Noodles & Company launches personalized nutrition calculator

The tool is available on the restaurant's website and mobile app, and allows diners to create dishes that are in line with keto, paleo, vegetarian and other lifestyle diets.

By Alicia Kelso • May 9, 2019

Chick-fil-A has the strongest QSR brand personality, study says

A Zion & Zion report ranked major fast food chains on five personality dimensions, placing Sonic and Dairy Queen close behind the chicken chain while Papa John's and Burger King earned low marks.

By Lauren Manning • May 9, 2019

Why restaurants need big data to succeed

As consumer restaurant spending grows, operators should build loyalty by leveraging key information about diner behavior, location and order preferences, says IgnitionOne COO Christopher Hansen.

By Chris Hansen • May 8, 2019

Google Lens can tell diners what to order at restaurants

Consumers can point their phone camera at a menu and the mobile feature will highlight popular meals with ratings and reviews from online platforms, a development that could reduce restaurants' control of their messaging.  

By Alicia Kelso • May 8, 2019

Google Maps trials crowdsourced images of restaurant dishes

The new app feature appears to aggregate photos of meals from submissions and reviews to match an image to a menu offering.

By Lauren Manning • May 7, 2019

Burger King campaign jabs at McDonald's Happy Meals

The chain's Real Meals come in different "moods" such as Blue and DGAF and encourages diners to fight pressures to appear happy. 

By Alicia Kelso • May 2, 2019

Denny's promotes brand revamp in multicultural push

In addition to its tech-focused overhaul geared towards millennials, a new multimedia campaign will target African-American and Hispanic diners. 

By Lauren Manning • May 2, 2019

Hardee's celebrates meat-only sandwich by planting 10M vegetables

The QSR brought back a popular roast beef sandwich with its tongue-in-cheek "Save the Veggies" campaign.

By Chris Kelly • April 30, 2019

Starbucks boosts loyalty membership by 13% following switch to spend-based program

Rewards members made up 41% of U.S. sales last quarter, pointing to how the coffee chain's mobile strategy helps to solidify relationships with key customers and drive repeat sales.

By Robert Williams • April 29, 2019

Ad Age: Taco Bell sponsors Bleacher Report's NBA-focused Instagram account

The fast food chain is the first to sponsor House of Highlights on a weekly basis.

By Robert Williams • April 29, 2019

KFC drops sexy Mother's Day video

Dessert biscuits from Cinnabon and a video starring a Colonel Sanders-inspired Chippendales dancer ripping off his shirt are part of the push for one of the chain's busiest days of the year.

By Dianna Christe • April 26, 2019

Chipotle doubles digital sales in Q1

The fast casual chain's sales comps for the period were up nearly 10% thanks to rapid growth from its new loyalty program and ongoing promotions and marketing initiatives. 

By Julie Littman • April 25, 2019

How do you create an air of authenticity when your brand is virtual?

With online ordering revolutionizing the takeaway food industry, "virtual restaurants" still need a physical presence to put a human face to their brand, argues James Rix, CEO of Crowdify Global.

By James Rix • April 22, 2019

45% of diners have tried a restaurant because of social media

A new study from marketing agency MGH revealed that 74% of U.S. consumers are more likely to visit or order from an establishment that engages with its social media fans. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 22, 2019

Taco Bell pens open letter pushing fans to take down Taco Tuesday

The "Taco reBELLion" campaign appears to parody the recent spate of cause-driven, politically charged marketing from other brands.

By Peter Adams • April 18, 2019

Having to share personal data turns consumers away from loyalty programs, study says

Conversely, 76% of surveyed Americans said they would be more likely to join a program that required just their name and phone number.

By Laura Klepacki and Emma Liem • April 18, 2019

Dunkin' pilots multi-tender options for loyalty program

Allowing customers to earn rewards no matter how they pay should keep the brand competitive while Starbucks and others revamp their programs to make it easier to earn points.

By Lauren Manning • April 17, 2019

Rethinking the brand experience beyond space and size

Without designing for experience, an overemphasis on size will leave customers hungry for more, says innovation agency T3's president Ben Gaddis.

By Ben Gaddis • April 12, 2019

KFC parodies influencers with CGI hipster Colonel Sanders

The chain handed its Instagram account over to the "Virtual Influencer Colonel" and partnered with Dr. Pepper, TurboTax and Old Spice for the campaign.

By Robert Williams • April 11, 2019

Caffè Nero cracks open Easter egg hunt for app users

The campaign returns for a second year after spurring 100,000 app downloads and 300,000 "egg-agements" in 2018.

By Robert Williams • April 11, 2019

Dig Inn lands $20M led by Danny Meyer-backed investor, will expand into full-service

The farm-to-table plans to open a sit-down location in New York City, in a move that bucks the industry trend of casual dining chain's launching fast casual concepts to drive growth. 

By Kevin Whiteley • April 10, 2019

Benihana enters sports arenas with AEG partnership

The restaurant is bringing its teppanyaki tables and performing chefs to 400- and 550-square-foot units in Dignity Health Sports Park and Sprint Center as casual chains look to nontraditional channels for growth.

By Kevin Whiteley • April 8, 2019

Taco Bell launches 'hiring parties' to beef up labor force

The Mexican QSR is using a different approach to hire workers in a tight labor market, hosting 600 events where prospective workers can partake in on-the-spot interviews and speak with employees and managers. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • April 5, 2019

Subway launches sandwich created with Tastemade data

The media brand's data-driven insights will help the chain offer locally relevant menu items for U.S. diners, such as the Green Goddess Tuna Melt. 

By Lauren Manning • April 4, 2019

Restaurant operators chase delivery, value menus to drive growth

A TD Bank survey found that 71% of franchisees feel pressure to expand and plan to turn to delivery, value meals, remodeling and mobile technology to boost performance.

By Alicia Kelso • April 3, 2019