Chili's wants you to 'laugh so hard you pee a little' with new campaign

Focusing on its on-premise experience, the Brinker International chain dabbles in ASMR, experiential marketing and more.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 20, 2020

Burger King promotes moldy Whopper as part of 'real food' push

A subversive video celebrating the removal of artificial preservatives from the Whopper shows a time-lapse of a burger rotting.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 19, 2020

Sweetgreen taps celeb chef David Chang to promote new sustainable salad

The Momofuku founder stars in a humorous video series alongside fish puppets to discuss the new environmentally friendly kelp offering.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 18, 2020

Starbucks names new CMO focused on bridging physical, digital experience

In his prior roles at the company, 18-year veteran Brady Brewer helped guide areas like delivery and mobile app offerings.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 14, 2020

OpenTable loyalty perk helps diners land hard-to-book restaurants

Its Dining Points can now be used to book popular places during peak dining times, extending a feature originally introduced in November to Capital One cardholders. 

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 12, 2020

KFC, Crocs strut fried chicken-themed clogs at New York Fashion Week

Collaborative footwear featuring scented drumstick charms will be available to consumers this spring.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 12, 2020

Denny's pilots Yelp Store Visits to measure physical store foot traffic

The platform also introduced Showcase Ads, a video-centric format for national marketers to highlight seasonal promotions.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 12, 2020

Papa John's returns to Snapchat with Valentine's AR lens

Last year, more than 25% of Snapchat users who swiped up on the chain's AR lens ordered a Valentine's Day pizza.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 11, 2020

Taco Bell names former KFC exec Nikki Lawson as brand chief

The taco chain sees an opportunity to continue to push the brand past its positioning as a QSR, Yum Brands CEO Mark King said in a statement. 

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 10, 2020

Pizza Hut names new marketing leadership, looking to inject some KFC brand magic

KFC marketers George Felix and David Graves will become CMO and chief brand officer, respectively, as their sister brand seeks a turnaround.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 7, 2020

Uber Eats spent $1B on excess driver incentives, referrals in 2019

The food delivery platform is paying drivers more than its earning from trips as it aggressively expands into new markets and tries to grow its driver base amid a shortage of these gig workers.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 7, 2020

TripAdvisor's newest tool aggregates reviews for restaurants

The company's Review Hub allows owners and operators to view consumer comments across multiple platforms and respond from one dashboard.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 5, 2020

Dunkin' names new VP of marketing strategy amid pivot to integrated approach

CEO Dave Hoffmann said the move will streamline the company's strategic, go-to-market functions into one team. 

By Peter Adams • Feb. 4, 2020

Chipotle's Justin Bieber challenge reaches 95M on TikTok during Super Bowl

The "TikTok Timeout" challenge urged people to create their own "February Free Delivery Sundays" ads set to Bieber's new song "Yummy."

By Robert Williams • Feb. 4, 2020

Starbucks ad inspired by transgender people testing out new names

The coffee chain discovered transgender YouTubers sharing stories of trialing their new names on its cups.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 3, 2020

Chipotle deploys TikTok stars to intercept Gen Z's attention during Super Bowl

During each commercial break following a team timeout, creators will share delivery-focused content set to Justin Bieber's new single.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 30, 2020

Panda Express celebrates Lunar New Year with social AR

Available on Facebook and Instagram, the virtual filters highlight different cultural traditions like red envelope gift-giving.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 16, 2020

Chipotle dishes out free food to Twitter fans as 'Quitter's Day' looms

As some people struggle to maintain their New Year's resolutions, the burrito chain is promoting a new healthier menu item.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 16, 2020

Dunkin' turns Snoop Dogg stunt into TV spot for Beyond sandwich

The Beyond Meat ambassador is featured in a new TV spot as part of a campaign that includes an online pop-up shop.

By Dianna Christie • Jan. 14, 2020

TGI Fridays will revamp bar to ignite alcohol sales

The chain will change its beverage program as well as music, seating and lighting to encourage more socializing in the hopes to boost its alcohol sales, which make up 30% of its $2.1 billion sales. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 14, 2020

Panera hires Phyllis from 'The Office' to address angry tweets

Actress Phyllis Smith read comments made by disgruntled customers after the chain pulled onion soup from its menu to highlight the return of the item. 

By Robert Williams • Jan. 9, 2020

McDonald's accused of pushing out black leadership, franchisees

Two senior executives filed a lawsuit Tuesday that claims the chain "declared a war against the African American community," adding to the chain's existing cases of sexual harassment and workplace violence.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 9, 2020

Burger King steps up with free food for New Yorkers near 'Joker' stairs

While poking fun at rival McDonald's, the QSR is offering Uber Eats delivery to Bronx residents annoyed by a rush of tourists.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 7, 2020

DoorDash teams with Chase to offer cardmembers free DashPash subscriptions

The deal could help the delivery platform differentiate from rivals as off-premise competition grows, and reflects credit card companies' growing investment in the restaurant space. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 7, 2020

5 restaurant trends that will define 2020

Analysts predict that ghost restaurants and lifestyle brand campaigns will continue to evolve and shape the market, but Gen Z's influence and interest in micro chains could disrupt the ecosystem.

By Julie Littman , Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 6, 2020