Starbucks taps Bill Nye the Science Guy to explain nitro cold brew

Marketing firm Big Spaceship and Starbucks' in-house creative agency leverage '90s nostalgia to reach millennials through podcasts, TV ads and online videos.

By Barry Levine • July 30, 2019

Arby's readies special food truck menu for 'Storm Area 51' event

"We can't confirm if there are aliens at Area 51. But, if they do show up, they deserve the best meats on Earth," CMO Jim Taylor said.

By Dianna Christe • July 29, 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

Chipotle unwraps #GuacDance challenge on TikTok for Avocado Day

The guacamole-themed dance-off is its second challenge on the social app after a lid-flipping effort in May.

By Robert Williams • July 26, 2019

McDonald's departing global CMO will be replaced by 2 new SVPs

Two current employees will fill the newly created roles of global marketing SVP and marketing technology SVP after Silvia Lagnado's departure. 

By Barry Levine • July 23, 2019

Wendy's plays 'Fortnite' on Twitch to launch Baconfest

The burger chain gave away 1,000 Baconator sandwiches to Twitch viewers who ordered from DoorDash.

By Robert Williams • July 18, 2019

Postmates adds emoji searches for World Emoji Day

Customers can combine the "taco" and "bell" emoji to look up Taco Bell, or the "hamburger" and "crown" to get Burger King.

By Robert Williams • July 18, 2019

T-Mobile, Taco Bell to open co-branded pop-up stores offering free food, merch

Concept stores will feature live DJs and give away exclusive gear and menu items, like a white cherry-flavored T-MoBell Freeze. 

By Peter Adams • July 16, 2019

Crate & Barrel to add restaurant concept to up to 15 stores

Table at Crate opened in Chicago in July and did so well that CEO Neela Montgomery wants to expand its partnership with Cornerstone Restaurant Group.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Sept. 17, 2019

The year of 'woke-washing': How tone-deaf activism risks eroding brands

Experts warn an uptick in socially and politically aware advertising can read more as chasing headlines than meeting real consumer demands, and it could degrade trust in the industry.

By Peter Adams • July 8, 2019

Starbucks and Amazon partner on soccer documentary

The deal further cements the coffee chain's storytelling ambitions, which has included other productions like "Hingakawa" and "To Be Human."

By Dianna Christe • July 3, 2019

McDonald's dishes out QR-enabled picnic blankets for hot spot delivery

By scanning a code on the blanket, smartphone users in Sweden send their location to their food-delivery service of choice.

By Robert Williams • July 2, 2019

KFC suits up Cheetos mascot as new Colonel Sanders

Chester Cheetah is hawking sandwiches as the QSR taps a different brand icon for the first time.

By Dianna Christe • July 1, 2019

Long John Silver's 'Fishmas in July' makes splash with GIF coupons

A Spotify collection of songs about seafood and swag giveaways to fans on social media​ round out the chain's effort.

By Robert Williams • June 26, 2019

Dunkin' debuts 'human charger' pop-up for summer solstice

On the longest day of the year, coffee drinkers can visit the activation to snag a free drink, a reusable straw and a tongue-in-cheek user guide.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) , Barry Levine • June 21, 2019

Papa John's invests $80M in marketing, franchisee relief

In addition to marketing and brand initiatives, the funding will go toward royalty relief for operators, many of whom have struggled since founder John Schnatter's downfall. 

By Julie Littman • Updated June 21, 2019

Pizza Hut brings back iconic red roof logo

The logo, which was used between 1967 and 1999, is part of the company's marketing strategy to get back to its roots. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 19, 2019

Chick-fil-A opens Des Moines kiosk

The move comes as Dunkin' and Nathan's Famous experiment with mobile restaurant concepts in New York, and three years after the chain opened a kiosk in the city to gauge local interest.

By Lauren Manning • June 19, 2019

Postmates delivers free lunches inspired by Amazon's 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'

The delivery tie-in aims to showcase Postmates' delivery services in a competitive market by highlighting cuisine from the hit show.

By Robert Williams • June 18, 2019

Specificity sells beef

New study shows value of sponsoring detailed keywords in boosting meat purchases

June 18, 2019

TGI Fridays picks up Uber tab for guests in pilot

The deal is part of the chain's partnership with Uber Vouchers, a program launched in April and designed to drive more foot traffic to stores. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 17, 2019

Welcome to Good Burger: Nickelodeon pops up restaurant to promote 'All That' return

To promote the revival of the millennial favorite, the kids network teamed with the makers of the popular "Saved by the Bell" pop-up.

By Chris Kelly , Barry Levine • June 14, 2019

Burger King flips Whoppers 'upside down' for 'Stranger Things' tie-in

In advance of the third season of the hit Netflix series, Burger King is partnering with Coca-Cola and DoorDash for giveaways and exclusive content.

By Barry Levine • June 13, 2019

KFC's exclusive Mtn Dew flavor aspires to cult success of Baja Blast

The fried chicken purveyor takes a page from Taco Bell's playbook with the debut of the peach and honey-tinged Sweet Lightning.

By Peter Adams • June 11, 2019

Valuing a restaurant's 'vibe' protects its IP for sale or franchise

It's critical for eateries to not only maximize proceeds in a transaction, but also to protect its brand uniqueness and potentially even monetize it.

By Brian Buss and Doug Bania • June 10, 2019

Chipotle celebrates Pride with donations from shoppable Instagram post

The burrito chain will give proceeds from online sales of themed gear to The Trevor Project.

By Robert Williams • June 7, 2019