McDonald's Doubling Down on Families: A Holiday Happy Meal That Inspires Giving and Strengthens Bonds

 

As the holiday season approaches, McDonald’s is elevating family traditions with a special Happy Meal aimed at spreading joy and nurturing the spirit of giving. Beginning November 26, McDonald’s Happy Meals will include two Pet Simulator toys, with one of the toys uniquely gift-wrapped to encourage sharing.

Now according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, success does leave clues and this promotion is set to captivate children while highlighting McDonald’s role in family life, creating a “happy place” experience that deepens the brand’s connection with parents and young fans alike.

This thoughtful offering goes beyond the usual treat by focusing on play, generosity, and shared joy. With sticker sheets included to let kids personalize their Pet Simulator characters, McDonald’s is blending fun and creativity in a way that fosters both play and the joy of giving. As Jennifer “JJ” Healan, Vice President of U.S. Marketing, Brand, Content, and Culture, shares, “Sharing is core to who we are at McDonald’s. Whether kids choose to gift their extra toy to a family member, make a friend smile, or show kindness to a neighbor, this Happy Meal helps kids experience the joy of generosity this season.”

Encouraging Family Bonds Through Generosity

The Pet Simulator Happy Meal gives families an opportunity to celebrate shared values. Through the dual-toy experience, McDonald’s promotes positive values for its youngest fans. Each toy represents a chance to create memorable family moments and reinforce McDonald’s place in family life. By offering an extra toy with each Happy Meal, McDonald’s doesn’t just bring a collectible toy to families—it brings the spirit of giving, an experience that can help bridge conversations between parents and children about kindness, empathy, and connection.

The Pet Simulator Happy Meal experience ties into a broader marketing trend, with brands striving to cultivate connections beyond transactions. For McDonald’s, this effort extends the brand’s relevance in family lives, showcasing the company’s long-standing values of togetherness and generosity.

Positive Outcomes from McDonald’s Holiday Promotion

McDonald’s promotion is strategically designed to benefit both the brand and its customers. Here are some of the notable outcomes anticipated from this initiative:

1.       Increased Brand Loyalty Among Families
This holiday Happy Meal encourages families to view McDonald’s as a brand that aligns with values parents want to instill in their children. By offering a fun way for kids to practice generosity, McDonald’s strengthens its appeal to family-oriented customers who value brands that promote kindness and giving.

2.       Enhanced Collectible Appeal
The Pet Simulator collection—featuring 18 unique characters—adds to McDonald’s legacy of engaging young customers with exclusive, collectible items. Children are drawn back to the brand to complete their collection, creating an ongoing engagement loop that keeps McDonald’s top of mind.

3.       Organic Social Media Amplification
As families share their Happy Meal experiences, including the joy of gifting an extra toy, McDonald’s gains organic social media exposure. These spontaneous sharing moments can spark a wave of positive posts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, extending the brand’s visibility throughout the holiday season.

4.       Educational Value Through Play
The gift-wrapped toy provides a meaningful opportunity for children to learn about sharing. By associating McDonald’s with such valuable experiences, parents are more likely to view Happy Meals as a beneficial treat for their children, reinforcing positive brand impressions.

Long-Term Benefits of McDonald's Family-Focused Promotion

1.       Strengthened Community Connection
By fostering an environment where kids learn to share, McDonald’s also nurtures a sense of community. This campaign has the potential to extend beyond families, as children are encouraged to gift the toy to neighbors or classmates, strengthening community bonds. McDonald’s position as a community-oriented brand is thus reinforced, promoting goodwill at a local level.

2.       Increased Family Foot Traffic
Happy Meals featuring unique collectibles historically boost customer visits, with families making repeat visits to complete sets. This promotion is likely to increase family foot traffic, especially among parents who value McDonald’s kid-friendly atmosphere and menu offerings, further boosting holiday season sales.

