Today on the Extra Serving podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister talked about new merchandise lines at restaurants. Panera Bread, Chick-fil-A, and Sweetgreen have all recently launched merchandise lines. Do merchandise lines help with brand awareness and virality?
Next, the NRN editors talked about traffic. It seems to be turning around at several of the biggest brands including McDonald’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Subway. After years of traffic declines, things seem to be turning around this quarterly earnings season.
Finally, the editors talked about Taco Bell. The brand is turning once again to Pete Davidson for its latest breakfast campaign. We’ve talked about using celebrities to promote your brand before, but this latest campaign begs the question, is breakfast back?
This week’s guest is AJ Kumaran, co-CEO of Raising Cane’s.