McDonald's Thanksgiving Twitter contest gifts a year of Uber Eats delivery

Uber Eats is also waiving delivery fees for late-night McDonald's orders from Nov. 27 through Cyber Monday.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 26, 2019

KFC hides 11 holiday gifts in limited-edition bucket illustrations

Customers can snap pictures of the drawings by Nicholas John Frith and post them to Instagram for a chance to win their real-world counterparts.

By Barry Levine , Peter Adams • Nov. 26, 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 will no longer donate to anti-LGBTQ nonprofits

The fast food chain's charitable arm will highlight organizations that focus on education, homelessness and hunger.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 18, 2019

Dunkin' launches 1st online pop-up shop for holidays

The Dunkin' Shop, which sells limited-edition products like an electric guitar and one-piece pajamas, quickly sold out of a few items. 

By Barry Levine • Nov. 15, 2019

Comic Dive: Chicken Sandwich Kerfuffle

Recent missteps by Chick-fil-A, which is closed on Sundays, has given Popeyes easy marketing fodder around its viral dish.

By John Hazard • Nov. 15, 2019

The ins and outs of simpler brand identities

Dunkin', Starbucks and KFC have streamlined their logos, but delivering a short and simple brand identity isn't without risks.

By Dianna Christe • Nov. 14, 2019

Restaurant gift card sales jumped 15% during the holidays last year

Although third-party retailers are gaining ground for sales of these gift cards, in-store sales remained higher during the holidays for restaurants, presenting an opportunity to boost sales and increase traffic.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 12, 2019

Starbucks brews buzz for mobile pay with 'Merry Coffee' holiday cups

Short video spots and digital display banners encourage customers to place orders through the chain's app.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 11, 2019

Popeyes traffic rose 299% during its chicken sandwich relaunch

The spike on Nov. 3 surpassed the initial rollout's traffic peak of 256%, and had a halo effect for KFC, which saw 29% gains on the same day, per Placer.ai data. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 8, 2019

Uber Eats is building out an ad business

The company posted a job listing for an ad sales product manager and confirmed its plans to begin targeting restaurants.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 7, 2019

Chili's dishes out custom merch to showcase free delivery promotion

Rewards members could win a #ChilisMyHouse starter pack that includes a custom doormat, baby back ribs-scented candle and more.

By Barry Levine • Nov. 7, 2019

Papa John's replaces recently appointed CMO amid restructuring

CEO Rob Lynch said during a conference call this week that a marketing campaign featuring Shaquille O'Neal is helping the brand repair its image.

By Barry Levine • Nov. 7, 2019

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

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