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Was it a burger chain that spread the false accusation that Taco Bell’s ground beef isn’t 100% beef? I didn’t think so, but you have to wonder when you join the tongue-in-cheek fun that is “Burger Backlash” and its declaration that “Big Burger is now under the heat lamp of public scrutiny!” Developed by Taco [...]

Big Boy’s fast-casual concept, @burger, has closed its doors after barely a year in business, AnnArbor.com reports. Last year, Big Boy CEO Keith Sirois told BurgerBusiness.com that one reason to try the compact @burger concept was that “5,000- to 8,000-square-foot restaurants [like traditional Big Boys] just aren’t practical any more.” But it was the smaller, higher-priced concept [...]

While many other burger chains lean more heavily on cost-friendly chicken, Sonic is falling in love with hot dogs. Flush with the successful introduction in March of its four-item line of six-inch hot dogs (New York, Chicago, All-American and Chili Cheese) earlier this year, Sonic next month adds a cheese-topped Baja Dog as a featured [...]

What should your next burger be? Ask your customers. McDonald’s is trying out social media as a means to involving consumers in the tricky business of menu R&D. In Germany, the “Mein Burger” (My Burger) promotion invited consumers to create their own McDonald’s burger. One finalist is a meatloaf-style patty and potato salad combo on [...]

The boxed-meal battle in Australia has heated up this week with Hungry Jack’s (Burger King) rolling out a new line called Jack’s Packs. The 2-, 4- or 6-person meals answer McDonald’s Family Dinner Boxes for four introduced last year and the two-person Mates Meal lunches introduced in May.  A TV commercial with bunnies that multiply from two [...]

Steak ‘n Shake, working with its first agency of record in several years, touts its distinctive style and menu in new advertising that uses the theme line, “Just No Equal” (watch it here). The Indianapolis-based chain named one-time Wendy’s shop Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners in New York City to handle its account earlier this [...]

Say goodbye to Jack’s little friends: Mini Sirloin Burgers are history.  In a May 19 conference call with analysts to discuss fiscal Q2 earnings, Jack in the Box Chairman-President-CEO Linda Lang said the chain would install new menu boards in June. The goal is to make room on the menu for “showcasing our variety, highlighting average check [...]

McDonald’s goes beyond the “What We’re Made Of” corporate advertising approach it takes in the U.S. with a 60-second commercial in the UK outlining “The A-Z of McDonald’s.” by Leo Burnett/London, which previously won plaudits for its poetic “There’s a McDonald’s for Everyone” series and for ads touting its local food sourcing, the new commercial buffs [...]

Burger King swings from excess to dainty with the upcoming introduction of mini burgers in Japan. Following its April limited-time offer— the 1,100+ calorie Meat Monster—the chain will be offering 2.4-inch minis called BK Bites, including one with Spam luncheon meat. The promotion begins June 20. These mini burgers appear to be like the BK [...]

In select Midwest markets, Hardee’s is offering a BLT Double Cheeseburger—topped just as you’d guess from the name—for a value-friendly $2.39 or 2 for $4. To go with it, a 32-oz. Coke or tea is just $1.  Such pricing looks to be the new QSR norm this summer as commodity costs make deep discounting on [...]

Ξ Most digital-media marketing claims to be interactive but isn’t. “Tell us why you love our brand” is a one-way street. But a recent digital effort for McDonald’s in Sweden shows how digital technology can be used to engage and entertain.  A digital billboard in a Stockholm square invited passers-by to “Pick ‘n Play” games [...]

Did a starter pistol go off or a whistle sound? No sooner had May 31 become June 1 than a torrent of burger-chain marketing news and fresh advertising flowed in. In case you were working or otherwise engaged, a brief recap follows: ● Burger King closed a major chapter in its storied marketing history by [...]

McDonald’s is making a surprising, embarrassing and uncharacteristic admission to Australian consumers beginning June 5, confessing that its coffee isn’t good enough and pledging to do better.  According to a report in Sydney paper The Australian, McDonald’s will mount “its biggest advertising campaign in the past two years, stretching across TV, radio, newspapers and social [...]