Panera cooks up mobile-only AR ads that let viewers play with their food

The unit intends to bring more transparency to menu offerings by breaking down nutritional facts and ingredients.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 5, 2019

Burger King boosts 'Call of Duty' Twitch event with Grubhub delivery

Inspired by the Burger Town restaurant that appears in the hit video game, the burger chain offered free delivery from GrubHub.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 5, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Independent restaurants

Dining room refreshes, menu innovation and other unique offerings can help independents stand out from competitors, win new customers and keep existing ones coming back. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Chick-fil-A gaffe gives Popeyes easy marketing fodder amid chicken sandwich's return

A botched email communication around a Sunday holiday — when Chick-fil-A is closed — led to snarky social posts by Popeyes.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 1, 2019

McDonald's doubles down on chicken for breakfast

The QSR giant will offer Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit sandwiches during breakfast for a limited time, pitting it against Chick-fil-A's offerings.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 28, 2020

Popeyes stores are already selling out of its chicken sandwich, reports say

Just three days after its relaunch, customers claim the chain has run out of its star menu item at stores across the country, according to Forbes and Bloomberg.

By Peter Adams , Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Nov. 5, 2019

Chipotle's 'Boorito' returns in TikTok challenge for Halloween

The Mexican food chain is offering free burritos for a year to five TikTok users who post the most popular "before and after" views of getting into costume.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 25, 2019

Burger King lets spirits taste test new Ghost Whopper at seance

In a creative stunt, a medium invited spirits to inhabit his body and try the brand's new Halloween burger.

By Barry Levine • Oct. 22, 2019

Chili's new CMO dishes on brand DNA and marketing's role within the organization

Ellie Doty details how Chili's integrates tech into marketing and shares lessons she learned after more than a decade at Yum Brands.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 21, 2019

KFC's chicken-scented 'seasoned tickets' sold out on StubHub in 2 hours

Buyers will receive the $75 tickets in the mail, entitling them to order 48 wings every week for 10 weeks through Jan. 15.

By Barry Levine • Oct. 18, 2019

Wendy's sponsors mobile games in new Giphy arcade

As the launch partner for Giphy Arcade, the fast food chain again shows a willingness to experiment with unique, interactive formats​.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 18, 2019

Starbucks outspends pumpkin spice competitors in advertising, adds print to mix

The chain got a jump start on the popular fall flavor trend in August, bringing back its themed drinks and supporting ads.

By Dianna Christe and Chantal Tode • Oct. 17, 2019

Burger King splices doorbell footage into video ad for Uber Eats delivery

The King visited hundreds of Los Angeles homes that had Amazon Ring doorbell cameras, and agency MullenLowe assembled footage into an ad.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 16, 2019

Dunkin' CMO who helped spearhead rebrand exits after 2 years

Stepping down Dec. 1, Tony Weisman will assist in the CMO replacement search, which is effective immediately.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 16, 2019

Taco Bell beefs up World Series campaign with sports betting

The fast food chain updated its "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion to include real-money bets in states where sports betting is legal.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 15, 2019

Jimmy John's orders its 1st nationwide Snapchat Lens game

Users have 30 seconds to catch as many falling digital sandwiches as they can in their mouths in the AR game.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 14, 2019

Subway names new CMO as chain looks for turnaround

Carrie Walsh is the first permanent marketing chief in several months, and joins the company after it shuttered 1,100 stores last year.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 10, 2019

DoorDash orders multichannel campaign with scannable OOH ads

Wendy's, McDonald’s, Chipotle and Chili's are among the restaurants featured in the delivery service's TV spots.

By Dianna Christe • Oct. 7, 2019

Wendy's role-playing game features a realm threatened by frozen beef

Debuting at New York Comic Con, "Beef's Keep" is a "Dungeons & Dragons"-like tabletop game.

By Barry Levine • Oct. 4, 2019

Burger King milkshake tweet took things too far, UK ad watchdog rules

The now-banned message, intended to be tongue in cheek, came amid political figures being pelted with milkshakes.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 3, 2019

DoorDash teams with McDonald's to deliver 1M penny Big Macs

The delivery platform will automatically enter customers into a sweepstakes for a chance to win $1 million.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 2, 2019

Starbucks now offers customer free digital access to news websites

The promotion follows the coffee chain's decision to no longer sell newspapers, and allows patrons to read from seven online publications, including the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 2, 2019

Chili's takes Detroit families out to dinner in a decked out school bus

After picking up kids from school, the branded bus picked up several busy families and brought them to a Chili's to enjoy a meal together.

By Dianna Christe • Oct. 1, 2019

How Twitch pushes Grubhub beyond Instagram's 'digital mood board of food porn'

"When I think about gaming, I think it's like the new 'Netflix and chill' for us. Grubhub and gaming go hand in hand," an executive said at Advertising Week.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Sept. 30, 2019

How Chipotle saved its brand by embracing a centralized digital marketing strategy

CMO Chris Brandt spoke at Advertising Week about ignoring conventional turnaround wisdom to achieve a $1.2 billion revenue increase in three months.

By Peter Adams • Sept. 26, 2019

Comic Dive: Papa Shaq's Pizza

Following a major controversy, Papa John's has called on new board member Shaquille O'Neal to rescue its brand. Will the move be a slam dunk?

By John Hazard • Sept. 20, 2019