
  • A picture of two men in formal photographs. The man on the left is wearing a chef's outfit.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen hires heads of culinary, marketing

    Chad Brauze’s and Michael Kotick’s experience will help the salad chain as it emphasizes heartier menu offerings and expands its loyalty program. 

    By • Aug. 21, 2023
  • Wendy's is adding English muffin sandwiches to its breakfast menu on Aug. 22.
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    Courtesy of Wendy's
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    Wendy’s adds English muffin sandwiches to breakfast menu

    The chain’s new offerings are designed to encourage diners to visit during the morning daypart, which it believes can grow sales without added labor costs.

    By • Aug. 14, 2023
  • Taylor Swift on stage
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    Kevin Winter via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Taylor Swift’s smash-hit tour shows restaurants can harness concert hype

    Restaurants near Swift’s Nashville show saw a 35% bump in average transaction counts YOY for the three days she played, writes Teddy Tsang, vice president of product marketing at Toast. 

    By Teddy Tsang • Aug. 11, 2023
  • McDonald's Presents... the As Featured In Meal
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    Courtesy of McDonald's USA
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    McDonald’s flaunts history of pop culture cameos in latest meal ploy

    Drawing on Golden Arches nods in “Seinfeld,” “The Office” and more, the chain is enacting its biggest Famous Orders push to date ahead of a tie-in with “Loki.”

    By Peter Adams • Aug. 9, 2023
  • Jimmy Donaldson, or MrBeast, smiles and poses with other influencers in front of branding for his burger chain.
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    Dave Kotinsky via Getty Images
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    Virtual Dining Concepts sues MrBeast for breach of contract

    The platform alleges YouTube star James Donaldson’s public disparagement of his virtual restaurant brand “damaged if not destroyed” partnerships with vendors and suppliers, and caused customers to “abandon the brand.”

    By • Aug. 8, 2023
  • An envelope and document related to Taco Bell's petition to eliminate trademarks over Taco Tuesday sit on a desk next to a purple pencil and pen.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell Corp.
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    Taco Bell takes Taco Tuesday victory lap by offering to pick up the tab

    Following a successful ploy to force a competitor to relinquish the term’s trademark, the chain is working with DoorDash to comp $5 million in orders.

    By Peter Adams • Updated Sept. 5, 2023
  • An image of Sweetgreen's rewards program on a smartphone.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen will extend loyalty program to its dining rooms

    The value of offering in-store rewards will be “super accretive,” CEO Jonathan Neman said, because most of the chain’s customers are first acquired through its restaurants.

    By • Aug. 1, 2023
  • Grimace Celebrating Birthday with McDonaldland Friends
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s says Grimace birthday push shook up strong Q2 earnings

    A darkly funny trend around the brand mascot and a limited-edition purple shake that went viral on TikTok was cited as a driver of growth.

    By Chris Kelly • July 27, 2023
  • Chipotle's "Get in the Pit" campaign image, shown as a poster on a busy sidewalk, timed to National Avocado Day.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle experiments with Threads for National Avocado Day

    The QSR chain is one of the first to center its marketing around the platform, using it to drop text-to-win codes that will give away concert and festival tickets.

    By Sara Karlovitch • July 26, 2023
  • A Grubhub worker and a JOCO bike.
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    Grubhub adds pickup credits, lowers fees for Grubhub+ members

    The delivery platform, which faces eroding marketshare, is strengthening its loyalty subscription program’s benefits to draw new customers. 

    By • July 25, 2023
  • Interior rendering of Del Taco's "Fresh Flex" prototype released January 2021
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    Permission granted by Del Taco
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    Del Taco updates loyalty program with challenges, faster rewards accrual

    Changes include a digital punch card and “vanity badges” that reward customers for completing challenges, like visiting five days in a row. The cost to redeem some items has also increased. 

    By • July 20, 2023
  • Taco John's storefront
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    Courtesy of Taco John's
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    Taco John’s abandons Taco Tuesday trademark, issues charity challenge

    Taco Bell CEO Mark King called the move a "shared victory for taco allies everywhere" but stopped short of taking up Taco John's challenge.

    By Chris Kelly • Updated July 19, 2023