Marketing

  • A hand holds a smartphone with the screen showing different rewards available from Sweetgreen's rewards program.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen hires former Taco Bell exec as chief commercial officer

    Zipporah Allen, a major architect of Taco Bell’s digital transformation, has joined the embattled salad brand as it looks to rebuild traffic and sales.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
  • A photograph of a menu with Cracker Barrel branding
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Cracker Barrel: Another case of the blanding of branding

    Restaurants must engage core and growth audiences to understand what they value and which brand equities to protect, evolve or retire, writes Jon Shapiro, chief creative officer of brand experience at PV&COHO.

    By Jon Shapiro • Sept. 2, 2025
  • Homeroom Restaurant in Oakland, California Explore the Trendline➔
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    Permission granted by Homeroom
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    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
  • A bowl loaded with Chipotle's Carne Asada LTO.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle brings back Carne Asada to cure sliding sales

    The return of the highly anticipated protein could help the fast casual giant kick a sales slump that has so far proved resistant to LTOs.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
  • A photograph of a yellow sign with Denny's in red.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Denny’s adds 5 Slams for $5

    After sunsetting its $2-$4-$6-$8 value play, the casual dining brand is focused on time-limited promotions centering on meals.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Chili's Fast Food Financing pop-up
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    Courtesy of Chili's Grill & Bar
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    Why consumer confidence is the leading restaurant traffic indicator

    Dwindling confidence in macroeconomic growth means consumers are more price-sensitive than ever, in a potential win for value-oriented brands, Revenue Management Solutions said.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • An image of two chicken wraps from McDonald's
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    Courtesy of MCDonald's
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    Restaurant winners and losers from H1 2025

    Casual dining chains, led by Chili’s, had a surprisingly strong quarter, while fast casuals, like Chipotle and Sweetgreen, struggled with consumer pullback and operations problems.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley for Little Caesars
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    Courtesy of Little Caesars
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    Little Caesars dials up NFL marketing with deals, co-branded campaign

    The pizza chain is also flexing partnerships with football stars like Saquon Barkley for its fourth year as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the league.

    By Jessica Hammers • Aug. 26, 2025
  • A smiling man in a blue suit.
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    Courtesy of Applebee's
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    Applebee’s appoints operations, marketing chiefs

    Following a strong Q2, Dine Brands will bring on Jerrold Wong as COO and Michelle Chin as CMO to extend Applebee’s recent successes.

    By • Aug. 25, 2025
  • Two drinks, a coconut water matcha cold foam one on the left and the same base but with cold brew cold foam on the right.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks expands coconut water drinks test to 400 stores

    CEO Brian Niccol has said the chain’s menu innovation will focus on “the function-forward modern offerings that customers want.”

    By • Aug. 22, 2025
  • Five flat pizzas.
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut’s new menu category targets solo diners

    Crafted Flatzz, which include flatbread-style pies, marks Pizza Hut’s largest global launch of a menu item and will be available in over 20 countries.

    By • Aug. 20, 2025
  • Applebee's Ultimate Trio on a football field
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    Courtesy of Applebee's
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    How Applebee’s sharper marketing turned around sales ahead of NFL season

    The casual dining chain recently achieved positive same-store sales growth for the first time in two years, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton explains.

    By Chris Kelly • Aug. 20, 2025
  • A collage of Chipotle-themed Urban Outfitters products
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle targets Gen Z with college rewards program

    The fast casual chain is offering free points, occasional prize drops and faster rewards accrual to loyalty members who validate their college enrollment.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025
  • McDonald's McDonaldland
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s brings back McDonaldland to unlock consumers’ ‘core memories’

    The fast food chain’s latest nostalgic campaign features Ronald McDonald and friends for the first time in more than 20 years.

    By Chris Kelly • Updated Aug. 11, 2025
  • McDonald's new McCrispy chicken strips.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s chicken, loyalty and value end same-store sales slump

    A strong combination of value offerings, LTOs and new menu items drove sales growth in the U.S. for Q2, executives said.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Domino's pizza and a fast food burger
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    Courtesy of Domino's Pizza
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    How Domino’s new ads hit at fast food burger chains in fight over value

    New spots visualize how a slice of pizza stacks up to a similarly priced slice of a burger to boost a long-standing deal and reach value-focused consumers.

    By Chris Kelly • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A chocolate pistachio milkshake.
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    Courtesy of Shake Shack
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    Shake Shack to spend more on ads to sustain sales growth

    CEO Rob Lynch said the brand should embrace a more aggressive marketing strategy to set it apart from fast food burger chains.

    By • July 31, 2025
  • McDonald's Snack Wraps
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    Retrieved from McDonald's on July 24, 2025
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    How McDonald’s dug into nostalgia and reignited the chicken wars

    The return of the chain’s Snack Wrap has spurred competitors including Popeyes and Taco Bell to launch and advertise around similar offerings.

    By Chris Kelly • July 30, 2025
  • A personalized Taco Bell advertisement at a bus stop.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell boosts fan-created mobile orders with free advertising

    Fan Style encourages mobile ordering and creativity by rewarding users each time someone purchases their custom order once it’s been shared.

    By Sara Karlovitch • July 24, 2025
  • Wendy's Meal of Misfortune collaboration with "Wednesday" is displayed against a purple backdrop
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    Permission granted by Wendy's
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    Wendy’s marketing embraces the macabre with ‘Wednesday’ collaboration

    The chain’s pigtail-sporting mascot is swapped for scowling Wednesday Addams for a limited-time meal collaboration and in-app mobile game.

    By Peter Adams • July 24, 2025
  • Pickles rain down on the top of a car in an ad from Sonic Drive-In
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    Permission granted by Sonic Drive-In
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    Q&A

    Don’t hold the pickles: Sonic’s CMO on going all-in on dining trend

    Ryan Dickerson discusses a Grillo’s partnership and ad shoot that involved over 2,000 real pickles as briny snacks win Gen Z’s favor.

    By Peter Adams • July 18, 2025
  • Several Taco Bell menu items.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell tests value menu in Indianapolis

    The brand will watch how consumers respond to a limited-time slate of $3 and under items before deciding whether to take them national.

    By • July 17, 2025
  • A collage of fake instagram posts and Starbucks drinks.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks makes secret menu hacks official

    The chain will offer a rotating selection of customized beverages, including ones designed by consumers, as it looks to deepen mobile engagement. 

    By • July 15, 2025
  • A pedestrian strolls by a KFC ad that shows Colonel Sanders scowling.
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    Permission granted by Kentucky Fried Chicken
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    KFC’s new take on Colonel Sanders is serious about its ‘Comeback Era’

    The usually grinning founder-turned-mascot has taken on a scowl to ensure the Yum Brands chain gets serious about winning back market share. 

    By Peter Adams • July 15, 2025
  • A building with white and brown siding with two black cars at a drive-thru. Signage says Bojangles
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    Permission granted by Bojangles
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    Opinion

    Two lanes for AI-powered order taking in drive-thrus: Humanization vs. transparency

    While mimicking a human voice can lead to more emotionally engaging guest interactions, the stakes are higher for brands, with robotic-sounding voices offering greater transparency, says Hi Auto’s Eyal Shapira.

    By Eyal Shapira • July 8, 2025
  • Two iced coffee drinks in glass jars with cream being poured into the one on the right and filtering through. The jars are on a silver tray with a white linen napkin, two straws, a spoon and a bowl.
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    viennetta via Getty Images
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    Beverage trends: The forces shaping the coffee sector in 2025

    Small coffee chains are looking to experiential coffee occasions to outcompete major chains, but they’re not abandoning menu innovation.

    By • July 1, 2025