McDonalds has honored the creator of the “Hamburger menu” or collapse menu icon, Norm Cox, by taking over Reddit and transforming the site’s hamburger menu to an actual cheeseburger. McDonalds will also offer a discount through the app when customers tap on the hamburger menu, either on Reddit or on their site. McDonalds already has a well-established relationship with the Reddit community with over 13,000 subscribers to their subreddit, therefore the takeover for the anniversary of an icon seemed like a genuine play by the brand.

We already saw strong success as one of the first QSR brands to utilize the Reddit platform for our AMA campaign, where we had our authentic Jack brand tone and voice that encouraged users to engage. McDonalds has clearly found learnings here as the takeover was well designed to promote their items without interrupting a user’s experience, and their AMA with Norm Cox allowed McDonalds to appear genuine, especially in a platform such as Reddit where it is heavily based on community.

Pizza Hut has acquired QuikOrder, a provider of YUM! Brands’ digital ordering system of 20+ years for an undisclosed amount. The global pizza chain will now have full access to consumer data that will allow Pizza Hut to increase growth by accommodating and refining their online delivery service based off of consumer behavior and habits. Part of the new online functions will include improving current delivery tracker with text alerts and voice-enabled digital assistants.

The technology war between pizza chains continues, especially after Dominoes’ identified itself as a ‘Technology’ company. Still, this new acquisition gives Pizza Hut an advantage as it will be able to utilize first party data to aide and inform their business needs and boost sales.

The QSR/technology merge had been tremendous this year – it’s assumed that we can order via DoorDash, GrubHub, or Postmates, or even have their own people delivering to homes. While most players are answering the “Who can do it better?” question, there remains the after question “What are we learning?”. Having access to first party data allows this question to be answered and takes in truly the impact online delivery has had to the QSR industry.

Starting Nov. 12 until end of the year, KFC is introducing Fried Chicken & Waffles across the US. The build is simple: KFC’s famous friend chicken on top of a Belgian style waffle with syrup. It’s also available as a sandwich starting at $5.99.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen the boom of local, hole-in-the-wall restaurants like ‘Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles’ and more restaurants offering the item. These restaurants attract both the high loyalty customers and Millennial “Foodies” who keep up with the latest trends, and have become a sort of social commodity. KFC adding waffles showcases they’re aiming to attract a new audience base, and move into the QSR+ competitive category.

While the Chicken & Waffles combination is nothing new, KFC’s addition has people asking, “Why didn’t we think of this before?” KFC, a specialist in fried chicken, is riding the wave of the love for Chicken and Waffles.

The delivery space is getting even more crowded, now with Chick-Fil-A officially joining in on the delivery game Nationwide by expanding its partnership with DoorDash to provide delivery to 1,100 stores.

Though many other QSR chains have been the forerunners in the delivery or app space, Chick-Fil-A has utilized a test period to gather feedback from consumers, and use these learning to tailor their service with the idea that if the user did not have a good experience, that requires a second look at the entire strategy. As late as it may be to the QSR delivery game, Chick-Fil-A is overcoming that with the quality of the entire experience by getting it right from the start. Some insights gathered in their test period were that orders peak during dinner and on inclement weather days and Delivery sales are highest for restaurants near Hospitals and Universities. Door Dash was also integrated into the POS system to allow a seamless experience from the kitchen management to getting the food at home just the way it was expected. We know Millennials are the most tech savvy, so it makes sense that delivery is peaking around Universities. How can we leverage this insight to ensure we’re catering to our College audience with mobile delivery incentives to drives sales?

Burger King plans to focus on restaurant remodels and operational efficiencies to drive sales, following third-quarter results that fell short of expectations. Specifically, the chain is pinning its hopes in the Burger King of Tomorrow restaurant image. Already the brand has completed roughly 100 restaurant renovations, with hundreds more renovations planned for the fourth quarter, the company said.

Burger King continues to center around focusing on the following priorities: Restaurant image, technology, operations and marketing, each of which they believe will help drive sustainable comparable sales over the long run. CEO Daniel Schwartz said the new designs are also going to include exterior, guest-facing enhancements, like the construction of double drive-thru lanes, and outdoor digital menu boards.

Outdoor digital menu boards are expected to drive increased check, allowing for integration with other technologies, like mobile apps, and provide franchisees cost savings on printed menu and media signage.

Double drive thrus allow are expected to improve throughput and speed of service, which given Jack intends to create a zero-wait time perception, we need to ensure we’re actively delivering on this if our competitors are actively making improvements to the speed of drive-thru.

Earlier this year, Taco bell gave fans a new way to enjoy their iconic sauce packet flavors, through tortilla chips. Due to the great success, Taco Bell is rolling out a new flavor for a limited time only. The limited-edition Diablo Tortilla Chips will be available in participating 7-Eleven stores, with plans to make it available in additional grocery and convenience stores through November. Adding another twist of individuality, the Diablo Tortilla chips will be black due to the vegan, kosher, gluten free and natural vegetable juice making these treats naturally darker.

Taco Bell has already a few items in the CPG space, allowing customers to access its items outside of their locations in retail. Additionally, it provides Taco Bell a way to integrate into their customer’s life through snacking moments. While a Jack in Box FMCG line may not be in the near future, having a goal of integrating Jack in the Box with an FMCG partnerships could help drive awareness and additional cravings for JIB products.