Sharing is Caring 

Want to Build a Larger

SHARE OF STOMACH 

3.       Reinforced Position as a Kid-Friendly Brand
By aligning itself with a popular game like Pet Simulator, McDonald’s continues to capture the interests of children in modern, digitally engaging ways. This integration strengthens McDonald’s as a kid-friendly brand that understands contemporary play trends, building on its reputation as a destination for family-friendly dining experiences.

4.       Enhanced Brand Recognition Through Digital Engagement
Alongside the Happy Meal, McDonald’s “GM Spread Joy” digital campaign with Doodles taps into the rising popularity of digital collectibles, offering exclusive rewards with McCafé coffee purchases. This campaign drives engagement with young, tech-savvy customers, reinforcing McDonald’s versatility as a brand that understands both physical and digital engagement in today’s fast-evolving market.

As McDonald’s doubles down on families this holiday season, the brand is weaving the spirit of the season into an experience that benefits customers and drives positive brand associations. By blending values-based engagement with modern-day play, McDonald’s is ensuring its place at the heart of family memories while looking ahead to the next generation of loyal customers.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information. 

Thirsty the Smoothie Keg just Might Be for You

 

The success of the grocerant niche is based in large part on convenience, time, and the ‘halo’ of better for you according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® who believe that the Smoothie Keg just might be the right product at the right time to drive incremental top line sale and bottom line profits.

Smoothie King's Smoothie Keg has the potential to be a hit with consumers for a few reasons:

·         Convenience: The keg offers pre-portioned smoothies, eliminating the need for daily blending and simplifying portion control. This could be a big win for busy consumers who want healthy and convenient on-the-go options.

·         Variety: Smoothie King could offer a variety of flavor options in the keg format, catering to different taste preferences and dietary needs. This could be especially appealing to people who enjoy smoothie variety but find it tedious to buy or make different ingredients every day.

·         Freshness: Smoothie King might use flash-freezing technology to preserve the freshness of the ingredients in the keg. This could be a selling point for consumers who are concerned about the quality and nutritional value of pre-made smoothies.

·         Reduced Waste: Depending on the packaging, Smoothie Kegs could potentially reduce waste compared to individual smoothie cups. This could resonate with environmentally conscious consumers.

·         Subscription Potential: There's a possibility Smoothie King could offer subscription services for Smoothie Kegs, delivering refills to customers' doorsteps. This would provide further convenience and potentially build customer loyalty.

However, there are also some potential challenges:

·         Price: The keg and refills might be more expensive than buying individual smoothies, which could be a turnoff for some consumers.

·         Availability: Freezer space can be limited, so consumers might not have room for a bulky keg. Additionally, Smoothie King would need to ensure widespread availability of the kegs and refills in their stores.

·         Taste and Texture: Some consumers might prefer the taste and texture of freshly blended smoothies. Smoothie King would need to ensure the kegged versions maintain a high quality that rivals fresh smoothies.

Overall, Smoothie Kegs have the potential to be a success story for Smoothie King, but the company will need to address potential drawbacks like price and availability to fully capture the market.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

So, Gen Z and Millennials Relate Well to Popeyes

 

Popeyes Chicken, the classic fast-food chain that has been serving spicy, New Orleans style chicken since 1972, has recently experienced a surge of popularity among younger generations. Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that customer focused relevant messaging including a Super Bowl ad will drive continued engagement.   

So, let’s look at some of the reasons why, a viral marketing campaign that sparked a social media frenzy over its new chicken sandwich.

The chicken sandwich, which was launched in August 2019, quickly sold out in two weeks, as customers lined up to try the crispy, juicy, and flavorful product. Popeyes cleverly ignited a Twitter war with its rival Chick-fil-A, which claimed to have the original and superior chicken sandwich. The online debate drew in millions of users, who posted memes, videos, and reviews of the sandwiches, creating a massive amount of free publicity for Popeyes.

