The QSR value wars are buying traffic, not loyalty

Approximately 83% of QSR chains saw retention fall despite a heavy promo environment.

By Phil Fox • June 1, 2026

How Chipotle’s rewards relaunch extends reach of its marketing flywheel

Curt Garner, chief strategy and technology officer at the chain, explains how a “Summer of Extras” effort builds on and gamifies its rewards program.

By Chris Kelly • May 28, 2026

Wingstop launches loyalty program

Club Wingstop’s exclusive perks and experiences could help improve guest frequency and same-store sales growth.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 27, 2026

Chili’s remakes iconic Baby Back Ribs jingle — again — with Lizzo

The cultural play comes several years after the chain tapped Boyz II Men to remix the tune in an effort to double down on ‘90s nostalgia.

By Chris Kelly • Updated May 27, 2026

Church’s Texas Chicken appoints Popeyes vet as chief commercial officer

Kevin Nemeth will oversee various aspects of the chain’s commercial strategy and help connect brand, digital, loyalty, menu and execution.

By Julie Littman • May 26, 2026

Turning loyalty into a disciplined growth strategy for Fast Casual brands

Loyalty incentives fuel your marketing efforts with technology and strategy to turn personalization into performance and reveal what your customers really want.

May 26, 2026

Smashburger hires CMO in push for growth

Kate Savelli, who previously worked at Einstein Bros.’ parent, will lead brand, consumer, menu and partnership strategies as the chain focuses on expansion.

By Julie Littman • May 22, 2026

Sweetgreen sales wilt in another punishing quarter

The brand launched wraps to supplement its core bowl and salad business, following its worst quarterly same-store sales performance.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 8, 2026

Papa Johns’ CMO on driving cultural relevance with a ‘Toy Story’ tie-up

Jenna Bromberg digs into recent moves around marketing co-ops and agency partners and how the chain is working with Google Cloud on AI.

By Chris Kelly • Updated May 27, 2026

How Dutch Bros doubled its brand awareness in 18 months

Mobile ordering, loyalty upgrades, a new breakfast menu and increased density in key markets accelerated sales growth for the brand.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 7, 2026

Burger King’s sales jumped, Popeyes slumped in Q1

Years of investment in the burger brand’s operations and menu have won consumers back, but a loss of focus on service and the core menu hurt the chicken chain.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 6, 2026

KFC expands $10 bucket deal across weekdays

The brand is positioning the bucket deals as a value-oriented solution for weekday dinners, which could help it drive traffic.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 5, 2026

Taco Bell grows loyalty and digital sales

The brand’s loyalty program is resonating with consumers and driving them to engage with the brand more frequently, Yum Brands CEO said.

By Kristen Doerer • May 5, 2026

Starbucks’ loyalty update is driving frequency as membership grows

Starbucks Rewards is no longer “a coupon book,” CEO Brian Niccol said. “We had to stop doing all that discounting. This needed to be about engagement.”

By Bryan Wassel • April 30, 2026

Starbucks turnaround plan is paying off, CEO says

A litany of changes, from remodels to customizable caffeine levels, are helping the coffee giant grow transactions and speed up its turnaround.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 29, 2026

Whataburger adds toys, interactive packaging to kids meals

The new kids meals could help the chain compete for family dining dollars with QSR brands that have long offered kids flashy meal perks. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 29, 2026

Chipotle appoints Fernando Machado as chief brand officer

The former CMO at companies including Burger King and Activision Blizzard takes a role last held by longtime brand marketer Chris Brandt.

By Chris Kelly • April 27, 2026

Pizza Hut shifts loyalty program toward experience and exclusivity

The pizza giant is adding merchandise drops, digital games and experiential rewards to boost consumer engagement.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 21, 2026

Smoothie King to add flatbreads, high-protein food items

The rollout is part of a brand evolution plan that includes store redesigns and national advertising to support the chain’s aggressive growth strategy. 

By Julie Littman • April 21, 2026

A look at how Chipotle’s loyalty relaunch could affect customer behavior

Value is key to the loyalty revamp, and the approach could drive in-restaurant traffic and help the company win over less frequent customers.

By Bryan Wassel • April 20, 2026

What restaurants are doing differently on TikTok and why it’s driving visits

How TikTok turns trends into restaurant visits, orders and loyal repeat customers fast.

By Gurbani Chadha • April 20, 2026

Who’s Hungry? What GroundTruth’s first-party data says about today’s restaurant visitors.

Most diners eat at places within 10 miles of their homes, so operators should target customers closest to their restaurants before expanding outward, GroundTruth’s Hayden Erwin says.

By Hayden Erwin • April 17, 2026

Starbucks lets customers discover drinks, start orders in ChatGPT

The app, in beta, takes the prompt-driven inspiration of ChatGPT and pushes customers into the Starbucks ecosystem to complete their orders.

By Bryan Wassel • April 15, 2026

Smashburger hires newcomer agency Understory amid creative revamp

The shop, which launched this year, looks to bring more cultural relevance to Smashburger’s marketing after the brand recently admitted it lost focus.

By Peter Adams • April 15, 2026

Chili’s serves up new Big Crispy chicken sandwich platform

The chain is balancing the 3 for Me value offering with more premium versions of its Big Crispy sandwich to preserve its margins and sales mix.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 15, 2026