Burger King sets rivals' ads aflame with AR app

Customers in Brazil win a free Whopper for virtually burning print and billboard ads of competitors like McDonald's.

By Robert Williams • March 21, 2019

Postmates rolls out free group delivery feature

The delivery platform's new Postmates Party option functions like Uber Pool for food, an offering that could give it a leg up over competitors if consumers are willing to sit through longer wait times. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 21, 2019

Cooper's Hawk wants wine club members to dine at Ruth's Chris

This unique partnership, which rewards Cooper's Hawk wine members with 100 club points for bringing its wine to Ruth's Chris, creates a cross-marketing opportunity that could help drive traffic.

By Alicia Kelso • March 20, 2019

McDonald's and La-Z-Boy partner on 'McDelivery Couch' sweepstakes

The promotion for McDelivery with Uber Eats includes a chance to win a decked-out couch for binge-watching.

By Erica Sweeney • March 20, 2019

Sandwich chain Blimpie lifts customer spending 11% with personalized offers

At 70 locations, the Mobivity-powered test issued personalized offers to customers' phones and paper receipts based on their order history.

By Robert Williams • March 20, 2019

Long John Silver's serves up original album, audio coupons for Lent

Twitter engagement for the first song was nearly three times the benchmark after the seafood chain's campaign kicked off on Ash Wednesday.

By Robert Williams • March 19, 2019

Paris Baguette launches mobile app with loyalty program

The chain is offering a free coffee or tea to customers who place their first order though the app.

By Robert Williams • March 18, 2019

Buffalo Wild Wings debuts 'Jewel Stool' supporting vasectomy patients for March Madness

Part of a larger campaign, the customized barstool recognizes the uptick in surgeries that occur around the college basketball tournament. 

By Erica Sweeney • March 18, 2019

Restaurants don't have to choose between environmental responsibility and their bottom line

Buying local and investing in automated inventory systems can help businesses reduce food waste and save money at the same time, Upserve SEO manager Seth Steinman says.

By Seth Steinman • March 15, 2019

Burger King takes on Starbucks with app-based coffee subscription service

BK Café Coffee lets users pay $5 per month — or, "the price of a large cappuccino from Starbucks"— for a daily brew. 

By Peter Adams • March 15, 2019

Baskin-Robbins, Mister Donut partner with HotNow on crypto rewards game

Players can exchange their virtual gold in the game's marketplace for coupons and discounts at real-world retailers.

By Robert Williams • March 14, 2019

Activist investor says Cracker Barrel's fast casual concept is 'destined to fail'

Sardar Biglari, the chain's largest shareholder, urged CEO Sandra Cochran to sell Holler and Dash in a letter on Wednesday and cited concerns over the holding company's fast pace of expansion. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 14, 2019

Delivery search engine FoodBoss gains $2M in funding

Former McDonald's CEO Don Thompson led the investment round in the platform, which allows consumers to compare delivery times and costs from major third-party aggregators like Uber Eats and Postmates.  

By Kevin Whiteley • March 13, 2019

Chipotle touts loyalty program with $250K in Venmo payouts

The Mexican food chain is expanding its Chipotle Rewards program nationwide, and the deal could help capture more of its target diners. 

By Robert Williams • March 12, 2019

52% of U.S. diners with exclusion diets struggle to order at restaurants

Research from Spoon Guru shows that 86% of consumers with diets including paleo, keto, vegan and gluten-free want restaurants to "go above and beyond current regulations" to provide ingredient transparency. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 12, 2019

Shift Change: Smoothie King, Church's Chicken hire CMOs; Bojangles' top marketing leader to retire

The latest installment of Shift Change highlights executive changes at Starbucks, Church's Chicken, Smoothie King, Bojangles' and more. 

By Julie Littman • March 8, 2019

Postmates integrates reviews from The Infatuation

Lines between review, reservation and delivery sites are blurring as diner demand for convenience grows, but it's unclear if this offering will be enough to gain long-term converts. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 8, 2019

McDonald's drives 8.4K in-app actions by tying geofenced billboards to Waze

A campaign with the Google-owned app and agency Outdoor Media Group sent users a call to action message when their car came to a full stop. 

By Peter Adams • March 7, 2019

Wendy's trolls McDonald's on Frozen Food Day

A frozen cake for "you know who" reminded Twitter followers that its rival uses frozen beef and offered a free burger through Wendy's mobile app.

By Robert Williams • March 7, 2019

Yum China's Innovation Center could help fend off US transplants

The Yum Brands spinoff believes product experimentation is key to its success in the fast-changing market, where American heavyweights Shake Shack and Starbucks are testing their own new concepts. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 7, 2019

KFC's crowdfunding campaign gauges interest in half-baked ideas

Contributors to the Indiegogo site could win branded swag for supporting potential products like a Kentucky Fried Hot Tub or location-tracking necktie.

By Erica Sweeney • March 6, 2019

Dunkin' trolls McDonald's over Donut Sticks launch

The coffee chain mockingly tweeted "blueprints" of new donut packaging, which emulate the burger giant's Big Mac box, suggesting McDonald's copied its Donut Fries offering.

By Kevin Whiteley • March 5, 2019

Papa John's eyes sports stars, social influencers as brand rehabilitation efforts continue

The strategy, which follows a campaign focused on the chain's franchisees, was announced amid a reported 8.1% slide in same-store sales in North America for Q4.

By Erica Sweeney • Feb. 28, 2019

Burger King, KFC revamp brand mascots as chicken rivalry heats up

Burger King has debuted the "K.F.G.," or King of Flame Grilling — which mocks Colonel Sanders — while KFC rolls out a RoboCop iteration of its mascot.

By Erica Sweeney • Feb. 25, 2019

Baskin-Robbins sees 12% lift in store visits from Spotify ads

The ice cream chain matched 430,000 U.S. store visits to an audio ad via new measurement partner Placed.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 22, 2019