According to Apex Marketing, the social media explosion generated approximately $65 million in equivalent ad revenue for Popeyes, based on the number of impressions and mentions it received across various platforms. Popeyes also gained more followers on Twitter in a single week than it had in two years, reaching a wider and younger audience.

The success of the chicken sandwich was not just a one-time phenomenon. Popeyes has continued to capitalize on its momentum by launching new products, such as the Cajun Flounder Sandwich and the Blackened Chicken Sandwich, that appeal to the taste preferences of Gen Z and Millennials. These generations are known for their love of spicy food, constant snacking, and adventurous eating habits. Popeyes has also leveraged its brand identity as a fun, authentic, and culturally diverse chain that resonates with the values and aspirations of these generations.

Popeyes has proven that viral marketing can be a powerful tool to attract and retain customers, especially in the highly competitive and saturated fast-food industry. By creating a buzz-worthy product, engaging with its fans and critics on social media, and staying true to its roots, Popeyes has established itself as a leader in the chicken sandwich category and a favorite among Gen Z and Millennials.

Yes, Popeyes has unveiled its first-ever Super Bowl commercial featuring actor, writer, and comedian Ken Jeong trying the famous brands’ new Wings for the first time.

This funny commercial is based on Jeong, who cryogenically froze himself 52 years ago waiting for the best-ever wing to be created. Jeong is unfrozen to discover Popeyes has permanently launched Wings in five delicious flavors – along with many other changes from 52 years ago, including drones, driverless cars, scooters, and new breeds of doodle dogs.

The advertisement was created by Popeyes in partnership with its creative agency, McKinney, and was directed by filmmaker and MTV Video Music and Grammy Award Winner Calmatic, who is well known for directing movies like House Party and White Men Can’t Jump. 

Sami Siddiqui, President of Popeyes North America, stated, “Football and Wings is the all-American pairing, so we couldn’t think of a better time to go all-in on launching our new wing line up than during the Super Bowl,” … “Ken Jeong is a comedic genius who really makes this commercial a lot of fun to watch.”

Popeyes new wings in five delicious flavors are available nationwide starting at $5.99 for 6-pieces: 

·         Ghost Pepper: The perfect balance of flavor and fire.  

·         Sweet ‘N Spicy: A sweet and spicy blend of chili, garlic and ginger.

·         Honey BBQ Wings: Tangy and sweet, like a good BBQ should be.   

·         Roasted Garlic Parmesan: The perfect blend of roasted garlic and parmesan cheese.   

·         Signature Hot: Nice and spicy with just a dash of southern sweetness

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

 

Dickey’s Superbowl Game Deals

 

Make game day focused, fun, for a foodie.  If that’s sounds like your plan you just might want to think about Dickey’s Barbecue Pit as the Go-To game day planning and food solution according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

We know that grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is top of mind and according to a recent DoorDash survey that revealed that 93% of Americans plan to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, and 48% of respondents plan to order takeout or delivery for the big game. 

 Let’s look at just some of Dickey’s game day specials include:

1.       Dickey’s Big Yellow Box Ribs & Wings Party Pack ($115) – A combination of 18 Ribs and 24 Wings, Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Rolls, Barbecue Sauce and Ranch Dressing. Pricing and participation may vary by location.

2.       Pit-Smoked Wings – Available in six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 pieces.

3.       Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs – Available in six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 pieces.

4.       Dickey’s 80th Anniversary Combo ($8.80) – Enjoy a pairing of the Pulled Pork Classic Sandwich, your choice of side, and a Double Berry Cobbler.

5.       Kids Eat Free Sunday – Receive a FREE Kid’s Meal with an order of $10 or more using the code KEFOLO. One Kid’s Meal per check with a minimum $10 purchase. Available at participating Dickey’s locations only. Kids 12 and under. Not valid with any other coupons, offers, discounts or promotions.

