Marketing

Restaurant marketing ideas and trends

Marketing

Chef-in-residency programs move from fine dining to fast casual

 By Alicia Kelso on Oct. 01, 2026

Marketing Bites: Habit Burger and Sweetgreen turn chef and celebrity collaborations into dual-purpose platforms that generate cultural buzz while delivering culinary credibility.

Marketing

Is the hype worth the chaos? Restaurant brands grapple with the risks of scarcity marketing

 By Alicia Kelso on Sep. 23, 2026

Marketing Bites: From Starbucks' Snoopy Cup brawls to 7 Brew's blocks-long lines, some chains are discovering that such promotions can drive traffic and cultural relevance but can also be disruptive for employees and customers.

Marketing

Taco Bell’s traffic still down double digits despite aggressive promotions

By Alicia Kelso on Sep. 21, 2026

New data from Placer.ai shows that the chain’s cyclospora recovery continues after the outbreak has been declared over.

Marketing

Tropical Smoothie Cafe targets unique demographic: 'Crave Health Balancers'

By Lisa Jennings on Sep. 18, 2026

It's a consumer who is "one lane over" from those focused on health. And it's a space where the beverage-led fast-casual chain sees room for growth.

Marketing

Chili’s is taking on the fast-food giants, and Taco Bell could be next

By Joanna Fantozzi on Sep. 17, 2026

Chili’s has already gone after McDonald’s, KFC, and Popeyes — and the Brinker brand is now looking to take on more QSR categories, including Mexican.

Marketing

Restaurants are turning social media hacks into real menu items and it's working

By Alicia Kelso on Sep. 15, 2026

Marketing Bites: Customer-inspired ideas and creations have driven sales at IHOP, Burger King, Chipotle, Taco Bell, and more.

Marketing

Sweetgreen is growing its Gen Z cohort at twice the rate of other generations

By Lisa Jennings on Sep. 14, 2026

With the rollout of wraps earlier this year, the fast-casual chain recruited an army of social media influencers. That strategy is paying off, said Chief Commercial Officer Zipporah Allen.

Marketing

It’s beginning to look a lot like … Halloween

By Bret Thorn on Sep. 14, 2026

Food Writer’s Diary: Spooky season is starting especially early this year, and there are reasons for that.

Marketing

Domino’s new campaign has us asking what belongs on fast-food’s Mount Rushmore

By Alicia Kelso on Sep. 09, 2026

Marketing Bites: The pizza chain raises questions about what truly defines an iconic menu item and whether encouraging visits to competitors is brilliant or risky.

Marketing

Why fast food's promotional blitz couldn't sustain value perceptions

By Alicia Kelso on Sep. 02, 2026

Marketing Bites: New data shows saturation and economic uncertainty eroded gains from 2024's deal-heavy environment, forcing some chains to rethink their strategies.

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