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Come mid-summer, Burgerville customers have gotten used to the reappearance of Walla Walla Sweet Onion Rings as a seasonal side. This year, though, those customers are getting an unexpected menu bonus.  Beginning July 3, the 39-unit Pacific Northwest chain brings back the much-loved rings. Then, on July 7 it introduces a new Sweet Onion Horseradish Burger and a [...]

I can’t swear that Hardee’s developed its new Biscuit Holes breakfast treat just so it could make “hole” jokes, but I can’t dismiss the possibilty. The chain’s advertising (and menu development) sometimes can be so audacious that you just have to laugh. Other times—this time–edginess simply dissolves into silliness. As a sly rip-off of Dunkin’ Donuts’ [...]

CKE Restaurants is conducting a bit of advertising-effectiveness research to which every marketer should pay close attention because it could answer several key consumer-marketing questions. One is, what’s a better ad medium for grabbing Millennials’ attention, old-school TV or 21st-century video? But the more-important question is, what’s better, hot or hip? Hot, of course, is [...]

[Aug. 11 UPDATE: Back Yard Burgers became the fourth chain to offer a Camaro as a sweepstakes prize.] General Motors may be struggling financially but it hasn’t lost its marketing edge: The automaker has placed its Chevy Camaro at the center of major promotions for Burger King, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Papa John’s simultaneously. ● Burger [...]

McDonald’s Corp. spent $1.201 billion on U.S. advertising in 2008, ranking it No. 29 among the 100 largest advertisers, Advertising Age magazine reports in its June 22 issue. Big Mac is one of  five restaurant companies included by Ad Age in its 100 Leading Advertisers list. Yum! Brands–parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell–is the [...]

McDonald’s introduction of the Mac Snack Wrap in 600 New York Metro locations this month suggests the chain is proceeding cautiously with this snack-size incarnation of the Big Mac, which it tried first in Canada in March. In contrast to McD’s North American menu conservatism, however, the chain’s European R&D folks are behaving like 6-year-olds at a cupcake-decorating party, [...]

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group waited 24 hours after its annual meeting of stockholders before announcing that its Wendy’s brand needs some serious marketing help. The company’s May 28 post-meeting announcement was the upbeat message that the company is “well-positioned to create value for our stockholders.” On May 29, the tone was more sober: Wendy’s said that as “the [...]

With brands battling to promote new mini-burger and coffee products or to spread the word about lowered prices, the restaurant industry has been doing its best to keep money flowing to media outlets.  Advertising by quick- and full-service restaurants rose 2.5% to $1.415 billion while overall ad spending dropped 14.2%  (to $30.2 billion) during that period, [...]

A collateral benefit of build-your-own-burger concepts’ popularity is that operators and diners more clearly understand that a good burger is the sum of its several parts. Beef quality counts, of course, but so do the bun, cheese and condiments.     Spreadable toppings are the language in which most signature burgers are written. The Umami Burger [...]

Just when you thought the mini-burger craze might have run out of ideas, Jack comes through. Less than three months after launching its Mini Sirloin Burgers, Jack in the Box is extending the sample-size concept to chicken, introducing Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches. Priced at $3.89 for a 738-calorie trio, the new minis use small-scale versions of [...]

In a new TV spot for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s set to launch on June 24, Audrina Patridge won’t have to worry about those pesky clothing sauce stains as Padma Lakshmi did. The star of MTV’s “The Hills” will be wearing only the tiniest, shiniest swimsuit when she attacks her Teriyaki Six Dollar Burger. “It [...]

Jeff Weinstein opened the first The Counter burger restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2003. Now there are 21 locations, including 11  in California and single outposts in Ireland and Australia. The concept remains a celebration of customization: Diners can choose from among three sizes of burger (starting at $8.50 at most units), 10 cheeses, [...]