Yes, Dickey’s has fall-off-the-bone ribs and pit-smoked wings. Dickey’s offers endless saucabilities to choose from, including fan favorites like Rib Rub and Classic Barbecue Sauce or bold flavors such as Sweet Barbecue, Carolina Barbecue, Buffalo, Hot Buffalo, Texas Hot and Lemon Pepper – perfect for hosting a small group of people with a variety of flavor preferences.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants stated, “Whether you’re watching the big game because you love football, the commercials or the halftime show, there’s always one thing that everyone looks forward to on game day … the food,” … “There’s nothing better than watching the big game while chowing down on delicious Texas-style barbecue. Dickey’s Pit Smoked Wings and Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs are all you need to take your party to the next level.”

In addition, Dickey’s is offering guests free doorstep delivery! Let Dickey’s deliver fresh pit-smoked barbecue directly to your door. Simply select the “Doorstep Drop Off” option at checkout. Valid for orders of $10 or more placed through dickeys.com or the Dickey’s App.  Don’t cook, have fun, fresh food, and we hope your favorite team wins.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869.

Tired of Cooking Try Snacking for New Years Eve and New Year’s Day

 

So, Junzi Kitchen recently dropped their first holiday snack box. Hand-picked by junzi team members, the box includes a collection of 12 iconic East Asian snacks a perfect way to change things up in the New Year according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

The box provides a balance of sweet and savory:

·         Chinese Lay's chips

·         Matcha Pocky

·         GGE crackers

·         Master Kang 3+2 crackers

·         Candied hawthorn flakes

·         White rabbit taffies

·         Vita Soy juice box

·         Banana-flavored yogurt drink from Korea

·         Spicy Peanuts

 

This gift box, along with all other Junzi merchandise, will be available on Junzi's brand new online store www.shopjunzi.com/ .

With 2021 its time to think forward, we still have to continue social distancing but we don’t have to cook from scratch every day according to Johnson. 

So, in the meantime, check out Junzi Kitchen on Instagram, Facebook or at their website.  Expand you comfort food zone to try snacking in the New Year. Yong Zhao, CEO and Co-founder of Junzi. "We made this launch to upgrade our system to create a much better online engagement experience. As a brand committed to connecting people from different cultures globally with Chinese culture, this is a great opportunity to extend our offering with interesting food products that we love, including our fan-favorite chili oils handcrafted in our store."

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Tijuana Flats Edifies Brand with Meal Kit Delivery Service

Regular readers of this blog know that Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® of Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has stated that “partnerships drove growth for restaurant brands in 2017 ti new levels and will become even more important in 2018 creating new points of distribution for less.  

Tijuana Flats has launched a new take-home burrito meal kit service.  The meal kit is easily accessible in the takeout selection that allows simple options for family dinner, and is a viable solution for smaller offices looking for a group lunch option. The “Hardly Homemade Burrito Kit” is importantly available via UberEATS and through in-store takeout.

This new meal kit may be priced a bit high according to the team at Foodservice Solutions® as it is priced at $34.99.  It must be noted that the Burrito Kit feeds up to six people and is packed full of all the Tijuana Flats essentials, including protein (chicken and beef), toppings (jalapeños, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and cheese), choice of refried or black beans, rice, flour or wheat tortillas, and chips. The Kit also comes with instructions for “How to Roll a Fat One” via a 10-step process that includes directives, like “Add cheese (a cheesy burrito is a happy burrito)” and “Fold the sides in toward the center, making your tortilla hug those tasty insides.” 

The launch of Tijuana Flats’ Burrito Kit comes after the successful unveiling of the company’s “Hardly Homemade Taco Kit” earlier this year. Larry Ryback, CEO at Tijuana Flats stated "Debuting our ‘Hardly Homemade Taco Kit’ this summer opened the door, and tortilla, to launch similar initiatives with other Flats fan favorites,”.. “Like the Taco Kit, our new Burrito Kit is an easy and fun solution for busy families this holiday season and beyond.“

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant