Coca-Cola on Thursday unveiled a brand new advertising and marketing marketing campaign to spice up gross sales of its soda at eating places as declining site visitors and sluggish gross sales development problem each the trade and its high beverage provider.
The marketing campaign marks the primary time Coke has launched advertisements that includes a number of restaurant companions. The commercials flash throughout completely different shoppers ordering their meals at a medley of chains, all ending their orders with the identical phrase, “And a Coke.”
Throughout the three spots launched Thursday, 13 completely different chains share the highlight: Arby’s, Culver’s, Domino’s Pizza, 5 Guys, Jack within the Field, Jimmy John’s, Panda Categorical, Popeyes, Sonic, Wendy’s, Whataburger, White Citadel and Wingstop.
For eating places, drinks — even a easy Coke — are high-margin menu gadgets, serving to elevate income in an trade recognized for its razor-thin margins. That sale turns into much more essential as shoppers in the reduction of on restaurant visits and spend much less after they do dine out.
In February, site visitors to U.S. eating places fell 2%, in accordance with knowledge from Black Field Intelligence. And 38% of shoppers stated they have been spending much less at eating places throughout the first quarter of 2026, primarily based on a survey performed by Income Administration Options.
Behind the scenes, Coke has additionally been making an attempt to assist enhance restaurant gross sales amid the spending slowdown. Because the so-called worth wars kicked off amongst fast-food chains in 2024, Coke executives stated that the corporate had teamed up with restaurant companions to market combo meals with drinks to drive site visitors and beverage gross sales; CNBC beforehand reported that Coke threw in advertising and marketing funds to make a $5 worth meal extra engaging to McDonald’s U.S. franchisees.
Coke selected the chains in its new marketing campaign primarily based on the completely different cuisines and the events they symbolize, like late-night pickup or drive-thru, in accordance with Dagmar Boggs, Coke’s North American president of foodservice and on-premise.
The commercials will air in film theaters beginning Friday. By mid April, the marketing campaign will unfold to linear TV, digital channels and third-party supply suppliers like UberEats and DoorDash.
The chains didn’t pay Coke to take part within the ads. Boggs referred to as it “the perk of being a companion with Coca-Cola.”
Boggs describes Coke as a “enterprise companion” slightly than a “beverage provider” for eating places, giving perception and advertising and marketing options to chains like Burger King or Wendy’s.
In fact, increased Coke gross sales at eating places will even profit the beverage large. Coke doesn’t publicly disclose how a lot of its gross sales come from eating places. Nonetheless, executives have beforehand stated that about half of its general gross sales come from away-from-home channels, which additionally embody film theaters, airplanes and amusement parks.
Coke’s meals service enterprise additionally serves a bellwether for client sentiment.
“If meals service catches a chilly within the North America working unit, North America will catch a chilly,” Boggs stated. “That is why we’re all the time trying to develop our companions’ enterprise, as a result of after they develop, we develop.”
In 2025, Coke’s North American natural gross sales rose 4%, however its home unit case quantity fell 1%, a sign of weaker demand for its drinks. The corporate is projecting modest gross sales development in 2026, in accordance with the outlook it launched in early February.
