Marketing & Growth Articles

AI Menu Recommendations: Upselling Revolution or Creepy Surveillance?

When a drive-thru screen suggests a hot coffee because it knows the temperature dropped, that's clever. When it remembers your last three orders and pushes a combo based on your spending patterns, some customers call it creepy. AI menu recommendations are driving measurable revenue lifts — the question is where the line falls.

Applebee's Ditches TV-First Marketing for Digital and Social. The Numbers Explain Why.

For the first time in its history, Applebee's is spending more on digital and social marketing than television. TikTok reach is up 760%. The casual dining chain is rewriting the restaurant marketing playbook.

Arby’s promotes Loaded Rewards

Points connect restaurant purchases and digital orders.

Burger King Fires Its Mascot, Admits Past Failures, and Bets $700 Million on a Brand Reset

Burger King pairs Crown Nuggets’ return with a $3.99 kids meal

Crown Nuggets are scheduled for June 2, followed a week later by Crayola King Jr. Meals. The campaign combines a returning product, a stated meal price and coloring activities.

Burger King's 7.4% Traffic Surge: How Tom Curtis Turned Executive Authenticity Into a Marketing Weapon

Burger King's brand president gave out his personal work phone, fielded 30,000 customer messages, and aired a 90-second Oscars spot to nearly 20 million viewers. The result: restaurant visits up 7.4% year-over-year. Here's how the campaign worked and what other operators can learn from it.

Carl’s Jr. wants proof you threw away your crown

Carl’s Jr. limited burger offers to the first 100 eligible entries.

Chick-fil-A at 80: Inside the Biggest Marketing Push in the Chain's History

Chick-fil-A is marking its 80th anniversary with a yearlong campaign the company calls the biggest promotional push in its history. Behind the retro cups and Golden Fan Cups lies a calculated strategy to defend its position as McDonald's most dangerous competitor while addressing its first growth deceleration in over a decade.

Chick-fil-A's Spring 2026 Menu Offensive: Seven New Items and the Jalapeño Ranch Gambit

Chick-fil-A launched seven new menu items on March 9, 2026, capping a period in which the chain quietly rolled out six additional sandwiches earlier in the year. The headline move is a Jalapeño Ranch Club sandwich lineup that signals something more than a seasonal refresh.

Chipotle Keeps the Seven-Visit Goal and Brings the Competition Local

The returning summer loyalty challenge adds a restaurant-level contest. Its economics depend on who changes their routine, including customers who never finish.

Chipotle's Tattoo BOGO Set an All-Time Single-Day Sales Record. Here's the Playbook Behind It.

Chipotle's one-hour tattoo BOGO on March 13 drove the highest single-day sales in the chain's history across 4,000+ locations. Here is the flash-window marketing formula that generated 12 million impressions.

Cultural Marketing or Cultural Appropriation? How QSRs Navigate Identity-Driven Menu Innovation

When a QSR chain launches a Korean BBQ bowl or a Birria-inspired taco, is it cultural celebration or exploitation? The answer increasingly determines whether brands build loyalty or face backlash — and the operational challenges are just as complex as the cultural ones.

Denny’s puts more than 400 restaurants on ezCater

Denny’s national catering rollout starts on ezCater with buffet bundles and individual boxes; ordering through its own website is still planned.

District Taco ties free Sunday kids meals to adult entrées

One qualifying adult entrée earns one free kids meal. Sunday, dine-in and counter-order requirements define the family occasion and its economics.

DoorDash’s $8 Discount Cap Changes the Flavor Fest Economics

The summer campaign creates a window to measure customer trial, order contribution and repeat business. Its headline budget is not a merchant payout.

Dunkin and BARK Add Donation Tiers and a Dog Drive-Thru

The 2026 toy collection offers three donation levels and an online-only item, alongside a scheduled one-day Quincy dog drive-thru.

Dunkin and Febreze launch Walmart-exclusive coffee and bakery scents

Dunkin’s Walmart-exclusive Febreze range follows earlier Native and Flipz launches, with scent-specific formats and separate retail channels.

Dunkin brings cold foam to Zero for Halloween

The seasonal drinks build on earlier beverage launches, with an October afternoon bonus for Boosted members.